The bourgeoisie is a social class that occupies the upper-middle stratum of society.
Human beings live in society . This concept, which comes from the Latin societas , is used to name the group made up of those people who share a territory, a culture, etc. Within a society, it is possible to notice various symbolic divisions, which separate individuals into layers or classes .
The notion of bourgeoisie is used to name one of these social layers: more specifically, the one formed by the subjects who occupy one of the upper-middle strata . It can be said, therefore, that the bourgeoisie are upper-middle class people.
Rise of the bourgeoisie
The term is usually used to name the social stratum that, during the Middle Ages , was formed by people who did not obey a feudal lord . The subjects who produced crafts on their own or the merchants, therefore, were the members of the bourgeoisie of the time, placing themselves below those who exercised feudalism but above the serfs.
By extension, it can be said that the idea of bourgeoisie was born to name the social class that was not privileged (since it was not made up of religious people or nobles) and that did not belong to the peasantry .
Currently, the bourgeoisie is characterized by combining liberalism and conservatism in its ideology.
From the past to the present
The bourgeoisie was key to the fall of the Old Regime and the establishment of capitalism . This growing social class needed an organization different from the State , which defended its interests and not the interests of the traditionally privileged sectors.
Among the values that the bourgeoisie historically defends is the right to private property , the division of state powers and the promotion of the possibilities of social advancement.
Nowadays, the concept of bourgeoisie is more diffuse and its members are more difficult to explain than in the Middle Ages . Generally, a member of the middle class whose political position combines liberalism (especially in economic matters) and conservative nuances (since he usually opposes the conquest of rights by the lower classes in order not to give in) is classified as bourgeois. own benefits).
Bourgeoisie and Enlightenment
One of the concepts that often arises in relation to the bourgeoisie is the Enlightenment , a stage in history that, in the words of Marxist theorist Lucien Goldmann , is part of the global evolution of bourgeois thought . The Enlightenment was an intellectual and cultural movement originating in Europe , which focused mainly on England and France , and which extended from the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the French Revolution and which was characterized by relying on reason to dissipate the darkness of humanity .
The defenders of the Enlightenment assured that ignorance, tyranny and superstition could be fought with the help of reason. This movement, thanks to which the 18th century came to be known as the Age of Enlightenment , was very important for the economy, politics and society in general. The values and interests that are identified with the bourgeoisie benefited from the Enlightenment, just as happened with encyclopedism .
The encyclopedism
Encyclopedism was a pedagogical and philosophical movement that was based on the edition of a French encyclopedia in the mid- 18th century , directed by Jean d'Alembert and Denis Diderot . It included scientific content and graphics, and had the following purposes:
* collaborate with economic and social development through the dissemination of knowledge;
* promote democratic and republican ideas;
* reveal the vices of the current order;
* end tyranny, superstition and ignorance;
* restore the natural freedom of the human being;
* show ideas that serve to combat absolutism and feudalism.
The revolutionary motto Liberty, equality, fraternity , so heard when studying the bourgeoisie, summarizes the concepts that gained special importance, in part thanks to the contributions of the two movements just exposed, the Enlightenment and encyclopedism; Some of them are work , progress, freedom, equality, happiness, innovation and the individual.