Proletariat

noun
  1. The class of wage-earners in a capitalist society whose only significant material value is their labor power; the working class. noun
    The revolution was aimed at empowering the proletariat against the ruling elite.
    The factory's closure was a significant blow to the local proletariat, who relied on it for employment.
  2. In Marxist theory, the social class that does not have ownership of the means of production and whose only means of subsistence is to sell their labor for a wage. noun
    According to Marx, the proletariat would eventually rise against the bourgeoisie to establish a classless society.
    The pamphlet called for solidarity among the proletariat to challenge the capitalist system.