Proletarya, Karl Marx taraf\u0131ndan kullan\u0131l\u0131ncaya kadar miras b\u0131rakabilecek bir mal\u0131 olmayan a\u015fa\u011f\u0131 sosyal s\u0131n\u0131f\u0131 ve o s\u0131n\u0131f\u0131n par\u00e7as\u0131 olan insanlar\u0131 tan\u0131mlayan bir kelime olarak kullan\u0131lm\u0131\u015ft\u0131r. Karl Marx ile birlikte proletarya i\u015f\u00e7i s\u0131n\u0131f\u0131n\u0131, proleter de bu s\u0131n\u0131fa \u00fcye insanlar\u0131 tan\u0131mlamakta kullan\u0131lan sosyolojik birer terime d\u00f6n\u00fc\u015fm\u00fc\u015ft\u00fcr. Marksist teoride proletarya \u00fcretim ara\u00e7lar\u0131na sahip olmayan, eme\u011fini satarak ya\u015fam\u0131n\u0131 devam ettiren emek\u00e7i s\u0131n\u0131f\u0131n genel ad\u0131d\u0131r. Proletaryan\u0131n ortaya \u00e7\u0131k\u0131\u015f\u0131 feodalizmden sonra olmu\u015ftur. Feodalizmin biti\u015fiyle birlikte bir m\u00fclke ba\u011fl\u0131 olarak ya\u015fam\u0131n\u0131 s\u00fcrd\u00fcrme olana\u011f\u0131 kalmayan insanlar\u0131n emek g\u00fcc\u00fcn\u00fc \u00fccret kar\u015f\u0131l\u0131\u011f\u0131 satarak ya\u015famas\u0131 proletarya denilen s\u0131n\u0131f\u0131n ortaya \u00e7\u0131kmas\u0131na yol a\u00e7m\u0131\u015ft\u0131r. Marksist teoride proletaryan\u0131n kar\u015f\u0131s\u0131nda sermayenin sahibi olan burjuva s\u0131n\u0131f\u0131 yer al\u0131r. Kapitalizm, sistem olarak burjuvazinin proletaryay\u0131 s\u00f6m\u00fcrmesine dayanan bir sistemdir. Burjuvazi\/kapitalist, proletaryaya mal \u00fcretmesi i\u00e7in gerekli donan\u0131m\u0131 sa\u011flar, proletarya eme\u011fini ve bu donan\u0131m\u0131 kullan\u0131r ve mal\u0131 \u00fcretir. Kapitalist, mal\u0131n sat\u0131\u015f\u0131ndan elde edilen paradan proletaryaya ya\u015fam\u0131n\u0131 devam ettirecek kadar \u00fccret verir ve gerisini kendine al\u0131r. Asl\u0131nda mal\u0131n b\u00fct\u00fcn de\u011ferini proletarya \u00fcretmi\u015f olsa da onun \u00fccretiyle mal\u0131n sat\u0131\u015f de\u011feri aras\u0131ndaki fark yani art\u0131 de\u011fer kapitaliste kal\u0131r.<\/p>