KARLMARX(18181883)ByEricMorel,RobbieSquibb,andGiLim

LIFEOFKARLMARX

1818BornonMay5,inTrier,Prussia
1835EnrollsattheUniversityofBonn
1836TransferredtotheFriedrichWilhelmsUniversityinBerlin,wherehejoinedan
intellectualgroup,theyoungHegelians
1841Receiveddegreeofdoctorofphilosophyafterstudyinglaw,historyand
philosophyattheuniversitiesofBonn,Berlin,andJena
1842BeginsworkaseditoroftheRheinischeZeitung,wasforcedoutafterfivemonths
1843MarriesJennyvonWestphalen
1844MetFriedrichEngelsinParis,whereMarxwasworkingaseditoroftheradical
magazine,DeutschFranzsischeJahrbcher
1844ExpelledfromParisforradicalviews,fledtoBrussels,Belgium
1847PublishedThePovertyofPhilosophy,anattackonPierreProudhonsThe
PhilosophyofPoverty
1848PublishedCommunistManifestowithEngels
1848WaveofrevolutionsacrossEurope,MarxexiledfromBelgium
1849SettledinLondon,wherehewouldliveouthisdays
1864InternationalWorkingmensLeaguefounded,Marxplaysleadingroleuntilthe
leaguesdemisein1876
1867PublishesVolumeoneofDasKapital
1883DiesinLondononMarch14
1885VolumetwoofDasKapitalpublishedbyEngels
1894EngelspublishesvolumethreeofDasKapital
1910VolumefourofDasKapitalpublished

DasKapital,PartIII:TheProductionofAbsoluteSurplusvalue
ChapterVII:TheLabourProcessandtheProcessofproducingSurplusValue

Section1.TheLabourProcessortheProductionofUseValue
Marxdefineslabourprocessandinstrumentoflabour.Thelabourprocessis
inputtinglaboronsomethinguseful,onsomethingcapableofsatisfyingawant
ofsomesort(197).Aninstrumentoflabourisathing,oracomplexofthings,
whichthelabourerinterposesbetweenhimselfandthesubjectofhislabour,
andwhichservesastheconductorofhisactivity(199).Exploitationoccurs
whenaproductentersasameansofproductionintoanewlabourprocess,by
whichittherebylosesitscharacterofproduct,andbecomesamerefactorin
theprocess(203).Capitalistsexploitthelaborprocess.

Section2.TheProductionofSurplusValue
Capitalistsaimatcreatingvalue,especiallysurplusvalue(valueaboveinputs).
Laborbecomes[a]thingproduced(aproduct)(211).ThewaytoHellispaved
withgoodintentions(213).Marxarguesthatcapitalistsdontactuallyaddany
value.Toincreasethevalueofacommodityabovethevalueofinputs,the
capitalistexploitslaborers.

ChapterVIII:ConstantCapitalandVariableCapital
Marxstatesherethatthevalueofaproductcannotexceedthevaluethatits
componentslostinproduction.Theusevaluethatanyobjectholdsis
transferredtotheproductswhichthatobjectwasusedinmaking.Fora
machine,theusevalueisitsvaluedividedbythetimeittakesforthatmachine
towearout.Thismethodisusedforallpartsofproductionthatarenotlabor,as
theydonotaddanythingfromthevalueofthecomponentstothevalueofthe
product.Thesepartsarecalledconstantcapital.Labor,ontheotherhand,does
addthethevalueoftheproduct,asthelabortheoryofvaluestatesthatthe
valueofanythingisequaltothelaborcontainedwithin.Fromthevariable
capitaltheproductismademorevaluablethanitscomponentparts.

ChapterIX:TheRateofSurplusValue

Section1.TheDegreeofExploitationofLabourPower
Thissectionisprimarilymathematical.Marxexplainsthat

C=(c+v)andC=(c+v)+s
whereCistotalcapital,cisconstantcapitalorfixedcosts,visvariablecapital,C
isexpandedcapitalandsissurplusvalue.Marxcallstherelativeincreaseinthe
valueofthevariablecapital,ortherelativemagnitudeofthesurplusvalue(s/v)
Therateofsurplusvalue(239).Marxalsodefinesthetermnecessarylabor
timeinthissection,definingitasthetimenecessaryforreproduction.Labor
beyondthenecessarycreatessurplusvalue,butforthecapitalistandnotthe
worker.Marxsconclusion,then,isthatTherateofsurplusvalueistherefore
anexactexpressionforthedegreeofexploitationoflabourpowerbycapital,or
ofthelabourerbythecapitalist(241).

Section2.TheRepresentationoftheComponentsoftheValueoftheProductby
correspondingproportionalPartsoftheProductitself
Usinganexampleofyarn,Marxsuggeststhatthevariouscomponentpartsof
thevalueoftheproduct,partsthatdifferfunctionallyfromeachother,maybe
representedbycorrespondingproportionalpartsoftheproductitself(246).

