The bourgeoisie are a class within a society which own the means of production. The bourgeoisie own private property and businesses as capital. They are considered to be the elite ruling class. This group of people form the basis for the idea of a capitalist society, where private citizens control the buying and selling of goods and services, as opposed to a socialist or communist based economy where the means of production is controlled and distributed by the government. The bourgeois grow capital and circulate it because wealth is not just a collection of things. In order for capital to grow it must create new value when bought and sold, like buying land and putting new construction on it and then selling it at a profit.http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=400http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/b/o.htm

The producing class in bourgeoisie society is the proletariat, a class of people who have nothing to sell but their capacity to work, since the means of production belong to the bourgeoisie. Money and all forms of credit reach their highest development with the bourgeois. As a result, life in bourgeoisie society is controlled by the flow of money. The bourgeoisie in a pure state is a capitalist, which is one who is ruled by money and the buying and selling of goods, not theology or any moralistic school of thought.http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/b/o.htmhttp://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/bisbee/docs/021.html

Included with the bourgeoisie are those who may or may not own the means of production called the petite-bourgeoisie. They are the small business owners, learned people like white collar professionals, skilled craftsmen or anyone who needs a measure of knowledge to work a desired position. The petite-bourgeoisie control the means of production on a smaller scale but generate enough income to hire workers or own capital or both. They identify and practice the values of the ruling, bourgeois class and have more of an opportunity to own capital than lower classes due to a high level of compensation. The stock market is based largely upon the capital of the petit-bourgeoisie.http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.so.11.080185.001145http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/bisbee/docs/021.html