The Proletariat and Bourgeoisie: The Exploitation of Workers

The working class. The ones who own nothing and wished they owned something. The proletariat people are these that cast the wishing. In an economic ladder, a company cannot possibly strive without wage-laborers willing to sacrifice themselves in order to make a living and feed this machine of living: the bourgeoisie own and the proletariats work for the bourgeoisie; the proletariat class sells their labor in order for a pension. Marxism, in a sense, sees the proletariat and bourgeoisie as polar positions, because the working class seeks higher wages while the capitalist prefer to keep the proletariat laboring for minimal wages. However, if there is a class, such as the petite bourgeoisie, who own and work their own businesses, where does that leave the polar opposites (proletariat and the bourgeoisie)? According to Marxist theory, the petite bourgeoisie will be ritually dominated by the bigger, heftier wolf, the bourgeoisie. In order to end the class distinction, Marxist theory argues that the proletariat class will grow weary of the bourgeoisie and up rise. It is in this act of defiance that the bourgeoisie will be overcome and will cease to exist, therefore, eliminating class. Exploitation suffered upon by the proletariat will mark the end of capitalism based on utilization by means of convenience. . Unfortunately, Marx decides once the up rise against the bourgeoisie has surfaced and our society has become classless that communism will take over (and we have seen the result of that: Cuba).

The cheap production of labor that the bourgeoisie employ through the misuse of the proletariat becomes property in expense to the laborer (the proletariat is tricked to produce material and work extra hard for very little pay in order for the bourgeoisie to have a reasonable sum of money). The increase in demand for production will further stress result for the same amount of pay and in time becomes the levy which gives out and results in attack by the proletariat. Nonetheless, until that happens, the bourgeoisie will continue to accumulate wealth for more effort from the working class but will not produce the same result for the working class producing that wealth. In the long run, those who work to produce wealth do not receive the full wealth created by their labor, and do not get to decide how the wealth is distributed, which, again, means the exploitation is a very strong way of mistreatment.

Marx, Karl. "Grundrisse." Literary Theory: An Anthology. 2nd ed. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden, Ma: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 650-52.

"The German Ideology." Literary Theory: An Anthology. 2nd ed. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden, Ma: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. 653-58.