Bürgerlichen

Bürgerlichen (die Bürgerlichen) is a German term used to denote the bourgeoisie or the middle class, particularly in social, political, or historical contexts. It can refer to individuals who belong to a property-owning, professional, or civically oriented middle class, and to groups described as upholding bourgeois values such as the rule of law, private property, and liberal economics. The term is neutral in sociological usage but can carry evaluative connotations depending on context.

The word derives from bürgerlich, meaning civic or bourgeois, with Bürgerlichen functioning as the plural form in grammatical cases such as nominative plural die Bürgerlichen, or genitive/dative der Bürgerlichen / den Bürgerlichen. In political discourse, die Bürgerlichen is often used to describe center-right or conservative-liberal forces, sometimes contrasted with the working class or with socialist movements.

In German-speaking countries, the term appears in historical analysis of 19th and early 20th-century society as well as in contemporary political debate to describe voters and parties that prioritize market economy, legal order, and property rights. The label can apply to social strata or to political actors and coalitions, and its precise meaning varies by country and era. It is common to see it used to refer to mainstream or bourgeois-oriented factions within larger political landscapes, including major center-right parties in various states.

Because of its broad usage, Bürgerlichen should be interpreted in context, as it can denote economic class, political ideology, or a coalition of parties and voters rather than a fixed, monolithic group.