La bourgeoisie

La Bourgeoisie en France du 17ème siècle

• The term "bourgeoisie" historically referred to the inhabitants of fortified market towns, craftsmen, merchants, and others who made up the middle class.

  • They were the socio-economic class between peasants and land/business owners.

  • They were the economic managers of materials, products, and services, and controlled the capital produced by the feudal economy.

• The petite bourgeoisie consisted of craftsmen, small tradesmen, shopkeepers, and small farm owners.

  • They were employed but not in a position to pay employees themselves.

• The middle bourgeoisie had solid incomes and belonged to a family that had been bourgeois for three or more generations.

  • They may have family members with similar backgrounds or aristocratic connections.

• The grande bourgeoisie consisted of families who had been bourgeois for at least four or five generations.

  • They tended to marry into the aristocracy or make advantageous marriages.

  • These families had acquired a historical and cultural heritage over the decades and were respected in their town.

• The haute bourgeoisie was a social rank within the bourgeoisie that could only be acquired over time.

  • It consisted of bourgeois families that had existed since the French Revolution.

  • They held respectable professions and had illustrious marriages in their family's history.

  • They possessed rich cultural and historical heritages and had more stable financial means.

  • They lived a lavish lifestyle and enjoyed the company of great artists.

Aristocracy (nobility) and bourgeoisie as social elites

• Aristocracy refers to a ruling class of nobility that holds real political power.

• Bourgeoisie refers to a stratum of society that developed during medieval times, primarily indicating material wealth and cultural importance.

• Aristocracy describes traditional nobility with titles, while bourgeoisie describes merchants, industrialists, and modern professions.

• Both terms have their origins in feudal societies of medieval times.

Note: The term "the 200 families" is used to refer to upper middle-class families in France.