English Explanatory Dictionary

labour aristocracy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Segment of the working class that enjoys a relatively privileged position compared to the rest of the working class as a result of higher salaries, better working conditions, etc., and which can lead them to have different interests and perspectives even though they continue to be exploited by capitalists.

Word forms

labour aristocracy labour aristocracies labor aristocracy aristocracy of labour aristocracy of labor

Etymology

Compound of labour + aristocracy. The theory about relatively privileged proletarians, thus more manipulable into collaborating with the bourgeoisie, was formulated by Friedrich Engels in a letter to Karl Marx [7 October 1858]. A precursor to the wording appears in Marx's Das Kapital, Volume I [1867].

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