Proletariatet

Proletariatet refers to the proletariat, the class of wage earners who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor to survive. In Scandinavian languages such as Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, proletariatet is the definite form of the noun meaning “the proletariat.” The concept is central to Marxist and socialist analyses of capitalist society, though it is also used more broadly in sociology to describe a segment of the working class.

Etymology and origin: Proletariat derives from the Latin proletarius, historically designating the lowest class of free citizens lacking property beyond their offspring. The political and theoretical use of the term emerged in the 19th century with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who framed it in relation to the bourgeoisie and the owners of capital.

In Marxist theory: The proletariat is the class that does not control significant means of production; their labor generates value under capitalism. Class antagonism between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie is seen as a driving force of historical change through class struggle. The concept includes the idea of a transitional phase—the dictatorship of the proletariat—as a precursor to a stateless, communist society.

Contemporary usage: The term remains common in political discourse, history, and sociology to describe wage-earning workers across diverse occupations. Critics note heterogeneity within the group and questions about the applicability of a single revolutionary subject in modern, complex economies. Some analyses distinguish the proletariat from the petite bourgeoisie or other non-propertied layers.

Overall, proletariatet embodies a foundational concept in theories of labor, class, and social transformation, while its precise scope and significance vary across time and place.