Section3.SeniorsLastHour
MarxhererefutesanargumentforwardedbyNassauW.Seniorthatprofitwas
derivedduringalaborerslasthourofwork.Marxarguesthatworkersspend
halfthedayproducinghiswagesandtheotherhalfproducingthecapitalists
profit(butheonlyreallygetspaidforthefirsthalf).

Section4.SurplusProduce
Inthisshortsection,Marxclarifiesthatsurplusproduce,likesurplusvalue,is
relatedtothevariablecomponent.

ChapterX:TheWorkingDay

Section1.TheLimitsoftheWorkingDay
Theminimumofthelengthoftheworkingdaywouldbezero,butthisis
unimportant,astheworkingdaycanneverbereducedtoitsminimum.The
maximumislimitedbytwofactors,thephysicallimitsoflaborpower,themost
workthatcanhealthilybeexpended,andthemorallimitsoftheday,thetime
necessaryforsatisfyingintellectualandsocialwants.Thelengthoftheworking
dayiseventuallydeterminedafterstrugglebetweenthecapitalistsandthe
workingclass.

Section2.TheGreedforSurplusLabour.ManufacturerandBoyard
Thedesireofthecapitalististogainthemostfromhislaborforthepriceheis
paying.Thus,severalmillowners,tocombattheeffectsoftheFactoryActof
1850,takesomeofthetimethatisdesignatedasmealtimesandrequirethe
workerstoreturntotheirworkearly.Theyalsostartthedayearlierthanis
allowedandmakeitrunovertime.Theydothisinsmallamountssothatbythe
dayitseemssmall,butoverthecourseoftheyearitaccumulatesgreatly.

Section3.BranchesofEnglishIndustrywithoutLegalLimitstoExploitation
Inseveralindustries,mostnotablyjourneymanbaking,thereisnolimittothe
lengthoftheworkday.Withoutlimits,thecapitalistshaveextendedthe
workdaysolongthatmanyworkers,accordingtoareportreleasedin1863,
weredyingfromoverwork.

Section4.DayandNightWork.TheRelaySystem
Fortheircapitaltobeputtobestuse,thecapitalistdesiresworktobedoneall
throughtheday.Thoughitisimpossibleforoneworkertocontinuouslywork
for24hoursaday,byusingtherelaysystem,whereworkersstartatdifferent
timesandendatdifferenttimes,thecapitalistcankeepemployeesworking24
hoursaday.

Section5.TheStruggleforaNormalWorkingDay.CompulsoryLawsfortheExtension
oftheWorkingDayfromtheMiddleofthe14thtotheEndofthe17thCentury.
Throughtheseyears,theworkdaywasextendedthroughlegislation,contraryto
thedevelopmentsthatwerehappeningclosertothetimeMarxwaswriting,
wheretheworkdaywasbeingshortened.

Section6.TheStruggleforaNormalWorkingDay.CompulsoryLimitationbyLawofthe
WorkingTime.TheEnglishFactoryActs1833to1864
Thelawspassedinthistimesetmandatorystartandendtimesforemployeesin
factories,andlimitedthehoursthatcouldbeworkedbychildren,basedonage.
Theydeterminedwhatkindsofworkcouldbedonebythevariousworkers,
breakingthemintogroupsbasedonageandonsex.Womenover18wereoften
giventhesamerestrictionsaschildren.Thelawsalsorestrictedtherelaysystem.
Theserestrictionsdonotapplytoallbranchesofindustry,andthereareseveral
whicharestillstrugglingfortheserights.


Section7.TheStruggleforaNormalWorkingDay.ReactionoftheEnglishFactoryActs
onOtherCountries
ThelawsinFrancelagbehindthelawsinEngland,buttheyareimprovingthe
conditionsoftheworkers.IntheUnitedStates,progresswasimpededby
slaveryuntiltheCivilWar,butafterwards,theGeneralCongressofLabourat
Baltimoredeclaredthataneighthourworkdayshouldbemandatory.
ChapterXI:RateandMassofSurplusValue
InthischapterMarxoffersanequationrelatingtheamountoflabortosurplus:

S=P*(a/a)*n
WhereSissurplusvalue,Pisvalueofaveragelaborpower,aissurpluslabor,a
isnecessarylabor,andnistheamountofworkers.Throughthisequation,he
showshowcapitalistsprofitthroughexploitationofworkers.Thereare,
however,naturallimitstopossibleexploitation(24hoursperday,forexample).
Marxrelateshowcapitalistshavehistoricallyacquiredcommandoverlabor
throughtheprocessofproductionandcapitalscoerciverelationwithlabor
(338).

Bibliography
Brue,Stanley,andRandyGrant.TheEvolutionofEconomicThought.7thEd.U.S.:Thomson,
2007.171188.
Heilbroner,Robert.TheWorldlyPhilosophers.7thEd.NewYork:Touchstone,1999.136169.
Kreis,Steven.KarlMarx(18181883).HistoryGuide:LecturesonModernEuropean
IntellectualHistory.28Feb.2006.<http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/marx.html>.
Accessed:25Nov.2007.
Marx,Karl.PartIII.DasKapital.NewYork:Random,1906.197341.