首页 >出版文学> Capital—1>第48章

第48章

  Informertimes,capitalresortedtolegislation,whenevernecessary,toenforceitsproprietaryrightsoverthefreelabourer。Forinstance,downto1815,theemigrationofmechanicsemployedinmachinemakingwas,inEngland,forbidden,undergrievouspainsandpenalties。
  Thereproductionoftheworking—classcarrieswithittheaccumulationofskill,thatishandeddownfromonegenerationtoanother。[13]Towhatextentthecapitalistreckonstheexistenceofsuchaskilledclassamongthefactorsofproductionthatbelongtohimbyright,andtowhatextentheactuallyregardsitastherealityofhisvariablecapital,isseensosoonasacrisisthreatenshimwithitsloss。InconsequenceofthecivilwarintheUnitedStatesandoftheaccompanyingcottonfamine,themajorityofthecottonoperativesinLancashirewere,asiswellknown,thrownoutofwork。Bothfromtheworking—classitself,andfromotherranksofsociety,therearoseacryforStateaid,orforvoluntarynationalsubscriptions,inordertoenablethe"superfluous"
  handstoemigratetothecoloniesortotheUnitedStates。Thereupon,TheTimespublishedonthe24thMarch,1863,aletterfromEdmundPotter,aformerpresidentoftheManchesterChamberofCommerce。ThisletterwasrightlycalledintheHouseofCommons,themanufacturers’manifesto。[14]Wecullhereafewcharacteristicpassages,inwhichtheproprietaryrightsofcapitaloverlabour—powerareunblushinglyasserted。
  "He"(themanoutofwork)"maybetoldthesupplyofcotton—workersistoolarge……and……must……infactbereducedbyathird,perhaps,andthatthentherewillbeahealthydemandfortheremainingtwo—thirds……
  Publicopinion……urgesemigration……Themastercannotwillinglyseehislaboursupplybeingremoved;hemaythink,andperhapsjustly,thatitisbothwrongandunsound……Butifthepublicfundsaretobedevotedtoassistemigration,hebasarighttobeheard,andperhapstoprotest。"
  Mr。Potterthenshowshowusefulthecottontradeis,howthe"tradehasundoubtedlydrawnthesurplus—populationfromIrelandandfromtheagriculturaldistricts,"howimmenseisitsextent,howintheyear1860ityielded5/13thsofthetotalEnglishexports,how,afterafewyears,itwillagainexpandbytheextensionofthemarket,particularlyoftheIndianmarket,andbycallingforthaplentifulsupplyofcottonat6d。perlb。
  Hethencontinues:"Sometime……,one,two,orthreeyears,itmaybe,willproducethequantity……ThequestionIwouldputthenisthis?Isthetradeworthretaining?Isitworthwhiletokeepthemachinery(hemeansthelivinglabourmachines)inorder,andisitnotthegreatestfollytothinkofpartingwiththat?Ithinkitis。I
  allowthattheworkersarenotaproperty,notthepropertyofLancashireandthemasters;buttheyarethestrengthofboth;theyarethementalandtrainedpowerwhichcannotbe。replacedforageneration;themeremachinerywhichtheyworkmightmuchofitbebeneficiallyreplaced,nayimproved,inatwelvemont;[15]Encourageorallow(!)theworking—powertoemigrate,andwhatofthecapitalist?……Takeawaythecreamoftheworkers,andfixedcapitalwilldepreciateinagreatdegree,andthefloatingwillnotsubjectitselftoastrugglewiththeshortsupplyofinferiorlabour……
  Wearetoldtheworkerswishit"(emigration)。"Verynaturalitisthattheyshoulddoso……Reduce,compressthecottontradebytakingawayitsworkingpowerandreducingtheirwagesexpenditure,sayone—fifth,orfivemillions,andwhatthenwouldhappentotheclassabove,thesmallshopkeepers;andwhatoftherents,thecottagerents……Traceouttheeffectsupwardstothesmallfarmer,thebetterhouseholder,and……thelandowner,andsayiftherecouldbeanysuggestionmoresuicidaltoallclassesofthecountrythanbyenfeeblinganationbyexportingthebestofitsmanufacturingpopulation,anddestroyingthevalueofsomeofitsmostproductivecapitalandenrichment……Iadvisealoan(offiveorsixmillionssterling),……extendingitmaybeovertwoorthreeyears,administeredbyspecialcommissionersaddedtotheBoardsofGuardiansinthecottondistricts,underspeciallegislativeregulations,enforcingsomeoccupationorlabour,asameansofkeepingupatleastthemoralstandardoftherecipientsoftheloan……cananythingbeworseforlandownersormastersthanpartingwiththebestoftheworkers,anddemoralisinganddisappointingtherestbyanextendeddepletiveemigration,adepletionofcapitalandvalueinanentireprovince?"
