The lumpenproletariat (German Lumpenproletariat, "rabble-proletariat"; "raggedy proletariat") is a term originally defined by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The German Ideology (1845), their famous second joint work, and later expounded upon in future works by Marx. In Marx's The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852), the term refers to the 'refuse of all classes,' including 'swindlers, confidence tricksters, brothel-keepers, rag-and-bone merchants, organ-grinders, beggars, and other flotsam of society.' Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883 London) was an influential philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary organizer of the International Workingmens Association. ... Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820–August 5, 1895) was a 19th-century German political philosopher. ... The German Ideology was a book written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels around April or early May 1845. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte is Karl Marxs analysis of Napoleon Bonaparte IIIs coup detat of December 1851, in which he elucidates the social forces and mechanisms at work during the political crisis. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

In th Eighteenth Brumaire, the lumpenproletariat were a 'class fraction' that constituted the political power base for Louis Bonaparte of France in 1848. In this sense, Marx argued that in the particular historical events leading up to Louis Bonaparte's coup in late 1851, the proletariat and bourgeoisie were productive and progressive, advancing the historical process by developing society's labor-power and its capabilities, whereas the 'lumpenproletariat' was unproductive and regressive. Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (20 April 1808, Paris, France - 9 January 1873, Chislehurst, Kent, England) was President of France from 1849 to 1852, and then Emperor of the French under the name Napoléon III from 1852 to 1870. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The proletariat (from Latin proles, offspring) is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class is proletarian. ... Bourgeoisie (RP [], GA []) in modern use refers to the wealthy or propertied social class in a capitalist society. ... According to Karl Marx, there is a clear distinction between labor and labor-power in economics. ...

According to Marx, the lumpenproletariat had no real motive for participating in revolution, and might have in fact an interest in preserving the current class structure, because members of the lumpenproletariat often depended on the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy for their day-to-day existence. In that sense, Marx saw the lumpenproletariat as a counter-revolutionary force. A counterrevolutionary is anyone who opposes a revolution, particularly those who act after a revolution to try to overturn or reverse it, in full or in part. ...

Marx's definition has influenced contemporary sociologists, who are concerned with many of the marginalized elements of society characterized by Marx under this label. Marxian and even some non-Marxist sociologists now use the term to refer to those they see as the victims of modern society, such as prostitutes, beggars, and homeless people, who exist outside the wage-labor system, but depend on the formal economy for their day-to-day existence. Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ... Beggars in Samarkand, 1905 Begging includes the various methods used by persons to obtain money, food, shelter, or other necessities from people they encounter during the course of their travels. ... A homeless man pushes a cart down the street. ... A wage is the amount of money paid for some specified quantity of labour. ...

Used as a pejorative

In modern Russian language, "lumpen", the shortened form of "lumpenproletariat", is sometimes used to refer to lower classes of society. The meaning of the term is roughly analogous to chav, white trash, or yobbo. See [1] as an example of such use. Look up chav and charva in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... White trash is an American ethnic slur or racial epithet usually used to describe persons of European descent (white people), especially those perceived as having crude manners, abnormally low moral standards, and lack of cultured behavior and/or education. ... Wal Footrot (centre) of the movie Footrot Flats, while a New Zealander, is still considered a perfect example of a yobbo Yobbo is a slang term for an uncouth blue collar individual or thug. ...

See also

• informal sector
• black market
• social class
• Frantz Fanon

In economics the informal economy is the system of exchange used outside state-controlled or money-based economic activities. ... The underground market is the part of economic activity involving illegal dealings, typically the buying and selling of merchandise illegally. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... Frantz Fanon (1925–1961) was perhaps the preeminent thinker of the 20th century on the issue of decolonization and the psychopathology of colonization. ...