From Powerless Proles to Powerful Proletariat

After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, “dictatorship of the proletariat” became a revolutionary slogan, and the word “proletariat” became the name of the class that was spearheading the global communist revolution. In communist societies, the proletarians were the elites who dominated the political and cultural establishment. 

The word “proletariat” has a humble origin. It comes from the Latin word “proletarius,” which was applied in Ancient Rome to the citizens of the lowest class who did not own any property, did not have any social status, and whose only contribution to the state was having children. Proletarius is linked to the word “proles,” or offspring. 

In India, the masses are known by the words “janta” or “jana,” which are linked to the Sanskrit term “jan” (to be born). But the Indian janta has not acquired the power and privilege that the world bestows on the Marxist proletariat.