More languages
More actions
(Created page with "The '''Lumpenproletariat''', alternatively called '''lumpenprole''' or '''lumpen''', refers to an unthinking underclass that is (but not always) exploitable by reactionary and counter-revolutionary forces. The term was coined by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marx defined the lumpenproletariat as a dangerous class and "passively rotting mass" thrown off the lowest layers of the old society.<ref>{{Citation|title=Communist Manifesto|author=Karl Marx|chap...") |
mNo edit summary Tag: Visual edit |
||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Marxist terminology]] | |||
Revision as of 06:57, 13 July 2022
The Lumpenproletariat, alternatively called lumpenprole or lumpen, refers to an unthinking underclass that is (but not always) exploitable by reactionary and counter-revolutionary forces. The term was coined by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Marx defined the lumpenproletariat as a dangerous class and "passively rotting mass" thrown off the lowest layers of the old society.[1]
He and Vladimir Lenin dismissed the revolutionary potential of the lumpenproletariat.
Etymology
Lumpen was a prefix for "rag"; therefore Lumpenproletariat literally means "rag proletariat".
Instances
- Prostitutes
- Criminals (tramps, vagabonds, homeless persons)
Unemployed workers
Unemployed workers can turn into lumpenproletariats; a result of being barred from employment by capitalists.
Unemployed workers typically consist of:
- Blacklisted workers
- Disabled persons
References
- ↑ “The "dangerous class", [lumpenproletariat] the social scum, that passively rotting mass thrown off by the lowest layers of the old society, may, here and there, be swept into the movement by a proletarian revolution; its conditions of life, however, prepare it far more for the part of a bribed tool of reactionary intrigue.”
Karl Marx. Communist Manifesto: '1' (p. 15). [MIA]