Marx And Engels' Theoretical Research On The Middle Class Of Capitalism

Class theory is an important content of Marxist historical materialism,and the theory of class struggle is the core of this theory.It emphasizes the opposition and struggle between the two basic classes in society.In capitalist society,these two basic classes are naturally the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.However,Marx realized that the two classes were not "monolithic" in themselves,and that each class formed within them.Because of the stratification of classes,the middle class of capitalism came into being,which was between the upper class and the lower proletariat of the bourgeoisie.Their thoughts on the middle class of capitalism are not accomplished overnight,but have a clear and clear development thread.When Marx inspected the feudal society in Europe,he found that the "middle class" was the middle class of society.Because they were in the middle of the upper aristocracy and the lower serfs,they were mainly composed of the medieval citizen class and independent small peasants.At the early stage of capitalist development,the "middle class" grew into a new bourgeoisie.However,they split rapidly into the big bourgeoisie and the petty bourgeoisie.As a result,the petty bourgeoisie has become the middle class of capitalist society,which lies between the upper bourgeoisie and the lower proletariat.Then,in the middle and late 20th century,capitalism underwent a major transformation,that is,from the stage of free competition to the stage of monopoly.With the advancement of this process,the traditional middle class,the petty bourgeoisie,gradually disintegrated.Instead,it was the industrial managers and the mental working proletariat who became the new middle class of capitalist society.Marx and Engels have deeply analyzed and studied the middle class of capitalism,and formed many discussions about them.The focus of early Marxist studies was mainly the middle class represented by the petty bourgeoisie,which was also called the "old middle class".Marx believed that with the further development of capitalism,the old middle class would continue to decrease or even disappear.However,in his later years,when Marx wrote Das Kapital,he gradually discovered the "new middle class" of capitalist society.Through careful study,he found that in capitalist society,these people will grow and grow.Practice has proved that the theory of the middle class of the former and the latter two modes is scientific.This point has been fully demonstrated in Lenin's On Imperialism.Therefore,it is particularly necessary to sort out and summarize Marx and Engels'theory of capitalist middle class,and further in-depth analysis is necessary.On the other hand,their theory has been transformed from theory to reality.Specifically,their old middle class ideology had a far-reaching impact on the revolutionary movements in Russia and China,and their new middle class theory was particularly evident in the post-World War II Western capitalist society.