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58-550: The Rivierenbuurt was built in the 1920s as a primarily middle-class residential area, part of the Plan Zuid urban expansion programme designed by Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage . The neighbourhood features many fine examples of Amsterdam School architecture. The Dutch word Rivierenbuurt translates as 'Rivers Neighbourhood'; most streets in the area are named after rivers in the Netherlands . Until World War II

116-484: A class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy , often defined by occupation , income, education, or social status . The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Common definitions for the middle class range from the middle fifth of individuals on a nation's income ladder, to everyone but the poorest and wealthiest 20%. Theories like "Paradox of Interest" use decile groups and wealth distribution data to determine

174-472: A "new working class," which, despite education and a perception of themselves as middle class, were part of the working class because they did not own the means of production, and were wage earners paid to produce a piece of capital. The professional–managerial class seek higher rank status and salaries and tend to have incomes above the average for their country. Modern definitions of the term "middle class" are often politically motivated and vary according to

232-417: A greater rate than the middle class, that rather than growing, India's middle class may be shrinking in size. According to a 2014 study by Standard Bank economist Simon Freemantle, a total of 15.3 million households in 11 surveyed nations of Africa are middle class: Angola , Ethiopia , Ghana , Kenya , Mozambique , Nigeria , South Sudan , Sudan , Tanzania , Uganda , and Zambia . In South Africa ,

290-526: A monumental local railway station never materialized. The apartment blocks in the southern part of the neighborhood, the last area to be developed, are often built on the basis of standardized plans and as such adhere more to the modernist Nieuwe Zakelijkheid style rather than the more decorative Amsterdam School style. A prominent example is the Twaalfverdiepingenhuis ('Twelve Story House'), an unusually tall building located at Victorieplein,

348-595: A regime change. Estimates vary widely on the number of middle-class people in India . A 1983 article put the Indian middle class as somewhere between 70 and 100 million. According to one study the middle class in India stood at between 60 and 80 million by 1990. According to The Economist , 78 million of India's population are considered middle class as of 2017, if defined using the cutoff of those making more than $ 10 per day,

406-543: A report conducted by the Institute for Race Relations in 2015 estimated that between 10% and 20% of South Africans are middle class, based on various criteria. An earlier study estimated that in 2008 21.3% of South Africans were members of the middle class. A study by EIU Canback indicates 90% of Africans fall below an income of $ 10 a day. The proportion of Africans in the $ 10–$ 20 middle class (excluding South Africa), rose from 4.4% to only 6.2% between 2004 and 2014. Over

464-419: A standard used by the India's National Council of Applied Economic Research. If including those with incomes between $ 2 and $ 10 per day, the number increases to 604 million. This was termed by researchers as the "new middle class". Measures considered include geography, lifestyle, income, and education. The World Inequality Report in 2018 further concluded that elites (i.e. the top 10%) are accumulating wealth at

522-481: A whole, exclusive of Indians, constituted just under 20% of the national society. A 1964 study estimated that 45 million Latin Americans belonged to the urban middle class while 15 million to the urban well-to-do and 8 million to the rural middle class and well-to-do. In Brazil , according to one estimate, in 1970 the lower middle class comprised 12% of the population, while the upper middle class comprised 3%. In

580-681: A working paper by the OECD asserted that 1.8 billion people were now members of the global "middle class". Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Report 2014, released in October 2014, estimated that one billion adults belonged to the "middle class," with wealth anywhere between the range of $ 10,000–$ 100,000. According to a study carried out by the Pew Research Center , a combined 16% of the world's population in 2011 were "upper-middle income" and "upper income". An April 2019 OECD report said that

638-425: Is impossible to distinguish clearly among the multiple dimensions of inequality and the various mechanisms at work." In February 2009, The Economist asserted that over half the world's population now belongs to the middle class, as a result of rapid growth in emerging countries. It characterized the middle class as having a reasonable amount of discretionary income , so that they do not live from hand-to-mouth as

