The petty bourgeoisie, or petit bourgeoisie, in sociology refers to a social class between the working class and the middle class, often including small business owners, managers, salespeople, independent professionals, and other workers who may own means of production but do not employ a substantial workforce. As they share aspects of both classes, they typically lack a cohesive identity and clear economic interests as a class, leading to fluctuating political alliances.
Historically, the petty bourgeoisie has been seen as a transitional class between the working class and the capitalist class, and has played a role in various social and political movements.
Key Takeaways
Examples
Traders
Merchants
Some land-owning farmers
Independent artisans
Small-scale shopkeepers
The Petty Bourgeoisie in Marxism
In Marx’s categorization of social classes, the petty bourgeoisie are self-employed, or those who employ a few laborers in their economic activity. These are associated with the shop-keeping or independent artisan class, who form a buffer between thebourgeoisie and the proletariat.
Because of their intermediary position, they were seen as being pulled in both directions, sometimes taking a revolutionary role and sometimes a conservative stance on the political questions of daily life. They were thus economically determined, but ideologically and politically fluid.
The petty bourgeoisie has been historically viewed as partakers of the systems of private property which undergird capitalist societies (Poulantzas, 1979). However, they lack enough capital to benefit from workforce rationalization and massive-scale industrialization.
On the other hand, they do not have to rely on selling their labor, and may even employ other people. Unlike capitalists, however, the petty bourgeoisie has to work and may do so alongside their family members as well as their employees.
Karl Marx claimed that during France’s failed revolution in 1848, the petty bourgeoisie had shifted their loyalty to the bourgeoisie from the proletariat (Poulantzas, 1979).
The mid-1840s had seen the petty bourgeoisie, amidst widespread discontent and famine, fighting alongside students and the urban proletariat, demanding liberal reforms and the recognition of supposed workers’ rights.
However, the conflict evolved into anarchic upheaval, and consequently, the petty bourgeoisie ended up transferring their allegiance to the counter-revolutionary movement comprising the conservative peasantry, the bourgeoisie, and powerful feudal remnants.
The upshot was the establishment of the Second Republic of France having as its president Napoleon III, who would go on to become the Emperor of France.
Friedrich Engels, on the other hand, was more inclined to see the petty bourgeoisie as a transitional middle class rather than a stationary middle class (Poulantzas, 1979).
The Petty Bourgeoisie Overtime
Somewhat disassociated from the bourgeoisie, the term middle class, has come to mean a subsection of society whose valorization and expansion could increase upward mobility, spur economic growth, and advance democratization.
The petty bourgeoisie was seen as representing capitalist interests without necessarily owning capital in a way they could alienate it. The plenitude of joint-stock companies affords an example of this evolution that defies theorization and hinders radical political organization (Wright, 1978).
In the meantime, images of small business owners freed from the demands to toil for others continue to occupy the popular imagination. The norms of individual freedom, personal autonomy, and entrepreneurship exert a potent influence on many.
Thus, this new middle class, or the latest petty bourgeoisie seems to enormously shape the economic trajectory of today’s society.
Further Information
References
Bernstein, H. (1988). Capitalism and petty‐bourgeois production: Class relations and divisions of labour. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 15(2), 258-271.
Marx, K. (1968).The Class Struggles in France: 1848-1850. Wellred Books.
Marx, K. (1926).The eighteenth brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. International Publishers.
Poulantzis, N. (1975). Social Classes in Contemporary Capitalism. London: New Left Books.
Poulantzas, N. (1979). The new petty bourgeoisie.Insurgent Sociologist, 9(1), 56-60.
Wright, Olin E. (1978). Class, Crisis and the State. London: New Left Books.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Ayesh PereraResearcherB.A, MTS, Harvard UniversityAyesh Perera, a Harvard graduate, has worked as a researcher in psychology and neuroscience under Dr. Kevin Majeres at Harvard Medical School.
Ayesh PereraResearcherB.A, MTS, Harvard University
Ayesh Perera
Researcher
B.A, MTS, Harvard University
Ayesh Perera, a Harvard graduate, has worked as a researcher in psychology and neuroscience under Dr. Kevin Majeres at Harvard Medical School.
