The Middle class of a society is the educated working class. They're typically liberal we hope. Traditionally the middle classes were the educated people, the merchants, the bankers, the capitalists. Today in the United States and many developed countries the majority see themselves as middle class, and any political party wanting to govern the country must appeal to middle class voters. The middle classes are business owners and educated professional people; they may also include skilled manual workers. Different societies define the middle classes differently.