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Petite Bourgeoisie




Starting from the mid-19th century, the term was used by Karl Marx and Marxist theorists to refer to a Social Class that included shop-keepers and professionals. Though distinct from the ordinary Working Class and the Lumpenproletariat , who rely entirely on the sale of their labor-power for survival, the petty bourgeois remain members of the Proletariat rather than the Haute Bourgeoisie , or Capitalist class, who own the means of production and buy the labor-power of others to work it. Though the petty bourgeois do buy the labor power of others, in contrast to the bourgeoisie they typically work alongside their own employees; and although they generally own their own businesses, they do not own a controlling share of the means of production.