Petite bourgeoisie

The petite bourgeoisie is a specific social class within a larger economic system.

This group includes small business owners, shopkeepers, and small-scale merchants. It also contains artisans and semi-autonomous peasants. They are often referred to as the petty bourgeoisie in English. This class occupies a middle position between two other major groups. They are distinct from the proletariat, which is the working class. The proletariat relies entirely on selling their labor-power to survive. They are also different from the haute bourgeoisie, or high bourgeoisie. The haute bourgeoisie owns the means of production, which are the tools and factories used to make goods.

To understand this class, one must look at how they operate economically. While members of the petite bourgeoisie may hire employees, they usually work alongside them. This is a major difference from the haute bourgeoisie, who primarily manage the wealth created by others. The petite bourgeoisie also have a unique political and social identity. During periods of stability, they often try to imitate the lifestyle of the upper class. They strive to follow the same morality and social conduct as the haute bourgeoisie. This desire to emulate the high class helps define their social presence. They act as a bridge between the very wealthy and the working class.

The history of this term reaches back to the French Revolutionary period. It originally described a sub-stratum of the middle classes in Western Europe. In the mid-19th century, the German economist Karl Marx used the term academically. He used it to identify the socio-economic stratum of small shopkeepers and self-employed artisans. In his famous work, *The Communist Manifesto*, he referred to them simply as "smaller capitalists." Marx believed this group was destined to change as the economy developed. He predicted they would eventually sink into the proletariat. He argued that their small amount of capital could not compete with modern industry. Additionally, new production methods could make their specialized skills worthless.

Because of these economic pressures, the petite bourgeoisie often face great instability. They are squeezed between the power of big business and the pressure of the working class. Marxist theorists suggest this instability can lead to political shifts. For example, Leon Trotsky argued that fascism finds its primary human material in the petty bourgeoisie. He believed that big capital ruins the middle class and leaves them with no way out. This creates a sense of indignation and despair. Fascists can then divert this anger away from big capital and toward the workers. This process places the middle class at the disposal of their own enemies.

Historical examples show how these political tensions play out in real life. Historian Richard Pipes noted that the Nazi Party originally consisted mainly of the petite bourgeoisie. However, by the end of the 1920s, workers began joining the party in large numbers. By 1934, workers had actually become the largest occupational group in the party. Another thinker, Wilhelm Reich, studied the rise of fascism in Germany. He argued that the middle class was a hotbed for political reaction. He pointed to the importance of the patriarchal family in small businesses. He believed these family-run enterprises were often self-exploiting and socially conservative.

Many writers and philosophers have also examined the petite bourgeoisie through art and literature.

The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard offered a very critical view of this class. He argued that the petty bourgeois was "spiritless" and lacked imagination. He believed they lived within a narrow orbit of trivial experiences. This focus on the worldly led to what he saw as a spiritual emptiness. In literature, Henrik Ibsen explored the morality of the period through his plays. Bertolt Brecht also focused on the petite bourgeois mind in his work. He even wrote a piece titled *The Seven Deadly Sins of the Petite Bourgeoisie* to explore these themes.

Despite these criticisms, the petite bourgeoisie play an indispensable role in modern society. James C. Scott points out that they have existed throughout most of civilized history. He notes that many people desire to become small property owners for the autonomy it provides. This desire for land and ownership has driven many mass movements. Economically, this class is vital for invention and innovation. For example, many software startups are part of the petite bourgeoisie. These small firms develop new ideas that are later bought by much larger companies. Small shopkeepers also provide many unpaid social services to their local communities.