  Potter,thechosenmouthpieceofthemanufacturers,distinguishestwosortsof"machinery,"eachofwhichbelongstothecapitalist,andofwhichonestandsinhisfactory,theotheratnight—timeandonSundaysishousedoutsidethefactory,incottages。Theoneisinanimate,theotherliving。
  Theinanimatemachinerynotonlywearsoutanddepreciatesfromdaytoday,butagreatpartofitbecomessoquicklysuperannuated,byconstanttechnicalprogress,thatitcanbereplacedwithadvantagebynewmachineryafterafewmonths。Thelivingmachinery,onthecontrarygetsbetterthelongeritlasts,andinproportionastheskill,handedfromonegenerationtoanother,accumulates。TheTimesansweredthecottonlordasfollows:
  "Mr。EdmundPotterissoimpressedwiththeexceptionalandsupremeimportanceofthecottonmastersthat,inordertopreservethisclassandperpetuatetheirprofession,hewouldkeephalfamillionofthelabouringclassconfinedinagreatmoralworkhouseagainsttheir’will。’Isthetradeworthretaining?’asksMr。Potter。’Certainlybyallhonestmeansitis,’weanswer。’Isitworthwhilekeepingthemachineryinorder?’
  againasksMr。Potter。Herewehesitate。Bythe’machinery’Mr。Pottermeansthehumanmachinery,forhegoesontoprotestthathedoesnotmeantousethemasanabsoluteproperty。Wemustconfessthatwedonotthinkit’worthwhile,’orevenpossible,tokeepthehumanmachineryinorder—thatistoshutitupandkeepitoiledtillitiswanted。Humanmachinerywillrustunderinaction,oilandrubitasyoumay。Moreover,thehumanmachinerywill,aswehavejustseen,getthesteamupofitsownaccord,andburstorrunamuckinourgreattowns。itmight,asMr。Pottersays,requiresometimetoreproducetheworkers,but,havingmachinistsandcapitalistsathand,wecouldalwaysfindthrifty,hard,industriousmenwherewithtoimprovisemoremaster—manufacturersthanwecaneverwant。Mr。Pottertalksofthetradereviving’inone,two,orthreeyears,’andheasksusnot’toencourageorallow(!)theworkingpowertoemigrate。’[16]Hesaysthatitisverynaturaltheworkersshouldwishtoemigrate;buthethinksthatinspiteoftheirdesire,thenationoughttokeepthishalfmillionofworkerswiththeir700,000dependents,shutupinthecottondistricts;andasanecessaryconsequence,hemustofcoursethinkthatthenationoughttokeepdowntheirdiscontentbyforce,andsustainthembyalms?anduponthechancethatthecottonmastersmaysomedaywantthem……Thetimeiscomewhenthegreatpublicopinionoftheseislandsmustoperatetosavethis’workingpower’fromthosewhowoulddealwithitastheywoulddealwithiron,andcoal,andcotton。"
  TheTimes’articlewasonlyajeud’esprit。The"greatpublicopinion"was,infact,ofMr。Potter’sopinion,thatthefactoryoperativesarepartofthemovablefittingsofafactory。Theiremigrationwasprevented。
  Theywerelockedupinthat"moralworkhouse,"thecottondistricts,andtheyform,asbefore,"thestrength"ofthecottonmanufacturersofLancashire。
  Capitalistproduction,therefore,ofitselfreproducestheseparationbetweenlabour—powerandthemeansoflabour。Ittherebyreproducesandperpetuatestheconditionforexploitingthelabourer。Itincessantlyforceshimtosellhislabour—powerinordertolive,andenablesthecapitalisttopurchaselabour—powerinorderthathemayenrichhimself。[17]Itisnolongeramereaccident,thatcapitalistandlabourerconfronteachotherinthemarketasbuyerandseller。Itistheprocessitselfthatincessantlyhurlsbackthelabourerontothemarketasavendorofhislabour—power,andthatincessantlyconvertshisownproductintoameansbywhichanothermancanpurchasehim。Inreality,thelabourerbelongstocapitalbeforehehassoldhimselftocapital。Hiseconomicbondage[18]isbothbroughtaboutandconcealedbytheperiodicsaleofhimself,byhischangeofmasters,andbytheoscillationsinthemarket—priceoflabour—power。[19]
