BOURGEOISIE: EMERGENCE, STRENGTHENING, REBIRTH AND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The bourgeoisie is a social class that has been many times identified with the middle class, owner and capitalist. However, the definition of the term and its association with a specific social group differs depending on the time and who uses it.

The origin of the bourgeoisie is located in the Middle Ages. At that time, that term began to be used to refer to the inhabitants of the burgos (cities). A new social class had appeared in their neighborhoods, made up of merchants and some artisans. Although they were not noble, their growing wealth granted them more and more power.

Urban bourgeoisie, work of Painting by R. Cortés (1855) - Source: R. Cortés

The incipient bourgeoisie played a very important role in the transition from the feudal system to capitalism. The bourgeoisie were not linked to any feudal lord, so they did not owe them obedience. Despite their economic prosperity, they were included in the third state, unable to access political power.

The search for this leading role, in addition to being a social class that was able to access a quality education, made the bourgeoisie lead a good part of the revolutions of the 18th century. Over time, the bourgeoisie became a very powerful group, although with important differences within it.

Rise of the bourgeoisie

The term bourgeoisie is of French origin and began to be used in the Middle Ages to refer to the urban population that worked in commerce or crafts.

These tasks were typical of the cities, which in some countries were also called boroughs. In addition, they were totally different jobs from agricultural and livestock work.

Emergence of a new social class

The bourgeoisie appeared during the late Middle Ages, between the 11th and 12th centuries. At that time, the name was used to refer to a new social class within the group of the underprivileged.

Until then, the Middle Ages had been characterized by the complete predominance of agriculture as an economic activity. It was a very rural society and it was only capable of producing for its own consumption. The lack of surpluses meant that trade, through barter, was very limited.

Some technical advances in agriculture appeared in the 11th century. Elements such as the horse plow, rotation systems or the water mill caused an increase in production. At the same time, the population began to grow and therefore need more food.

The surpluses that were obtained were used for trade. Merchants, along with independent artisans, settled in the cities, giving rise to the bourgeoisie.

Trade in the late Middle Ages

Cities, thanks to the boom in trade, began to grow. The most important were located near the sea ports, which favored commercial activities.

Over time, these urban locations replaced the countryside as the economic center of the countries. The bourgeoisie, both merchants and artisans, began to gather in the same areas. By not being linked to any feudal lord, they managed to obtain a certain self-government.

The next step in the evolution of the bourgeoisie came when it began to enrich itself. Thanks to this, they were able to become owners of the means of production and hire labor, most of the time impoverished peasants.

Strengthening

The fourteenth century in Europe was characterized by a serious economic crisis. A series of bad harvests and epidemics caused great famines and a significant decline in population.

Many peasants, faced with the bad situation, sought better luck in the cities. Faced with this, the feudal lords tried to retain them by offering a salary in exchange for their work, but the emigration from the countryside continued. The bourgeoisie, which the first bankers had joined, was the one who benefited from this exodus.

Despite the growing economic power of the bourgeoisie, legally they still belonged to the underprivileged classes. Thus, socially they were encompassed within the third estate, with fewer rights than nobles and members of the clergy. Moreover, the bourgeoisie were the only ones who paid taxes.

Defeat of the feudal lords

Both the kings, who saw their power limited, and the bourgeoisie, were interested in the feudal lords losing their political influence. For this reason an alliance was produced to weaken the nobles: the king provided the army and the bourgeoisie the money.

The alliance had the effect of strengthening the monarchy. The kings were able to unite cities and fiefdoms under their command, with which the first nation-states appeared. For its part, the bourgeoisie definitely became the economic power of these countries.

Bourgeoisie in the Renaissance

The appearance of new philosophical ideas, such as humanism or enlightenment, were fundamental for the arrival of the Renaissance. The bourgeoisie, which was also becoming a cultural concept, was at the center of all the transformations.

Renewing attitude

Already at the end of the fourteenth century, as part of its struggle against the feudal world, the bourgeoisie had adopted a system of thought far removed from the iron Christianity of the Middle Ages. In addition, its economic and social advancement made it the main driver of a change in European thought.

