ABSTRACT
The world of the petite bourgeoisie was a world in movement. Firm points of personal and structural stability meant that movement did not imply chaos, but movement is more relevant to a consideration of the petite bourgeoisie than for any other social group. There is a paradox here. Contemporary defenders of the petite bourgeoisie valued the opportunity for mobility which it offered to the working class. As Frantz Funck-Brentano told the Congres International de fa Petite Bourgeoisie in 1899, the disappearance of the petite bourgeoisie would mean,
growing discontent amongst the working classes .... The classe moyenne was the wide and open road by which the thrifty, skilful and assiduous working man could reach the ranks of employer. Even those who never get there can keep alive the hope of so doing, whether for them or for their children. And everyone knows that men live by hope more than by reality.!
