Close

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-upperclass.html" title="Facts and informations about upper class">upper class</a>

upper class

upper class Conventionally the upper class is often thought of as equivalent to the ‘aristocracy’: that is, the (often hereditary) noble class, comprising peers (in medieval England the dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons) and landed magnates (or ‘gentlemen’). However, while the aristocracy is an important symbolic element of the upper class, it does not completely account for its membership. We come closer to an understanding of what the upper class is if we equate it with Karl Marx's bourgeoisie or capitalist class. That is, the upper class is the property-owning class, those who live from earnings made from the ownership, control, and exploitation of property such as land, capital, large businesses, or share holdings. Proportionally, therefore, this is much the smallest class, perhaps as little as 1 per cent of the population of most advanced capitalist societies.

However, the power which the ownership of property confers is out of all proportion to the size of the upper class. Many members of this class effectively control large companies, either directly via their positions within these organizations, or more subtly through their occupation of key positions in the financial sector. Some of these individuals also have leading positions in politics and other spheres of public and cultural life. There are also important status distinctions within the upper class, between those who have ‘old money’, and the nouveaux riches. The highest status tends to be conferred on the landed upper classes, the true aristocracy, as represented by individuals such as the Duke of Westminster (the wealthiest individual in the UK after the Queen). Often they operate exclusionary strategies against the nouveaux riches, for example, by restricting the membership of very exclusive aristocratic clubs. ‘New money’ confers less status—though by no means less power. Hence, it is no accident that the nouveaux riches have long sought to acquire a more aristocratic status via inclusionary strategies, such as the purchase of landed estates, intermarriage with the aristocracy for themselves or their children, and the education of their children in élite schools.

Popular conceptions of the upper class correspond more with old money than with new. In their survey of social class in Britain in 1984 (Social Class in Modern Britain), Gordon Marshall and his colleagues discovered that two-thirds of their sample referred to the upper class in terms of status factors, for example rank or title; two-fifths of the sample mentioned income; and one-third referred to occupation. Only one-quarter of the sample mentioned property ownership as the defining characteristic of the upper class—although sociologically this is its key feature. The best sociological work on the upper class is to be found in the voluminous writings of John Scott (see, for example, The Upper Class, 1982
). On the link between ownership and control of capital, on the one hand, and the development of modern corporate capitalism on the other, see Maurice Zeitlin , The Large Corporation and Contemporary Classes (1989
). See also CLOSURE.

Related newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles from HighBeam Research

(Including press releases, facts, information, and biographies)

	THE EGYPTIAN UPPER CLASS BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS 1919-1952.(Brief Article)(Review) Magazine article from: The Middle East; 6/1/2000; ; 347 words ; THE EGYPTIAN UPPER CLASS BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS 1919-1952 By...Revolution in 1952, the Egyptian upper class provided the leadership of the nationalist...cultural profile of the Egyptian upper class during this period and explores its... Read more
	Sleeping to London: Virgin Atlantic's new service to Heathrow Airport in London is a major advance in the quest to soothe business passengers with all the comforts of home.(Executive travel: upgrade) Magazine article from: South Florida CEO; 9/1/2003; ; 469 words ; ...quick to point out that each Virgin Upper Class cabin also includes a massage station...you are flying. The idea is that every upper class passenger should be touched, says Tina...Atlantic spokesperson Wendy Buck. Our Upper Class has a business-class fare, so we brand... Read more
	Virgin Atlantic Airways extends limousine service for Upper Class passengers.(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Airline Industry Information; 12/6/1999; 96 words ; ...service promotion for passengers flying Upper Class on round-trip services between the US...extended service can now be utilised by Upper Class passengers from anywhere across 19 states...Airways will now also drop off and pick up Upper Class passengers within 150 miles of ... Read more
	Virgin Atlantic give tickets away to Upper Class travellers.(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Airline Industry Information; 11/26/1999; 93 words ; ...Virgin Atlantic is offering passengers free tickets if they fly Upper Class. Tickets will redeemable either as two free round-trip Economy...one free companion ticket in any class of service, including Upper Class and Premium Economy, the next time the passenger flies. Enrollment... Read more
	Virgin Atlantic offers electronic gadgets in new promotion. Magazine article from: Airline Industry Information; 3/1/2000; 118 words ; ...promotion flying club members who travel round-trip once in Upper Class or twice in Premium Economy from the USA to London between...modem or a pager for example. Members flying a second time in Upper Class or a third time in Premium Economy, until 30 August 2000 will... Read more
	FEATURE: Anyone for tennis? Club is eager for new members. Newspaper article from: Spalding Guardian & Lincs Free Press (Spalding, England); 6/17/2008; 268 words ; ...committee member Andy Rix stressing the sport is not just for the upper class. He said: Tennis has become a bit of a minority sport over the years. People seem to think that only upper class people play tennis but it couldn't be further from the truth... Read more
	Virgin Atlantic to introduce new Upper Class Suites. Magazine article from: Airline Industry Information; 7/17/2003; 137 words ; AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to introduce a new Upper Class Suite across its fleet of aircraft. The carrier is said to have invested GBP50m in the new product, which features... Read more
	Heartburn in the Hamptons: as Indians sue and Latinos grow restive, the upper class frets in its clubhouses.(COLUMNS; Shinnecock Hills Golf Club) Magazine article from: National Catholic Reporter; 9/2/2005; ; 630 words ; ...overcrowding, and the loss of natural habitats. Talk is heard that the Shinnecocks now want to build a casino. That, too, has the upper class steaming. It's not clear why gambling in the Hamptons should be upsetting. That's how many of the cash-rich got here themselves... Read more
	The green baize door: social identity in Wodehouse; Part two. Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 1/1/2005; ; 700+ words ; P.G. Wodehouse has been said to have invented the 'upper class twit', an expression which would have surprised him...buoyant and dimpled. The latter include the daughters of upper class men who have married outside their class. Their daughters... Read more
	VIRGIN AT THE BAR.(redesign of Virgin Atlantic Airways upper class cabin by Lorenzo Apicella Associates)(Brief Article) Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 6/1/2000; ; 141 words ; As part of a [pounds]37 million relaunch, the Virgin Atlantic Airways Upper Class cabin has been redesigned by Lorenzo Apicella Associates. The spacious seats and cabin interior are decked out in metallic silver... Read more

For more facts and information, see all related premium articles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

	upper-class Book article from: Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes upper-class • arse , baas, brass, carse, class, coup de grâce, farce, glass...Laplace, Maas, Madras, outclass, pass, sparse, stained glass, surpass, upper class, volte-face •badass • lardass • sandglass •... Read more
	upper class Book article from: The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English up·per class • n. [treated as sing. or pl. ] the social group that has the highest status in society, esp. the aristocracy. • adj. of, relating to, or characteristic of such a group: upper-class accents. Read more
	upper crust Book article from: The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English up·per crust • n. ( the upper crust ) inf. the upper classes. Read more
	middle class Book article from: A Dictionary of Sociology ...service class is referred to as the upper-middle class; the junior service class as...Thus defined, in Britain the upper-middle class comprises some 10 per cent of...white-collar workers. As with the term upper class , distinctions can be made between... Read more
	Excerpt from the Theory Of The Leisure Class (1899, by Thorstein Veblen) Dictionary entry from: Dictionary of American History ...economic significance in these class differences is the distinction...to the several classes. The upper classes are by custom exempt...comprehensively called the leisure class; and there is a corresponding...these subclasses. The leisure class as a whole comprises the noble...retinue. The ... Read more

See all related entries