Bourgeoisie

The social class that owns the means of production, such as factories, land, and machinery, and derives its wealth from capital rather than labor. In Marxist theory, this group is seen as exploiting the working class (proletariat) by paying wages that are less than the value of the goods produced. Neo-Marxist perspectives, like dependency theory, extend this concept to the global level, arguing that wealthy nations form a global bourgeoisie that exploits poorer nations through unequal economic relationships.