Bourgeoisie

The bourgeoisie is a social class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people that emerged in the Late Middle Ages as a middle class between the peasantry and the aristocracy. The word comes from the Old French borgeis, 'town dweller', from bourg, 'market town': the medieval bourgeois were the craftsmen, artisans and merchants of the towns, which grew into cities of commerce and crafts from the 11th century. The English Civil War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolution were partly motivated by their wish to be rid of feudal and royal limits on property and trade. In Marxist theory it owns the means of production and exploits the labour of the proletariat.