  Capitalistproduction,therefore,underitsaspectofacontinuousconnectedprocess,ofaprocessofreproduction,producesnotonlycommodities,notonlysurplus—value,butitalsoproducesandreproducesthecapitalistrelation;ontheonesidethecapitalist,ontheotherthewage—labourer。[20]
  Footnotes[1]"Maiscesriches,quiconsommentlesproduitsdutravaildesautres,nepeuventlesobtenirquepardeséchanges[purchasesofcommodities]。
  S’ilsdonnentcependantleurrichesseacquiseetaccumuléeenretourcontrecesproduitsnouveauxquisontl’objetdeleurfantaisie,ilssemblentexposésàépuiserbientôtleurfondsderéserve;
  ilsnetravaillentpoint,avors—nousdit,etilsnepeuventmêmetravailler;oncroiraitdoncquechaquejourdoitvoirdiminuerleursvieillesrichesses,etquelorsqu’ilneleurenresteraplus,rienneseraoffertenéchangeauxouvriersquitravaillentexclusivementpoureux……
  Maisdansl’ordresocial,larichesseaacquislapropriété
  desereproduireparletravaild’autrui,etsansquesonproprietaireyconcoure。Larichesse,commeletravail,etparletravail,donneunfruitannuelquipeutêtredétruitchaqueannéesansquelericheendeviennepluspauvre。Cefruitestlerevenuquinetducapital"(Sismondi:"Nouv。Princ。d’Econ。Pol。"Paris,1819,t。I,pp。81—82。)
  [2]"Wagesaswellasprofitsaretobeconsidered,eachofthem,asreallyaportionofthefinishedproduct。"(Ramsay,l。c。,p。142。)"Theshareoftheproductwhichcomestothelabourerintheformofwages。"(J。Mill,"Eléments,&c。"TranslatedbyParissot。Paris,1823,p。34。)
  [3]"Whencapitalisemployedinadvancingtotheworkmanhiswages,itaddsnothingtothefundsforthemaintenanceoflabour。"(CazenoveinnotetohiseditionofMalthus’"DefinitionsinPol。Econ。"London,1853,p。
  22。)
  [4]"Thewagesoflabourareadvancedbycapitalistsinthecaseoflessthanonefourthofthelabourersoftheearth。"(Rich。Jones:"TextbookofLecturesonthePol。Econ。ofNations。"Hertford,1852,p。36。)
  [5]"Thoughthemanufacturer"(i。e。,thelabourer)"hashiswagesadvancedtohimbyhismaster,heinrealitycostshimnoexpense,thevalueofthesewagesbeinggenerallyreserved,togetherwithaprofit,intheimprovedvalueofthesubjectuponwhichhislabourisbestowed。"(A。Smith,l。
  c。,BookII……ch。III,p。311。)
  [6]"Thisisaremarkablypeculiarpropertyofproductivelabour。Whateverisproductivelyconsumediscapitalanditbecomescapitalbyconsumption。"
  (JamesMill,l。c。,p。242。)JamesMill,however,nevergotonthetrackofthis"remarkablypeculiarproperty。"
  [7]"Itistrueindeed,thatthefirstintroducingamanufactureemploysmanypoor,buttheyceasenottobeso,andthecontinuanceofitmakesmany。"
  ("ReasonsforaLimitedExportationofWool。"London,1677,p。19。)"Thefarmernowabsurdlyasserts,thathekeepsthepoor。Theyareindeedkeptinmisery。"("ReasonsfortheLateIncreaseofthePoorRates:oraComparativeViewofthePricesoflabourandProvisions。"London,1777,p。31。)
  [8]Rossiwouldnotdeclaimsoemphaticallyagainstthis,hadliereallypenetratedthesecretof"productiveconsumption。"
  [9]"ThelabourersintheminesofS。America,whosedailytask(theheaviestperhapsintheworld)consistsinbringingtothesurfaceontheirshouldersaloadofmetalweighingfrom180to200pounds,fromadepthof450feet,liveonbroadandbeansonly;theythemselveswouldpreferthebreadaloneforfood,buttheirmasters,whohavefoundoutthatthemencannotworksohardonbread,treatthemlikehorses,andcompelthemtoeatbeans;
