In 1934, striking teamsters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, faced police lines with a determination that would echo through decades of labor history, yet their struggle was often invisible to the very society they built. The working class, a group defined by the necessity of selling their labor power to survive, has been the engine of civilization since the dawn of industrialization, yet remains largely misunderstood by those who benefit from their toil. These individuals, ranging from blue-collar factory workers to pink-collar service employees, do not own the means of production, meaning their livelihoods depend entirely on wages rather than business ownership or the labor of others. This economic reality creates a distinct social position where the physical act of building bridges, crafting furniture, growing food, and nursing children stands in stark contrast to the ownership of the land or factories where these tasks occur. The term itself carries heavy connotations, often evoking images of class disadvantage despite individual effort, and sometimes intertwining with racial dynamics that complicate the narrative of who deserves aid and who does not.
Marx and the Proletariat
Karl Marx fundamentally reshaped the understanding of social hierarchy by defining the working class, or proletariat, as those who possess nothing to sell but their labor power. In his seminal work The Communist Manifesto, co-authored with Friedrich Engels, Marx argued that the destiny of this class was to displace the capitalist system, replacing the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie with a dictatorship of the proletariat. This theoretical framework established a clear dichotomy between wage laborers and those who live on accumulated capital, creating the basis for class struggle that would define much of the twentieth century. Marx identified a sub-section of the proletariat known as the lumpenproletariat, or rag-proletariat, which included the extremely poor, unemployed, day laborers, and homeless people. He considered this group to be devoid of class consciousness, viewing them as distinct from the organized working class that could potentially overthrow the existing social order. The vision Marx and Engels presented was one where the free development of each individual would become the condition for the free development of all, a goal that required the abolition of the social relationships underpinning the class system.From Peasants to Workers
Before the late eighteenth century, the working class as a distinct political entity did not exist in large numbers across feudal Europe, where most people belonged to a broader laboring class. A lawyer, a craftsman, and a peasant were all considered part of the same social unit, the third estate, standing apart from aristocrats and church officials. This social position was viewed as ordained by natural law and common religious belief, yet it was frequently contested, as seen during the German Peasants' War. The Enlightenment brought a shift in European society that could not be reconciled with the idea of a changeless God-created social order, leading wealthy members of society to create ideologies that blamed working-class problems on moral failings such as excessive alcohol consumption, perceived laziness, and an inability to save money. E. P. Thompson, in his work The Making of the English Working Class, argued that the English working class was present at its own creation, describing the transformation of pre-modern laboring classes into a modern, politically self-conscious group. This historical evolution marked a departure from the static hierarchies of the past, setting the stage for the industrial revolutions that would follow.