Reading Capital: Weekly Reading Journal¶

For English 177 with Colleen Lye

Editorial Introduction¶

catechism form: questions followed by answers to be memorized wikipedia
Marx and Engels worked together on this
extand = surviving
with how many languages it was translated to and papers it was published in, reminds me of William Blake's similar desire to disseminate his revolutionary ideas as widely as possible
what is the "emancipation struggle of the proletariat in the '60s and '70s" (pg 2)?
key idea: manifesto > catechism

Preface to The 1872 German Edition¶

starts with history of translation of the manifesto thus far
admits some of manifesto is out-of-date over 25 years, things are different in the modern era
but we didn't have time to rewrite! maybe someday. also this is now a "historical document" (pg 3)

Preface to The 1882 Russian Edition¶

the russian communist manifesto is now far more than a literary curiosity...
Russia and US missing from consideration in final section of Communist Manifesto!!
North America is becoming more recognizably divided into proletariat and has increasingly narrow concentrations of capital
Russian Obshchina: rural communities wikipedia
- at time held over 50% of land, bourgeous only beginning to develop
Will russia go thru same slow process as the West towards dissolution of bourgeois property, or go directly to communism?
Marx and Engels hope Russian Revolution will signal proletarian revolution in the West!

Preface to The 1883 German Edition¶

Marx has died :( - Engels
class struggle has reached a stage where if the oppressed win, all of society is freed in a much larger way than before.

Preface to The 1888 English Edition¶

history of translation, like the german preface
in mid 1800s proletarian movements were quickly squashed, after Parisian insurrection
later, International Working Men’ s Association formed
The International broke apart but left the proletariat stronger!
more translation history... it's no doubt the most popular socialist text now
many communist subtypes sprung up
- socialism is a middle-class movement and more "respectable", communism is working class
repetition of german preface: if we win the class struggle we win everything.
quotes the joint german preface
this translation is revised by Samuel Moore

Manifesto of the Communist Party¶

various institutions acknowledge communism as a real threat!

I. Bourgeois and Proletarians¶

human history is all class struggle
- this is still true from feudal -> bourgeois, taken a new form
burghers became bourgeoisie
feudal system replaced by manufacturing system
discovery of America paved the way for modern industry
bourgeoisie is a product of several revolutionary developments in production and exchange
bourgeoisie has:
- taken over politics
- annhilated the feudal system!
- "resolved personal worth into exchange value" (16)
- accomplished great feats, buildings, expediions
language of stripped and veiled, family and honorable occupations are still monetary exchanges at their core but the bourgeoisie have stripped them naked
- surprising level of nuanced for a layman's pamphlet

All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind."

as result of bourgeoisie influience: cosmopolitan character of international markets and consumption, much less isolationism
- world literature!
bourgeoisie "creates a world after its own image"
created dependency chains (barbarian to civilized, East on West, peasant nations to bourgeoisie nations)
political centralization
bourgeoisie society burst out of corpse and structure of feudal society like a fucked up insect
"epidemic of overproduction"
sometimes productive forces get too powerful, too plentiful, so bourgeoisie encourages crises

"The weapons with which the bourgeoisie felled feudalism to the ground are now turned against the bourgeoisie itself."

laborers are "exposed" to the market and its fluctuations, like one might be while investing
reverse centaur: "He becomes an appendage of the machine, and it is only the most simple, most monotonous, and most easily acquired knack, that is required of him" (18)

"The less the skill and exertion of strength implied in manual labour, in other words, the more modern industry becomes developed, the more is the labour of men superseded by that of women."

laborer gets swarmed by landlord, shopkeeper, etc, like vultures after getting exploited by manufacturer
handicraftsmen and peasans "sink gradually into proletariat"
- specialized skill rendered useless by new methods of production
struggle gets taken up by larger and larger proletariat groups, means of production themselves are damaged seeking to restore what they once had during Middle Ages
- Like William Blake and other Romanticists when it comes to nature, or many people today with the modern vs old internet and relationship w/ electronic devices
anyway but workers form larger and larger unions, despite everything (including failed revolts)
bourgeoisie furnishes proletariat with weapons for fighting itself (19 ,21), while fighting to thwart artistocracy and other powers
- but ruling class getting folded into proletariat also fuels them with new ideas!!
aristocrats to bourgeoisie exist, and so do "bourgeois ideologists" (20)