  beans,however,arerelativelymuchricherinbone—earth(phosphateoflime)thanisbread。"(Liebig,l。c。,vol。1。,p。194,note。)
  [10]JamesMill,l。c。,p。238。
  [11]"Ifthepriceoflabourshouldrisesohighthat,notwithstandingtheincreaseofcapital,nomorecouldbeemployed,Ishouldsaythatsuchincreaseofcapitalwouldbestillunproductivelyconsumed。"(Ricardo,l。c。,p。
  163。)
  [12]"Theonlyproductiveconsumption,properlysocalled,istheconsumptionordestructionofwealth"(healludestothemeansofproduction)"bycapitalistswithaviewtoreproduction……Theworkman……isaproductiveconsumertothepersonwhoemployshim,andtotheState,butnot,strictlyspeaking,tohimself。"(Malthus’"Definitions,&c。",p。30。)
  [13]"Theonlything,ofwhichonecansay,thatitisstoredupandpreparedbeforehand,istheskillofthelabourer……Theaccumulationandstorageofskilledlabour,thatmostimportantoperation,is,asregardsthegreatmassoflabourers,accomplishedwithoutanycapitalwhatever。"(Th。Hodgskin:
  "LabourDefended,&c。,"p。13。)
  [14]"Thatlettermightbelookeduponasthemanifestoofthemanufacturers。"
  (Ferrand:"MotionontheCottonFamine。"H。o。C。,27thApril,1863。)
  [15]Itwillnotbeforgottenthatthissamecapitalsingsquiteanothersong,underordinarycircumstances,whenthereisaquestionofreducingwages。
  Thenthemastersexclaimwithonevoice:"Thefactoryoperativesshouldkeepinwholesomeremembrancethefactthattheirsisreallyalowspeciesofskilledlabour,andthatthereisnonewhichismoreeasilyacquired,orofitsqualitymoreamplyremunerated,orwhich,byashorttrainingoftheleastexpert,canbemorequickly,aswellasabundantly,acquired……Themaster’smachinery"(whichwenowlearncanbereplacedwithadvantagein12months,)"reallyplaysafarmoreimportantpartinthebusinessofproductionthanthelabourandskilloftheoperative"(whocannotnowbereplacedunder30years),"whichsixmonths’educationcanreach,andacommonlabourercanlearn。"(Seeante,p。423。)
  [16]Parliamentdidnotvoteasinglefarthinginaidofemigration,butsimplypassedsomeActsempoweringthemunicipalcorporationstokeeptheoperativesinahalf—starvedstate,i。e。,toexploitthematlessthanthenormalwages。Ontheotherhand,when3yearslater,thecattlediseasebrokeout,Parliamentbrokewildlythroughitsusagesandvoted,straightoff,millionsforindemnifyingthemillionairelandlords,whosefarmersinanyeventcameoffwithoutloss,owingtotheriseinthepriceofmeat。
  Thebull—likebellowofthelandedproprietorsattheopeningofParliament,in1866,showedthatamancanworshipthecowSabalawithoutbeingaHindu,andcanchangehimselfintoanoxwithoutbeingaJupiter。
  [17]"L’ouvrierdemandaitdelasubsistencepourvivre,lechefdemandaitdutravailpourgagner。"(Sismondi,l。c。,p。91。)
  [18]AboorishlyclumsyformofthisbondageexistsinthecountyofDurham。
  ThisIsoneofthefewcounties,inwhichcircumstancesdonotsecuretothefarmerundisputedproprietaryrightsovertheagriculturallabourer。
  Theminingindustryallowsthelattersomechoice。Inthiscounty,thefarmer,contrarytothecustomelsewhere,rentsonlysuchfarmsashaveonthemlabourers’cottages。Therentofthecottageisapartofthewages。
  Thesecottagesareknownas"hinds’houses。"Theyarelettothelabourersinconsiderationofcertainfeudalservices,underacontractcalled"bondage,"
