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The Colonists/Colonialists
Made up of the urban proletariat, the national bourgeoisie is the ruling class of colonial society and the developing nation. The national bourgeoisie live Westernized lives, and they are in constant conflict with the peasant masses, with whom they have nothing in common. After the exit of a colonial power, the national bourgeoisie slips into the place of the colonists and exploits the peasant masses politically and economically. The national bourgeoisie have limited experience and little political wherewithal, and they stand to lose everything through decolonization. They support dictatorships and have zero intention of helping the peasant masses to rise from poverty, widespread hunger, and illiteracy. The national bourgeoisie are wholly damaging to a developing nation, which cannot expect to progress and prosper until the national bourgeoisie are stripped of their ruling power.
The National Bourgeoisie Quotes in The Wretched of the Earth
The The Wretched of the Earth quotes below are all either spoken by The National Bourgeoisie or refer to The National Bourgeoisie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2: Grandeur and Weakness of Spontaneity Quotes
The great mistake, the inherent flaw of most of the political parties in the underdeveloped regions has been traditionally to address first and foremost the most politically conscious elements: the urban proletariat, the small tradesmen and the civil servants, i.e., a tiny section of the population which represents barely more than one percent.
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Chapter 3: The Trials and Tribulations... Quotes
Since the bourgeoisie has neither the material means nor adequate intellectual resources such as engineers and technicians, it limits its claims to the takeover of businesses and firms previously held by the colonists. The national bourgeoisie replaces the former European settlers as doctors, lawyers, tradesmen, agents, dealers, and shipping agents. For the dignity of the country and to safeguard its own interests, it considers it its duty to occupy all these positions. Henceforth it demands that every major foreign company must operate through them, if it wants to remain in the country or establish trade.
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The struggle against the bourgeoisie in the underdeveloped countries is far from being simply theoretical. It is not a question of deciphering the way history has judged and condemned it. The national bourgeoisie in the underdeveloped countries should not be combated because it threatens to curb the overall, harmonious development of the nation. It must be resolutely opposed because literally it serves no purpose. Mediocre in its winnings, in its achievements and its thinking, this bourgeoisie attempts to mask its mediocrity by ostentatious projects for individual prestige, chromium-plated American cars, vacations on the French Riviera and weekends in neon-lit nightclubs.
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The National Bourgeoisie Character Timeline in The Wretched of the Earth
The timeline below shows where the character The National Bourgeoisie appears in The Wretched of the Earth. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Grandeur and Weakness of Spontaneity
...the taxi drivers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and they are the “bourgeois” of colonial society. This national bourgeoisie is in conflict with the masses. They live Western lives and work Western jobs, and...
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Chapter 3: The Trials and Tribulations of National Consciousness
...to the developing nation. The problems with national consciousness can be overwhelmingly attributed to the national bourgeoisie .
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In a newly independent nation, the national bourgeoisie takes power after the exit of the colonial power, but the bourgeoisie is underdeveloped and...
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The main job of the national bourgeoisie in an underdeveloped country is to reject their status as bourgeois and dedicate themselves to...
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As they are underdeveloped like their nation, the national bourgeoisie knows nothing about actual economics. Their knowledge is purely theoretical, and the economy they support...
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The national bourgeoisie , like the Western bourgeoisie, develops an economy based on tourism, including “exoticism, hunting, and...
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Landowners behave in much the same way as the national bourgeoisie . Soon after independence, the large farmers call for the nationalization of all agricultural holdings....
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Soon after independence, the national bourgeoisie , having struggled against the racism of colonialism, call for the jobs of white lawyers,...
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Africanization and Arabization by the national bourgeoisie is not based in true nationalism. Rather, it is chiefly concerned with transferring power previously...
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The inadequacies of the national bourgeoisie are not limited to only economics. They achieve power through biased nationalism and incite race...
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The national bourgeoisie is also inept in areas of domestic politics. They have no real power, so they...
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Soon, a popular leader is selected to both steady the regime and placate the national bourgeoisie . This “bourgeois dictatorship” is fueled by the presence of a beloved leader, and as...
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...over the national government. The new leader puts a divider between the people and the national bourgeoisie , and then he takes to supporting the bourgeoisie and hiding his efforts from the...
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...festivals and parades on Independence Day. The rebellion has done their part and helped the national bourgeoisie come to power, and now they are no longer needed.
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...increasingly antidemocratic. The police hold everything together, and they are trained by foreign experts. The national bourgeoisie are trained by foreign experts as well, and they take concessions and kickbacks from foreign...
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Opposition to the nationalist party becomes more apparent, and hostility toward the national bourgeoisie grows, but this affects the national bourgeoisie very little. They are concerned only with Europe...
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From the beginning, the national bourgeoisie is concerned with intermediate activities. So, in order to lift the nation toward progress, the...
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...party in the developing nations is often a dictatorship used only to hold up the national bourgeoisie . The party is gradually transformed into an intelligence agency, and all opposition parties are...
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...live in close proximity to them. In order to do all of this, however, the national bourgeoisie must be taken from power.
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In an underdeveloped country, the national effort must always involve the people. The national bourgeoisie will inevitably fail the people, and national politics most often lead to a “dead end.”...
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