The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of Modern Industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product.

lumpenproletariat: the social scum, may occasionally be swept into revolutionary movement, but "its conditions of life, however, prepare it far more for the part of a bribed tool of reactionary intrigue." (20)
all previous historical mvmnts were of minorities, but this will be of the majority.
- must happen first within individual nations

II. Proletarians and Communists¶

what makes communists different from other working-class parties:
1. bring together all proletariat, regardless of differences such as nationality
2. no matter state of proletariat, communism represents interests of mvmnt as a whole
"Abolition of private property" (22)
- solid rebuttal follows to combat natural wincing at this phrase
- his claim that a wage laborer's existence consists of little more than what he needs to subsist on doesn't hold up today: even those who make low wages are masivve consumers, own many things. consumerism is strong, will he address it?

"In one word, you reproach us with intending to do away with your property. Precisely so; that is just what we intend." (23)

great, now you've isolated your majority, whom you claimed would fuel your movement! the majority think (or believe they have) property, youve done nothing to convince us otherwise so far.
counterargument 2: idea that if there is no private property, no one will work
- by saving well, everyone who works rn has nothing anyway! (which again... isn't true. relatively nothing, maybe. but still not nothing.)
claims we're brainwashed by the bourgeoise?
Abolition of the family is even more inflammatory, yes
abolition of prostitution, this "community of women", also must come with all this
abolition of countries and nationality
- perhaps based idk. banning prostitution may also have some pros tbh. abolishing family im least sympathetic to
this "community of women" concept outside of prostitution is somewhat vague, not sure what they're saying here
this text feels like it could be much more effective if further condensed. a little repetitive, a little unapproachable
counterargument 3 (lowk i lost counterargument 1 but i swear there was one): "Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience" (26)
- seems fair, we did just do a lot of abolishing back there
- rebuttal: yes, we acknowledge communism is very radical. exploitation is common to many past truths, and we're aiming to abolish exploitation. necessary casualities.

"...the first step in the revolution by the working class is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class to win the battle of democracy" (26)

Most countries will have to implement the following measures, although they appear quite unsavory but are unavoidable to revolutionize means of production: 1. Abolish private property and rent 2. Heavy progressive income tax 3. Abolish inheritance 4. Confiscate property of emigrants and rebels...? (damn) 5. National bank, centralize credit in hands of the state 6. Centralize communication and transport in hands of the state 7. Factories, instruments of production, & agricultural planning in hands of the state 8. Equal liability of all to work, establish industrial armies 9. Gradual abolition of town vs country, more equal distribution of population across country, combine manufacturing and agricultural industires 10. Abolish child factory labor, provide free public education

proletariat will only be a "class" as long as necessary, abolish its own supremacy after achieving its aims
no more political power once goals achieved

"In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes and class antagonisms, we shall have an association, in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all." (27)

no idea what that means honestly. suuuuper vague. even that solid-into-air shit made more sense

Marx “Value, Price and Profit”: 1-20, 29-32¶

Introduction¶

John Weston: 1. "a general rise in the rate of wages would be of no use to the workers" 2. "therefore... the trade unions have a harmful effect."

Marx writes his counterargument to this in "Value, Price and Profit" - First part attacks theory of wages fund - idea that finite, unalterable sum of money is split evenly between all workers - meaning trying to increase wages is harmful! - Second part covers theories of value and surplus value

Preliminary¶

Marx agrees with Weston's core goal, but not the theses that stem from it, which Marx believes to be quite false & dangerous.

I. Production and Wages¶

Weston's 2 premises: 1. the amount of national production is a fixed thing 2. real wages are also fixed - real wages: "wages as measured by the quantity of commodities they can buy"

assertion #1 is obviously wrong, we see production increase constantly day-to-day.
- national production is variable now, and if wages rose, it would stay variable.
suppose national production is fixed.
- if capitalists try to lower wages, according to constancy of wages (Weston's own principle), workers will react
- in this situation, workers are reacting to raise wages!