  which,amongstotherthings,bindsthelabourer,duringthetimeheisemployedelsewhere,toleavesomeone,sayhisdaughter,&c。,tosupplyhisplace。Thelabourerhimselfiscalleda"bondsman。"Therelationshipheresetupalsoshowshowindividualconsumptionbythelabourerbecomesconsumptiononbehalfofcapital—orproductiveconsumption—fromquiteanewpointofview:"Itiscurioustoobservethattheverydungofthehindandbondsmanistheperquisiteofthecalculatinglord……andthelordwillallownoprivybuthisowntoexistintheneighbourhood,andwillrathergiveabitofmanurehereandthereforagardenthanbateanypartofhisseigneurialright。"("PublicHealth,ReportVII。,1864,"
  p。188。)
  [19]Itwillnotbeforgotten,that,withrespecttothelabourofchildren,&c。,eventheformalityofavoluntarysaledisappears。
  [20]"Capitalpre—supposeswage—labour,andwage—labourpre—supposescapital。
  Oneisanecessaryconditiontotheexistenceoftheother;theymutuallycalleachotherintoexistence。Doesanoperativeinacotton—factoryproducenothingbutcottongoods?No,heproducescapital。Heproducesvaluesthatgivefreshcommandoverhislabour,andthat,bymeansofsuchcommand,createfreshvalues。"(KarlMarx:"LohnarbeitundKapital,"intheNeueRheinischeZeitung:No。266,7thApril,1849。)ThearticlespublishedundertheabovetitleintheN。Rh。Z。arepartsofsomelecturesgivenbymeonthatsubject,in1847,intheGerman"Arheiter—Verein"atBrussels,thepublicationofwhichwasinterruptedbytherevolutionofFebruary。
  ChapterTwenty—FourKarlMarxCapitalVolumeOnePartVII:
  TheAccumulationofCapitalCHAPTERTWENTY—FOUR:
  CONVERSIONOFSURPLUS—VALUEINTOCAPITAL
  ContentsSection1—CapitalistProductiononaProgressivelyIncreasingScale。TransitionoftheLawsofPropertythatCharacteriseProductionofCommoditiesintoLawsofCapitalistAppropriationSection2—ErroneousConception,byPoliticalEconomy,ofReproductiononaProgressivelyIncreasingScaleSection3—SeparationofSurplus—ValueintoCapitalandRevenue。TheAbstinenceTheorySection4—Circumstancesthat,IndependentlyoftheProportionalDivisionofSurplus—ValueintoCapitalandRevenue,DeterminetheAmountofAccumulation。DegreeofExploitationofLabour—Power。ProductivityofLabour。GrowingDifferenceinAmountBetweenCapitalEmployedandCapitalConsumed。MagnitudeofCapitalAdvancedSection5—TheSo—CalledLabour—FundSECTION1。CAPITALISTPRODUCTIONONAPROGRESSIVELYINCREASINGSCALE。TRANSITIONOF
  THELAWSOFPROPERTYTHATCHARACTERISEPRODUCTIONOFCOMMODITIESINTOLAWS
  OFCAPITALISTAPPROPRIATION
  Hithertowehaveinvestigatedhowsurplus—valueemanatesfromcapital;
  wehavenowtoseehowcapitalarisesfromsurplus—value。Employingsurplus—valueascapital,reconvertingitintocapital,iscalledaccumulationofcapital。[1]
  Firstletusconsiderthistransactionfromthestandpointoftheindividualcapitalist。Supposeaspinnertohaveadvancedacapitalof£10,000,ofwhichfour—fifths(£8,000)arelaidoutincotton,machinery,&c。,andone—fifth(£2,000)inwages。Lethimproduce240,000
  lbs。ofyamannually,havingavalueof£2,000。Therateofsurplus—valuebeing100%,thesurplus—valueliesinthesurplusornetproductof40,000
  lbs。ofyarn,one—sixthofthegrossproduct,withavalueof£2,000
  whichwillberealisedbyasale。£2,000is£2,000。Wecanneitherseenorsmellinthissumofmoneyatraceofsurplus—value。Whenweknowthatagivenvalueissurplus—value,weknowhowitsownercamebyit;butthatdoesnotalterthenatureeitherofvalueorofmoney。
  Inordertoconvertthisadditionalsumof£2,000intocapital,themaster—spinnerwill,allcircumstancesremainingasbefore,advancefour—fifthsofit(£1,600)inthepurchaseofcotton,&c。,andone—fifth(£400)inthepurchaseofadditionalspinners,whowillfindinthemarketthenecessariesoflifewhosevaluethemasterhasadvancedtothem。