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696-823: The Utrechtsebrug was completed across the Amstel at the south end of the Rivierenbuurt. With the creation of city districts in 1987, the Rivierenbuurt was designated a standalone district. In 1998, the Rivierenbuurt and Buitenveldert districts merged to form the Zuideramstel district; in 2010, Zuideramstel merged with Oud-Zuid to form the Zuid (South) district. 52°20′43″N 4°53′51″E  /  52.34528°N 4.89750°E  / 52.34528; 4.89750 Middle-class The middle class refers to

754-569: The Y junction of the three main thoroughfares of the neighborhood. Twaalfverdiepingenhuis was designed by J.F. Staal and completed in 1932. It was the tallest residential building in the city at that time and was nicknamed the Wolkenkrabber ('Skyscraper'). Berlage's plans featured multiple such towers throughout the neighborhood, but only the Twaalfverdiepingenhuis was built. The last major infrastructural project in Berlage's masterplan for

812-513: The bourgeoisie ; later, with the further differentiation of classes as capitalist societies developed, the term came to be synonymous with the term petite bourgeoisie . The boom-and-bust cycles of capitalist economies result in the periodic (and more or less temporary) impoverishment and proletarianization of much of the petite bourgeois world, resulting in their moving back and forth between working-class and petite-bourgeois status. The typical modern definitions of "middle class" tend to ignore

870-681: The "middle class" which stands between the ruling capitalist "owners of the means of production" and the working class (whose income is derived solely from hourly wages). Pioneer 20th century American Marxist theoretician Louis C. Fraina (Lewis Corey) defined the middle class as "the class of independent small enterprisers, owners of productive property from which a livelihood is derived". From Fraina's perspective, this social category included "propertied farmers" but not propertyless tenant farmers . Middle class also included salaried managerial and supervisory employees but not "the masses of propertyless, dependent salaried employees. Fraina speculated that

928-630: The 1930s onward, the Jewish population in Rivierenbuurt grew rapidly. The neighborhood was largely populated by middle-class residents, who considered the Rivierenbuurt a step up from the working-class Jodenbuurt (Jewish Neighborhood). The neighborhood also saw an influx of German Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi regime from 1933 onward. By 1940, about 20% of the Jews in Amsterdam—some 17,000 residents—lived in

986-572: The 1990s as "New Labour" , a party competing with the Conservative Party for the votes of the middle-class as well as those of the Labour Party's traditional group of voters – the working-class. Around 40% of British people consider themselves to be middle class, and this number has remained relatively stable over the last few decades. According to the OECD , the middle class refers to households with income between 75% and 200% of

1044-525: The 19th century, the city of Amsterdam grew quickly as a result of the Industrial Revolution taking place in the Netherlands . Between 1870 and 1900, the city's population almost doubled and at the turn of the century, the number of 500,000 inhabitants was reached. Many of the old innercity neighbourhoods had become overcrowded and were suffering from poor living conditions and a lack of sanitary facilities. The last major development had been

1102-471: The Chinese middle class differs substantially from its Western counterparts. Despite its growth, it remains a relatively small group profoundly joined with the Chinese state. This unique relationship challenges assumptions about its role in political change. Criticisms from this demographic often center on improving efficiency and social justice within the existing political framework, rather than advocating for

1160-471: The Chinese population were considered middle class as of 2017. China's middle class represents a significant market force with effects extending beyond its borders. The promise of increased prosperity and a consumer society has been a driving force behind this growth, while also suggesting the potential for political changes similar to those seen in Europe and North America. However, it's important to note that

1218-477: The Rivierenbuurt houses a considerable Jewish population again, including a synagogue with a kollel . A significant portion of the local population subscribes to Haredi Judaism . Both the invading Nazi army (in 1940) and the liberating Canadian army (in 1945) entered Amsterdam by the Berlagebrug. Several local place and street names changed after World War II. Daniël Willinkplein became Victorieplein, and

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1276-499: The Rivierenbuurt. Approximately 13,000 of these would not survive World War II , mostly after being sent to German concentration camps. The most notable Jewish Rivierenbuurt resident was Anne Frank , whose family lived on the Merwedeplein before going into hiding. A statue of Anne stands today in the Merwedeplein park. The invading Nazi army first entered Amsterdam by the Berlagebrug on May 15, 1940. The playground on Gaaspstraat

