Bürgerliches

Bürgerliches is a German term that can function as an adjective or, less commonly, as a noun form referring to the bourgeois or civil sphere. It is related to the word Bürger, meaning citizen or townsman, and to Bürgertum, the bourgeois class. In neutral usage, Bürgerliches can denote aspects pertaining to civil life, private law, or the middle class.

In legal language, Bürgerliches Recht denotes private or civil law, as opposed to public or criminal law. This field governs relations between private individuals and entities, including contracts, property, family, and torts. In German-speaking contexts the term is often encountered alongside the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB), the German Civil Code enacted in 1896 and effective from 1900, which codifies much of civil law in Germany.

In historical and sociological contexts, Bürgerliches can describe the characteristics, norms, and institutions associated with the bourgeoisie or middle class. In the Enlightenment and modern era, discussions about Bürgertum involved the rise of property ownership, civic rights, education, and merit-based social advancement as foundations of civil society. In Marxist and related analyses, the term is used to contrast the bourgeois order with other classes, particularly the proletariat.

In contemporary German, the word often remains useful for describing aspects of civil life or middle-class culture, as in phrases like bürgerliches Leben or bürgerliche Werte, while also functioning as a broader descriptor for things pertaining to citizens or the public sphere. See also Bürgertum, Bürgerliches Recht, and the BGB for related concepts.