  Thenthenewcapitalof£2,000functionsinthespinning—mill,andbringsin,initsturn,asurplus—valueof£400。
  Thecapital—valuewasoriginallyadvancedinthemoney—form。Thesurplus—valueonthecontraryis,originally,thevalueofadefiniteportionofthegrossproduct。Ifthisgrossproductbesold,convertedintomoney,thecapital—valueregainsitsoriginalform。Fromthismomentthecapital—valueandthesurplus—valuearebothofthemsumsofmoney,andtheirreconversionintocapitaltakesplaceinpreciselythesameway。Theone,aswellastheother,islaidoutbythecapitalistinthepurchaseofcommoditiesthatplacehiminapositiontobeginafreshthefabricationofhisgoods,andthistime,onanextendedscale。Butinordertobeabletobuythosecommodities,hemustfindthemreadyinthemarket。
  Hisownyamscirculate,onlybecausehebringshisannualproducttomarket,asallothercapitalistslikewisedowiththeircommodities。Butthesecommodities,beforecomingtomarket,werepartofthegeneralannualproduct,partofthetotalmassofobjectsofeverykind,intowhichthesumoftheindividualcapitals,i。e。,thetotalcapitalofsociety,hadbeenconvertedinthecourseoftheyear,andofwhicheachcapitalisthadinhandonlyanaliquotpart。Thetransactionsinthemarketeffectuateonlytheinterchangeoftheindividualcomponentsofthisannualproduct,transferthemfromonehandtoanother,butcanneitheraugmentthetotalannualproduction,noralterthenatureoftheobjectsproduced。Hencetheusethatcanbemadeofthetotalannualproduct,dependsentirelyuponitsowncomposition,butinnowayuponcirculation。
  Theannualproduction,mustinthefirstplacefurnishallthoseobjects(use—values)fromwhichthematerialcomponentsofcapital,usedupinthecourseoftheyear,havetobereplaced。Deductingthesethereremainsthenetorsurplus—product,inwhichthesurplus—valuelies。Andofwhatdoesthissurplus—productconsist?Onlyofthingsdestinedtosatisfythewantsanddesiresofthecapitalistclass,thingswhich,consequently,enterintotheconsumption—fundofthecapitalists?Werethatthecase,thecupofsurplus—valuewouldbedrainedtotheverydregs,andnothingbutsimplereproductionwouldevertakeplace。
  Toaccumulateitisnecessarytoconvertaportionofthesurplus—productintocapital。Butwecannot,exceptbyamiracle,convertintocapitalanythingbutsucharticlesascanbeemployedinthelabour—process(i。e。,meansofproduction),andsuchfurtherarticlesasaresuitableforthesustenanceofthelabourer(i。e。,meansofsubsistence)。Consequently,apartoftheannualsurplus—labourmusthavebeenappliedtotheproductionofadditionalmeansofproductionandsubsistence,overandabovethequantityofthesethingsrequiredtoreplacethecapitaladvanced。Inoneword,surplus—valueisconvertibleintocapitalsolelybecausethesurplus—product,whosevalueitis,alreadycomprisesthematerialelementsofnewcapital。[2]
  Nowinordertoallowoftheseelementsactuallyfunctioningascapital,thecapitalistclassrequiresadditionallabour。Iftheexploitationofthelabourersalreadyemployeddonotincrease,eitherextensivelyorintensively,thenadditionallabour—powermustbefound。Forthisthemechanismofcapitalistproductionprovidesbeforehand,byconvertingtheworking—classintoaclassdependentonwages,aclasswhoseordinarywagessuffice,notonlyforitsmaintenance,butforitsincrease。itisonlynecessaryforcapitaltoincorporatethisadditionallabour—power,annuallysuppliedbytheworking—classintheshapeoflabourersofallages,withthesurplusmeansofproductioncomprisedintheannualproduce,andtheconversionofsurplus—valueintocapitaliscomplete。Fromaconcretepointofview,accumulationresolvesitselfintothereproductionofcapitalonaprogressivelyincreasingscale。
