Petite bourgeoisie , also
petty bourgeoisie (literally
small bourgeoisie), is a French term (sometimes derogatory) referring to a social class comprising semi-autonomous peasantry and small-scale merchants whose politico-economic ideological stance is determined by reflecting that of a
haute (high)
bourgeoisie, with which the petite bourgeoisie seeks to identify itself, and whose
bourgeois morality it strives to imitate.