The number of members of the bourgeoisie had been growing, as well as the activities they developed. In this period, the bourgeoisie became the strongest force within the European states.

At times, the nobility tried to regain some of their privileges, although their stagnant attitude made it difficult. Only the monarchy stood clearly above the bourgeoisie.

Local power

The Renaissance saw how, for the first time, the bourgeoisie obtained real political power, albeit of a local character. In some cities, such as Venice, Siena or Florence (Italy), the bourgeoisie mixed with the nobility to form a kind of urban patriciate.

Faced with this rise to local power, the absolutist monarchies were strengthening their power in countries such as France or England. In these nations, the bourgeoisie still had to settle for belonging to the third state, the common people.

Bourgeoisie in the Industrial Revolution

The next important step in the evolution of the bourgeoisie came with the Industrial Revolution. This began in England in the second half of the 18th century and spread throughout Europe, the United States and other areas of the planet.

The economic and technological transformations that took place boosted the role of the bourgeoisie, converted into the maximum exponent of capitalism.

The industrial bourgeoisie

Within the bourgeoisie a new group appeared closely linked to the possession of the means of production: the industrial bourgeoisie. In general, they were former merchants who became owners of the factories that appeared in the big cities. London, as the English capital, concentrated a good part of the business.

The money that the bourgeoisie had accumulated allowed them to finance the new factories, in addition to buying raw materials, machines and hiring workers. The benefits were enormous, something to which the exploitation of the colonial territories contributed.

As a consequence, the industrial bourgeoisie was able to exert ever greater force, especially in England. In other countries, such as France, the persistence of an absolutist monarchy led the bourgeoisie to ally with the common people to seek greater power.

The French Revolution, those of 1820 or those of 1848 have been called bourgeois revolutions, since it was this class that led them.

Bourgeoisie today

With the consolidation of capitalism, the bourgeoisie came to be defined as the class composed of entrepreneurs, merchants or owners of goods and capital. Marx added another condition to define it: the bourgeoisie was the one that employed the working class to work in the companies it owned.

Karl Marx

However, in recent decades, these definitions have been the subject of much debate. Many experts consider that, apart from a bourgeoisie that adjusts to the above, there are other middle-class groups that present different characteristics.

Social evolution

The loss of power of the nobility and of a large part of the monarchies continued during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The bourgeoisie, together with its opposite, the proletariat, became two fundamental actors in politics, in the economy and in society.

Furthermore, the bourgeoisie is not a homogeneous group. Inside it is both the so-called big bourgeoisie, made up of the owners of large capitals, and the lower class, which is often confused with the middle class.

Definition problems

Starting in the second half of the 20th century, the identification between the bourgeoisie and the middle class began to become increasingly complicated. Within the middle class there are professionals who do own their businesses, but also well-paid workers, rentiers or even pensioners with good purchasing power.

The classical definition of the bourgeoisie, on the other hand, would include self-employed workers. However, on many occasions, their economic level places them closer to the lower class than to the average.

The crisis and its consequences

The last great economic crisis, at the beginning of the 21st century, has made it even more difficult to define the role of the bourgeoisie today. One of the consequences of this crisis in many countries has been the loss of economic power of the middle class, while the upper class has managed to maintain its status.

A study conducted in England by Mike Savage of the London School of Economics has attempted to redefine how society is divided today. Within this work, four new social classes appear that could correspond to the bourgeoisie: the elite; the established middle class; the technical middle class; and the new prosperous workers.

References

1. Lozano Cámara, Jorge Juan. The bourgeoisie. Obtained from classeshistoria.com
2. López, Guzmán. The bourgeoisie. Obtained from laopiniondemurcia.es
3. Ryan, Alan. Bourgeoisie. Retrieved from britannica.com
4. Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Bourgeoisie. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
5. Langewiesche, Dieter. Bourgeois Society. Recovered from sciencedirect.com
6. Fronesis Eurozine. Who, what and where is the bourgeoisie of today ?. Obtained from eurozine.com