  Thecircleinwhichsimplereproductionmoves,altersitsform,and,touseSismondi’sexpression,changesintoaspiral。[3]
  Letusnowreturntoourillustration。Itistheoldstory:AbrahambegatIsaac,IsaacbegatJacob,andsoon。Theoriginalcapitalof£10,000
  bringsinasurplus—valueof£2,000,whichiscapitalised。Thenewcapitalof£2,000bringsinasurplus—valueof£400,andthis,too,iscapitalised,convertedintoasecondadditionalcapital,which,initsturn,producesafurthersurplus—valueof£80。Andsotheballrollson。
  Wehereleaveoutofconsiderationtheportionofthesurplus—valueconsumedbythecapitalist。Justaslittledoesitconcernus,forthemoment,whethertheadditionalcapitalisjoinedontotheoriginalcapital,orisseparatedfromittofunctionindependently;whetherthesamecapitalist,whoaccumulatedit,employsit,orwhetherhehandsitovertoanother。
  Thisonlywemustnotforget,thatbythesideofthenewly—formedcapital,theoriginalcapitalcontinuestoreproduceitself,andtoproducesurplus—value,andthatthisisalsotrueofallaccumulatedcapital,andtheadditionalcapitalengenderedbyit。
  Theoriginalcapitalwasformedbytheadvanceof£10,000。Howdidtheownerbecomepossessedofit?"Byhisownlabourandthatofhisforefathers,"
  answerunanimouslythespokesmenofPoliticalEconomy。[4]And,infact,theirsuppositionappearstheonlyoneconsonantwiththelawsoftheproductionofcommodities。
  Butitisquiteotherwisewithregardtotheadditionalcapitalof£2,000。
  Howthatoriginatedweknowperfectlywell。Thereisnotonesingleatomofitsvaluethatdoesnotoweitsexistencetounpaidlabour。Themeansofproduction,withwhichtheadditionallabour—powerisincorporated,aswellasthenecessarieswithwhichthelabourersaresustained,arenothingbutcomponentpartsofthesurplus—product,ofthetributeannuallyexactedfromtheworking—classbythecapitalistclass。Thoughthelatterwithaportionofthattributepurchasestheadditionallabour—powerevenatitsfullprice,sothatequivalentisexchangedforequivalent,yetthetransactionisforallthatonlytheolddodgeofeveryconquerorwhobuyscommoditiesfromtheconqueredwiththemoneyhehasrobbedthemof。
  Iftheadditionalcapitalemploysthepersonwhoproducedit,thisproducermustnotonlycontinuetoaugmentthevalueoftheoriginalcapital,butmustbuybackthefruitsofhispreviouslabourwithmorelabourthantheycost。Whenviewedasatransactionbetweenthecapitalistclassandtheworking—class,itmakesnodifferencethatadditionallabourersareemployedbymeansoftheunpaidlabourofthepreviouslyemployedlabourers。Thecapitalistmayevenconverttheadditionalcapitalintoamachinethatthrowstheproducersofthatcapitaloutofwork,andthatreplacesthembyafewchildren。Ineverycasetheworking—classcreatesbythesurplus—labourofoneyearthecapitaldestinedtoemployadditionallabourinthefollowingyear。[5]Andthisiswhatiscalled:creatingcapitaloutofcapital。
  Theaccumulationofthefirstadditionalcapitalof£2,000pre—supposesavalueof£10,000belongingtothecapitalistbyvirtueofhis"primitivelabour,"andadvancedbyhim。Thesecondadditionalcapitalof£400
  pre—supposes,onthecontrary,onlythepreviousaccumulationofthe£2,000,ofwhichthe£400isthesurplus—valuecapitalised。Theownershipofpastunpaidlabouristhenceforththesoleconditionfortheappropriationoflivingunpaidlabouronaconstantlyincreasingscale。Themorethecapitalisthasaccumulated,themoreisheabletoaccumulate。
  Insofarasthesurplus—value,ofwhichtheadditionalcapital,No。
