middle class
Quick Summary
The middle class is a socioeconomic group positioned between the upper and lower classes. It is a fluid and diverse grouping primarily composed of business and professional individuals, bureaucrats, and some skilled workers and farmers who share common social characteristics and values.1
In modern societies, social class is defined by socioeconomic status. The term "class" gained prominence in the early 19th century, replacing older terms like "rank" and "order." This shift reflected changes brought about by industrial and political revolutions, where social groups were increasingly defined by economic terms, such as ownership of capital or reliance on wages.2
The middle class encompasses clerical workers, professionals, managers, and self-employed individuals like small business owners and farmers. At its upper end, it blends into the upper class, while its lower end merges with the working class.2
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social classCharacteristics of the principal classesThe middle class may be said to include the middle and upper levels of clerical workers, those engaged in technical and professional occupations, supervisors and managers, and such self-employed workers as small-scale shopkeepers, businesspersons, and farmers. At the top—wealthy professionals or managers in large corporations—the middle…
Read MoreThe middle class may be said to include the middle and upper levels of clerical workers, those engaged in technical and professional occupations, supervisors and managers, and such self-employed workers as small-scale shopkeepers, businesspersons, and farmers. At the top—wealthy professionals or managers in large corporations—the middle…
Read More- human sexual activityClass distinctions
The great middle class remains the bastion of traditionalism, and it is here that the double standard of morality is most prominent. The intellectualized liberalism of the upper level seeps down only slowly, and the pragmatic egalitarianism of the lower level does not penetrate far upward.
Read MoreThe great middle class remains the bastion of traditionalism, and it is here that the double standard of morality is most prominent. The intellectualized liberalism of the upper level seeps down only slowly, and the pragmatic egalitarianism of the lower level does not penetrate far upward.
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history of EuropeSocial upheavalMiddle-class people, not only factory owners but also merchants and professionals, began to trumpet a new work ethic. According to this ethic, work was the basic human good. He who worked was meritorious and should prosper, he who suffered did so because he did not…
Read MoreMiddle-class people, not only factory owners but also merchants and professionals, began to trumpet a new work ethic. According to this ethic, work was the basic human good. He who worked was meritorious and should prosper, he who suffered did so because he did not…
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GreeceThe mercantile middle classThe single most important development in the Greek world during the 18th century was the emergence of an entrepreneurial, prosperous, and far-flung mercantile middle class, which played a major role in the economic life of the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere. Discouraged from investing…
Read MoreThe single most important development in the Greek world during the 18th century was the emergence of an entrepreneurial, prosperous, and far-flung mercantile middle class, which played a major role in the economic life of the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere. Discouraged from investing…
Read More- history of EuropeAffluence and its underside
The benefits, for ordinary Europeans, took many forms. There was easier access to higher education and cheaper mass travel. There was more varied food; there was better health, preserved by better medicine. There were new synthetic materials, more plentiful housing, and wider automobile ownership. There were stereophonic recordings,…
Read MoreThe benefits, for ordinary Europeans, took many forms. There was easier access to higher education and cheaper mass travel. There was more varied food; there was better health, preserved by better medicine. There were new synthetic materials, more plentiful housing, and wider automobile ownership. There were stereophonic recordings,…
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RussiaDaily life and social customsThe growth of the Russian middle class has generated dramatic changes in Russia’s lifestyles and social customs. Travel abroad has become popular, and consumption, particularly of imported luxury goods, has increased. Many wealthy individuals have purchased private land and built second homes, often of two or three stories. Russia’s middle…
Read MoreThe growth of the Russian middle class has generated dramatic changes in Russia’s lifestyles and social customs. Travel abroad has become popular, and consumption, particularly of imported luxury goods, has increased. Many wealthy individuals have purchased private land and built second homes, often of two or three stories. Russia’s middle…
Read More- RussiaThe Brezhnev era (1964–82)
The middle class grew in size, as did its average salary, which more than doubled in two decades. Ownership of consumer goods, such as refrigerators and cars, became a realistic expectation for a growing part of the population. The availability of medical care, higher education, and…
Read MoreThe middle class grew in size, as did its average salary, which more than doubled in two decades. Ownership of consumer goods, such as refrigerators and cars, became a realistic expectation for a growing part of the population. The availability of medical care, higher education, and…
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ChinaGrowth of the economyThe merchant class threw off its traditional legal restraints. In early Tang times there had been only two great metropolitan markets, in Chang’an and Luoyang. Now every provincial capital became the center of a large consumer population of officials and military, and the provincial courts provided…
Read MoreThe merchant class threw off its traditional legal restraints. In early Tang times there had been only two great metropolitan markets, in Chang’an and Luoyang. Now every provincial capital became the center of a large consumer population of officials and military, and the provincial courts provided…
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United KingdomThe political situationThe term middle classes began to be used more frequently in social and political debate. So too were working class and classes. Recent historical research indicates that the awareness of class identity was not simply the direct outcome of economic and social experience but was articulated in…
Read MoreThe term middle classes began to be used more frequently in social and political debate. So too were working class and classes. Recent historical research indicates that the awareness of class identity was not simply the direct outcome of economic and social experience but was articulated in…
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dressEurope, 1500–1800…democracy burgeoned, so did the middle classes, which were increasing in numbers and influence. These developments lead to a wave of egalitarianism in dress and a gradual end to the idea that richness and high fashion were the prerogative of the aristocracy.
Read More…democracy burgeoned, so did the middle classes, which were increasing in numbers and influence. These developments lead to a wave of egalitarianism in dress and a gradual end to the idea that richness and high fashion were the prerogative of the aristocracy.
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theatreThe evolution of modern theatrical productionThroughout Europe the middle class took over the theatres and effected changes in repertoire, style, and decorum. In those countries that experienced revolutionary change or failure, national theatres were founded to give expression to the views and values of the middle class, whose aspirations in these cases coincided…
Read MoreThroughout Europe the middle class took over the theatres and effected changes in repertoire, style, and decorum. In those countries that experienced revolutionary change or failure, national theatres were founded to give expression to the views and values of the middle class, whose aspirations in these cases coincided…
Read More