What groups did the bourgeoisie and the working class come from?

The bourgeoisie was formed from merchants, nobles, artisans, and successful wealthy peasants. They were active, enterprising people who managed to earn and accumulate capital or received it by inheritance. The working class also did not arise from scratch: former peasants who went bankrupt became workers. They needed to make a living. A ruined nobleman or a merchant could become a worker. The working class is called the proletariat, and this Latin word means “have-nots.”