  1,consists,istheresultofthepurchaseoflabour—powerwithpartoftheoriginalcapital,apurchasethatconformedtothelawsoftheexchangeofcommodities,andthat,fromalegalstandpoint,pre—supposesnothingbeyondthefreedisposal,onthepartofthelabourer,ofhisowncapacities,andonthepartoftheownerofmoneyorcommodities,ofthevaluesthatbelongtohim;insofarastheadditionalcapital,No。2,&c。,isthemereresultofNo。1,and,therefore,aconsequenceoftheaboveconditions;insofaraseachsingletransactioninvariablyconformstothelawsoftheexchangeofcommodities,thecapitalistbuyinglabour—power,thelabourersellingit,andwewillassumeatitsrealvalue;
  insofarasallthisistrue,itisevidentthatthelawsofappropriationorofprivateproperty,lawsthatarebasedontheproductionandcirculationofcommodities,becomebytheirowninnerandinexorabledialecticchangedintotheirveryopposite。Theexchangeofequivalents,theoriginaloperationwithwhichwestarted,hasnowbecometurnedroundinsuchawaythatthereisonlyanapparentexchange。Thisisowingtothefact,first,thatthecapitalwhichisexchangedforlabour—powerisitselfbutaportionoftheproductofothers’labourappropriatedwithoutanequivalent;and,secondly,thatthiscapitalmustnotonlybereplacedbyitsproducer,butreplacedtogetherwithanaddedsurplus。Therelationofexchangesubsistingbetweencapitalistandlabourerbecomesameresemblanceappertainingtotheprocessofcirculation,amereform,foreigntotherealnatureofthetransaction,andonlymystifyingit。Theeverrepeatedpurchaseandsaleoflabour—powerisnowthemereform;whatreallytakesplaceisthis?thecapitalistagainandagainappropriates,withoutequivalent,aportionofthepreviouslymaterialisedlabourofothers,andexchangesitforagreaterquantityoflivinglabour;Atfirsttherightsofpropertyseemedtoustobebasedonaman’sownlabour。Atleast,somesuchassumptionwasnecessarysinceonlycommodity—ownerswithequalrightsconfrontedeachother,andthesolemeansbywhichamancouldbecomepossessedofthecommoditiesofothers,wasbyalienatinghisowncommodities;andthesecouldbereplacedbylabouralone。Now,however,propertyturnsouttobetheright,onthepartofthecapitalist,toappropriatetheunpaidlabourofothersoritsproduct,andtobetheimpossibility,onthepartofthelabourer,ofappropriatinghisownproduct。Theseparationofpropertyfromlabourhasbecomethenecessaryconsequenceofalawthatapparentlyoriginatedintheiridentity。[6]
  Therefore,[7]howevermuchthecapitalistmodeofappropriationmayseemtoflyinthefaceoftheoriginallawsofcommodityproduction,itneverthelessarises,notfromaviolation,but,onthecontrary,fromtheapplicationoftheselaws。Letusmakethisclearoncemorebybrieflyreviewingtheconsecutivephasesofmotionwhoseculminatingpointiscapitalistaccumulation。
  Wesaw,inthefirstplace,thattheoriginalconversionofasumofvaluesintocapitalwasachievedincompleteaccordancewiththelawsofexchange。Onepartytothecontractsellshislabour—power,theotherbuysit。Theformerreceivesthevalueofhiscommodity,whoseuse—value?labour?istherebyalienatedtothebuyer。Meansofproductionwhichalreadybelongtothelatterarethentransformedbyhim,withtheaidoflabourequallybelongingtohim,intoanewproductwhichislikewiselawfullyhis。
  Thevalueofthisproductincludes:first,thevalueoftheused—upmeansofproduction。Usefullabourcannotconsumethesemeansofproductionwithouttransferringtheirvaluetothenewproduct,but,tobesaleable,labour—powermustbecapableofsupplyingusefullabourinthebranchofindustryinwhichitistobeemployed。