Lumpenproletariot

According to Karl Marx, this is the lowest class. This is the working class – the classic Proletariot – but so ignorant that they’re not even aware of their situation, and don’t care about any class warfare. They have either accepted their fate, or simply aren’t aware that they are being exploited.

Clearly, the word comes from “Proletariot” with “Lumpen” prefixed to it. There’s some disagreement about what “Lumpen” means – it could simply mean “lump” as a derogatory term, meaning “stupid” or “ignorant.”

Marx used the word in several writings, and he appears to have simply invented it.

Why I Looked It Up

I saw it over and over in a particular book, but I didn’t note which book.