1334-404: The area had a sizable Jewish population which included Anne Frank and her family, who lived at Merwedeplein square until they went into hiding in the secret annex located in the old city centre. The neighbourhood is served by tram routes 4 and 12, bus routes 62 and 65, as well as Amsterdam metro and national rail services from Amstel Station and Zuid Station . In the second half of

1392-423: The city commissioned Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage in 1899 to design a masterplan. Berlage's plan, called Plan Zuid , was approved by the city council in 1905. With Berlage's masterplan in hand, the city started with the process of acquiring the rural estates south of the city through formal expropriation . With this process underway, it became clear that the original plan, which in many ways resembled

1450-487: The city. In France , the middle classes helped drive the French Revolution . This "middle class" eventually overthrew the ruling monarchists of feudal society, thus becoming the new ruling class or bourgeoisie in the new capitalist-dominated societies. The modern usage of the term "middle-class", however, dates to the 1913 UK Registrar-General's report, in which the statistician T. H. C. Stevenson identified

1508-560: The construction of the Amsterdam canal belt in the 17th century. To allow the city to expand beyond the canal ring, the wall surrounding it was taken down in stages during the second half of the 19th century. Several new residential areas were being developed, with upscale residences being built around the just-opened Rijksmuseum and workers' and middle-class homes the west and east of the old city, for example in areas now called Oud-West and Oud-Oost . The city's initial expansion beyond

1566-518: The developed one, since their money incomes do not match developed country levels, but the percentage of it which is discretionary does. By this definition, the number of middle-class people in Asia exceeded that in the West sometime around 2007 or 2008. The Economist 's article pointed out that in many emerging countries, the middle class has not grown incrementally but explosively. The point at which

1624-509: The driving force for sustainable development. This assumption, however, is contested (see below). As the American middle class is estimated by some researchers to comprise approximately 45% of the population, The Economist 's article would put the size of the American middle class below the world average. This difference is due to the extreme difference in definitions between The Economist 's and many other models . In 2010,

1682-508: The earlier expansions. The plan also provided a system of broad, majestic thoroughfares connecting the various neighborhoods. With the new plan approved by the city council, development in the area began in 1917. The Rivierenbuurt, the eastern section of the plan, was specifically designed for the middle class. The area mainly consists of fully enclosed apartment blocks, many of which were designed in Amsterdam School style. In 1921,

1740-465: The entire category of salaried employees might be adequately described as a "new middle class" in economic terms, although this remained a social grouping in which "most of whose members are a new proletariat." In 1977, Barbara Ehrenreich and John Ehrenreich defined a new class in the United States as "salaried mental workers who do not own the means of production and whose major function in

1798-436: The exigencies of political purpose which they were conceived to serve in the first place as well as due to the multiplicity of more- or less-scientific methods used to measure and compare wealth between modern advanced industrial states, where poverty is relatively low and the distribution of wealth more egalitarian in a relative sense, and in developing countries, where poverty and a profoundly unequal distribution of wealth crush

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1856-599: The fact that the classical petite-bourgeoisie is and has always been the owner of a small-to medium-sized business whose income is derived almost exclusively from the employment of workers; "middle class" came to refer to the combination of the labour aristocracy , professionals , and salaried, white-collar workers . The size of the middle class depends on how it is defined, whether by education, wealth , environment of upbringing, social network , manners or values, etc. These are all related, but are far from deterministically dependent. The following factors are often ascribed in

1914-552: The first sense, it is used for the bourgeoisie (the urban merchant and professional class) that arose between the aristocracy and the proletariat in the waning years of feudalism in the Marxist model. Vladimir Lenin stated that the "peasantry ... in Russia constitute eight- or nine-tenths of the petty bourgeoisie". However, in modern developed countries, Marxist writers define the petite bourgeoisie as primarily comprising (as

1972-466: The former city wall was in the hands of private developers, without much public involvement in the neighbourhood planning. In addition, the more affordable housing projects were often of poor construction quality. Therefore, the Amsterdam city council decided to design a more comprehensive plan for further expansion into the rural area south of the city. After several plans by city planners were rejected,

