Editing Labor aristocracy (section)

{{Short description|Term in Marxism and political theory of unions}}
In [[Marxism|Marxist]] and [[anarchism|anarchist]] theories, the '''labor aristocracy''' is the segment of the [[working class]] which has better wages and working conditions compared to the broader [[proletariat]], often enabled by their specialized skills, by membership in [[trade union]]s or [[guild]]s, and in a global context by the exploitation of colonized or underdeveloped countries. Due to their better-off condition, such workers are more likely to align with the [[bourgeoisie]] to maintain capitalism instead of advocating for broader working-class solidarity and socialist revolution. 

The concept was introduced independently by [[revolutionary socialism|revolutionary socialists]] [[Mikhail Bakunin]] (in the 1870s) and [[Friedrich Engels]] (in 1858), the latter describing the emergence of trade unions consisting of such workers in Great Britain in the late 19th century. Engels' theory was further developed by [[Vladimir Lenin]], who tied the concept to [[imperialism]]. Revolutionary [[Industrial unionism|industrial unions]], such as the [[Industrial Workers of the World]], used the term to describe trade-based [[business unionism]], which they considered exclusionary.