Primitive Accumulation Karl Marx Summary

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Selena Barreira
Karl Marx Notes on: The German Ideology, The Communist Manifesto, and Capital Volume 1
Chapter 26: “The Secret of Primitive Accumulation” In chapter 26 of Marx’s Capital, he discusses a concept known as primitive accumulation and its role in political economy. He begins the chapter describing the process if how money is changed into capital, “how through capital surplus-value is made, and from surplus-value more capital” (461). But through this process there is a never-ending cycle of capital, surplus-value, and capitalistic production all presupposing each other and Marx argues that this process is only possible from its starting point of primitive accumulation. Essentially what Marx is talking about the historical process of capitalism stemming from feudalism and the forcing of peasants into free-wage workers. Marx discusses this more when describing the history of primitive accumulation and how producers were separated from the production along with the emancipation of serfdom and ‘free’ laborers were eventually created. Essentially Marx describes the origins of capitalistic accumulation as being far from peaceful as he states, “In actual history it is notorious that conquest, enslavement, robbery, murder, briefly force, play the great part. In the tender annals of Political Economy, the idyllic reigns from time immemorial” (462). The whole process is essentially unnatural and in this chapter Marx discusses the role in plays in society and how it began the capitalistic views in society. Manifesto of the Communist Party In the Manifesto of the Communist Party part 1 Bourgeois and Proletarians, Marx discusses the struggle of societal class throughout history and the development of a new class known as Proletarians.
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In the modern society Marx states that, “The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonism. It has but established new classes, new condition of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones” (204). With saying this Marx has then concluded the establishment of the great classes which are the bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie historically has made a huge impact on society as it is said they have “since the establishment of modern industry and of the world market, conquered for itself, in the modern representative state, and exclusive political sway” (206). They are constantly revolutionizing production as a whole even on a global scale turning cities into “civilisations”(208). They are essentially the upper class in society developing new markets and resources for their business through colonialism. They took away the division and honor of specific occupations turning everyone into wage laborers. Marx talks a lot about the history of the bourgeoisie and their link to industry as the proletariat on the other hand are laborers who work based off the decisions of the bourgeoisie. The Proletariat class are the lower class lacking capital to compete with other growing classes but still competes with the bourgeoisie. They rise up and work together while some bourgeoisie struggle to maintain their status and keep up with growing capital themselves and descend to the proletariat class. The German Ideology, Volume One The German Ideology I felt was very abstract compared to the other works of Marx focusing more on a philosophical level. He argues the idea that our conscious is a product of society and the social construct in which we live in.

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