2030-422: The land expropriated here was provided on leasehold to the Amstel building association in which 71 construction companies worked together. Famous architects such as Margaret Staal-Kropholler , Michel de Klerk and Piet Kramer were commissioned to design the apartment blocks. Some of the finest examples of Amsterdam School architecture, characterized by its curvy facades and wealth of fantasy ornaments are found in

2088-468: The literature on this topic to a "middle class:" In the United States, by the end of the twentieth century, more people identified themselves as middle-class (with insignificant numbers identifying themselves as upper-class). The Labour Party in the UK, which grew out of the organised labour movement and originally drew almost all of its support from the working-class, reinvented itself under Tony Blair in

2146-426: The median national income. Marxism defines social classes according to their relationship with the means of production . The main basis of social class division of Marxism: the possession of means of production, the role and position it plays in social labor organization (production process), the distribution of wealth and resources and the amount. Marxist writers have used the term middle class in various ways. In

2204-583: The mid-1970s it was estimated by one authority that the Brazilian middle class comprised between 15 and 25% of the population. A 1969 economic survey estimated that 15% of Brazilians belonged to the middle class. By 1970, according to one study, the middle class of Argentina comprised 38% of the economically active population, compared with 19% in Brazil and 24% in Mexico . A 1975 study on Mexico estimated that

2262-476: The middle class as having a reasonable amount of discretionary income and defined it as beginning at the point where people have roughly a third of their income left for discretionary spending after paying for basic food and shelter. The term "middle class" is first attested in James Bradshaw's 1745 pamphlet Scheme to prevent running Irish Wools to France. Another phrase used in early modern Europe

2320-461: The middle class as those falling between the upper-class and the working-class . The middle class includes: professionals, managers, and senior civil servants. The chief defining characteristic of membership in the middle-class is control of significant human capital while still being under the dominion of the elite upper class, who control much of the financial and legal capital in the world. Within capitalism, "middle-class" initially referred to

2378-458: The middle class in 1968 (defined as families earning between 2,000 and 5,000 pesos annually) comprised 36.4% of the population, while the upper class (defined as families earning over 5,000 pesos annually) comprised 9.4% of the population and the lower class (defined as families earning less than 2,000 pesos annually) comprised 53.9% of the population. According to a study by the World Bank ,

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2436-655: The millennial generation is being pushed out of the middle class throughout the Western world. Since the beginning of the 21st century, China 's middle class has grown by significant margins. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies , by 2013, some 420 million people, or 31%, of the Chinese population qualified as middle class. Based on the World Bank definition of middle class as those having with daily spending between $ 10 and $ 50 per day, nearly 40% of

2494-428: The name implies) owners of small to medium-sized businesses, who derive their income from the exploitation of wage-laborers (and who are in turn exploited by the "big" bourgeoisie i.e. bankers, owners of large corporate trusts, etc.) as well as the highly educated professional class of doctors, engineers, architects, lawyers, university professors, salaried middle-management of capitalist enterprises of all sizes, etc. – as

2552-486: The neighborhood to be carried out was the construction of a bridge over the river Amstel . The design of the project was commissioned to Berlage himself. Construction began in 1928 and was completed in 1932. The north side of the bridge symbolizes the enclosing of the city of Amsterdam. Its monumental tower has a four-meter tall ceramic plate designed by Hildo Krop . The plate shows the Genius of Amsterdam as she emerges from

2610-466: The northeastern part of the neighborhood, for example at Holendrechtstraat. The association eventually built 1,739 relatively small apartments rented out for 11 to 20 guilders per week. In 1925, the project was completed but 16 of the participating companies had already gone bankrupt. The municipality subsequently acquired considerable property in this section of the Rivierenbuurt. As economic circumstances changed, many of Berlage's ambitious plans including

2668-605: The number of Latin Americans who are middle class rose from 103 million to 152 million between 2003 and 2009. In 2012, the "middle class" in Russia was estimated as 15% of the whole population. Due to sustainable growth , the pre-crisis level was exceeded. In 2015, research from the Russian Academy of Sciences estimated that around 15% of the Russian population are "firmly middle class", while around another 25% are "on

