English
labour aristocracy
Compound of labour + aristocracy.
A compound of labour + aristocracy
Proto-Indo-European *kret- ‘strength’
…
Ancient Greek ἄριστος ‘best, noblest’
Ancient Greek ἀριστοκρατίᾱ ‘the rule of the best“, that is, “the…’
Medieval Latin aristocratia
Middle French aristocratie
English aristocracy
The story
The theory about relatively privileged proletarians, thus more manipulable into collaborating with the bourgeoisie, was formulated by Friedrich Engels in a letter to Karl Marx [7 October 1858].disputed Scholars disagree here; the competing view is quoted as the source gives it. A precursor to the wording appears in Marx's Das Kapital, Volume I [1867].
Today it means
noun Segment of the working class that enjoys a relatively privileged position compared to the rest of the working class as a result of higher salaries, better working conditions, etc., and which can lead them to have different interests and perspectives even though they continue to be exploited by capitalists.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / labour aristocracy