Definition of the word proletarian

The word "proletarian" derives from the Latin word "proletus," which means "male offspring" or "son-in-law." However, in political and economic contexts, the term has come to refer to working-class individuals who depend on selling their labor to owners of capital in order to survive. The modern use of the word "proletarian" can be traced back to the writings of Marx and Engels, who coined the term in their seminal work "The Communist Manifesto" (1848). They used it to describe the class of urban and industrial workers who were proletarians in the sense that they did not own the means of production, but rather relied on selling their labor power for wages in order to survive. For Marx and Engels, the existence of this propertyless class was a key driver of social and political change, ultimately leading to the overthrow of the capitalist system and the establishment of a socialist or communist society. In the centuries since Marx's and Engels' day, the term "proletarian" has continued to be used in political and social contexts. It has been adopted by labor and socialist movements as a way of describing and organizing around the common experiences and struggles of working-class people. However, the precise meaning and significance of the term has been debated by scholars and activists, with some arguing that it has become outdated or irrelevant in an increasingly globalized and complex world economy.