2726-423: The old city with its curvy streets and low-rise buildings, would be too expensive and inefficient. Berlage was asked to revise his plan, which he presented in 1914. Compared to the original plan, the second plan is much denser. It contains mostly four-story, rectangular apartment blocks on narrower, linear residential streets. Nevertheless, the new neighbourhoods would have a much more spacious and greener outlook than

2784-412: The poor do, and defined it as beginning at the point where people have roughly a third of their income left for discretionary spending after paying for basic food and shelter. This allows people to buy consumer goods, improve their health care, and provide for their children's education. Most of the emerging middle class consists of people who are middle class by the standards of the developing world but not

2842-491: The poor start entering the middle class by the millions is alleged to be the time when poor countries get the maximum benefit from cheap labour through international trade , before they price themselves out of world markets for cheap goods. It is also a period of rapid urbanization, when subsistence farmers abandon marginal farms to work in factories, resulting in a several-fold increase in their economic productivity before their wages catch up to international levels. That stage

2900-638: The same period, the proportion of " upper middle class " income ($ 20–$ 50 a day) went from 1.4% to 2.3%. According to a 2014 study by the German Development Institute, the middle class of Sub-Saharan Africa rose from 14 million to 31 million people between 1990 and 2010. Over the years estimates on the size of the Latin America 's middle class have varied. A 1960 study stated that the middle strata in Latin America as

2958-452: The size and wealth share of the middle class. Terminology differs in the United States , where the term middle class describes people who in other countries would be described as working class . There has been significant global middle-class growth over time. In February 2009, The Economist asserted that over half of the world's population belonged to the middle class, as a result of rapid growth in emerging countries. It characterized

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3016-698: The social division of labor ... [is] ... the reproduction of capitalist culture and capitalist class relations;" the Ehrenreichs named this group the "professional–managerial class". This group of middle-class professionals is distinguished from other social classes by their training and education (typically business qualifications and university degrees), with example occupations including academics and teachers , social workers , engineers , accountants , managers , nurses , and middle-level administrators. The Ehrenreichs developed their definition from studies by André Gorz , Serge Mallet, and others, of

3074-666: The three major avenues that met there (Amstellaan, Noorder Amstellaan and Zuider Amstellaan) were renamed for Stalin , Churchill and Roosevelt respectively. After the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956, Stalinlaan was renamed to Vrijheidlaan ('Freedom Lane'). Two additional place names honor American figures from the 20th century: President Kennedylaan (after John F. Kennedy ; previously Rivierenlaan) and Martin Luther Kingpark (after Martin Luther King Jr. ). In 1954,

3132-580: The vast majority of the population. Many of these methods of comparison have been harshly criticised; for example, economist Thomas Piketty , in his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century , describes one of the most commonly used comparative measures of wealth across the globe, the Gini coefficient , as being an example of "synthetic indices ... which mix very different things, such as inequality with respect to labor and capital, so that it

3190-472: The water. The figure is adorned with the golden imperial crown and is illuminated by a shining sun. The southern side of the bridge symbolizes the countryside and the Amstel river as it flows from the south. The bridge provides access to new Plan Zuid neighborhood from the east, but because of its design also serves as a symbolic city gate. It was originally named 'Amstelbrug' but was later renamed ' Berlagebrug ' and has acquired national monumental status . From

3248-414: Was "the middling sort". The term "middle class" has had several and sometimes contradictory meanings. Friedrich Engels saw the category as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry in late-feudalist society. While the nobility owned much of the countryside, and the peasantry worked it, a new bourgeoisie (literally "town-dwellers") arose around mercantile functions in

3306-493: Was at first denied to Jewish children as ordered by the German occupiers, then on November 3, 1941 was converted to a market where Jews were required to shop. After mass deportation of Jewish residents was largely complete, the market was closed on August 9, 1943. A bronze sculpture erected in 1986 honors the Jewish children who were forbidden from using the playground; commemorations occur at the site every year on November 3. Today

3364-465: Was reached in China sometime between 1990 and 2005, when the Chinese "middle class" grew from 15% to 62% of the population and is just being reached in India now. The Economist predicted that surge across the poverty line should continue for a couple of decades and the global middle class will grow exponentially between now and 2030. Based on the rapid growth, scholars expect the global middle class to be

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