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I<br />
0-B« 15<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
TO POLITICAL<br />
ECONOMY,<br />
part 4<br />
THE previous three port* Of this series have<br />
ondentrated almost exclusively on the structure of<br />
the capitalist aconoay. As explained in part one,<br />
ths economy am* focused on bocauae it is ther basis<br />
of socisty in general. This is not to say that<br />
politics, law, culture, ths stats and ideology ant<br />
not important. Claarly they an, and some of the<br />
aoat significant procassas and ralaticna ara found<br />
In tha non-economic arass of socisty. But as<br />
Piarra Jalte orgued,<br />
rajesnklnd** first naad is to Maintain physical<br />
life* production of tha aaana of subaistanca<br />
(clothing, food, housing) and tha conditions<br />
undar ahich thay ara producad ara of isnadiata»<br />
furidsmsntal and permanent importance....A<br />
socisty can only bo built upon suoh an economic<br />
infrastructure as a houaa on its foundations<br />
(quotsd in SIP 19:24).<br />
In other sards, the undarstanding of aconoalc<br />
structuras and falatlonshlpa alloas for tha<br />
exploration of other aapscts of sociaty. In this<br />
seneo, tha method usad in tha wrl« on political<br />
aoonoay involved exploring tha bass of capitalist<br />
socisty - tha economy - bafora trying to move on<br />
to other important faaturas of ths social systsn.<br />
But it is not quits accurate to say that tha<br />
shola aconoalc structure has baan explored in this<br />
series* Tha eronomy ltsalf is mede up of a nuatxer<br />
of interrelated parts* Thaaa involve tha actual<br />
production of coamditlas, as sail as tha say In ehleh<br />
coasiodltias ara bought and sold (circulation of goods).<br />
In looking at tha economy, it aas arguad that tha<br />
aoat iaportant procassas and relations at work<br />
involvad tha amy in ahich uoamodltlss sara<br />
prod-jcad. Tha aconoay as a shola aas tharafora<br />
not examined, but rathar tha conditions undar ahich<br />
co— odltloa ara producad.<br />
( In tha invastigation of production, tso vary<br />
iaportant sats of rslations vsra uncovered. Thay<br />
involvad<br />
1* tha ralatlonohip of tha various classas to tha<br />
aaana of production; and<br />
2. tha aay In ahich tha capitalist class attaepts<br />
to incraaaa tha amount of surplus ahlQh is producad<br />
by tha sorklng class.<br />
It eaa arguad that thaaa relatione asra iaportant<br />
in that thay fonsod an initial basis for understanding<br />
tha diffarancas and slsdlarltlaa botesan various<br />
aociatiaa. It aaa found, for example* that tha<br />
capitalist class as a shola oaned tha noat<br />
iaportant aaana of production. This banorshlp ia<br />
a significant baala of poaar. In that it anablas<br />
ths oanars to dacida ahat is produced, hoa it is<br />
producad, and hoa any surplua la distributed and<br />
ralnvaatad.<br />
Thosa ralatlona shlch sara Identified in tha<br />
firat thraa parts of tha aarias on political aconoay<br />
fom a basis for undaratanding ehst classas ara in<br />
sociaty, and hoa ona ldantiflaa such classas. Tha<br />
capitalist class Is ldsntiflad in taraa of its<br />
osnarahlp of tha aaana of production, tha fact that<br />
its a—bsn do not produca comaodlties, and its<br />
ability to tsfce ovar or af>propriata tha surplus<br />
velum and profit ahich saorge from now production.<br />
Tha aorking class, on tha other hand, is dafinad<br />
by its separation froa (or non-oanership of) tha<br />
amens of production, tha fact that lta asafasn Are<br />
tha dlract producers of surplus value, yat have no<br />
control ovar how it ia distributed or reinvested.<br />
It Is tha identification of thaaa relatione<br />
ahich beglne to explain tha natura of the<br />
contradiction beteeen the tso major classes of<br />
capitalist sociaty* This contradiction is ths basia<br />
of conflict beteeen these classas. In ss such ae tha<br />
contradiction Is Inherent in the econoalc structure,<br />
conflict cannot dlsapper slthout e change In the<br />
basic economic relatione, k<br />
Put simply, this contrsdiction betaaan tha tao<br />
largest clsssss In eoclaty Is Indicated in the<br />
following says:<br />
the aorking class produces value and surplus value,<br />
ahlle the capitalist clasa appropriates (takes over)<br />
the surplus value produced;<br />
tha capitallet clasa oane the aeens of production,<br />
ehlle the aorking class is separated froa (does not<br />
own) the aeons of production;<br />
it la in tha lntsraeta of capital to incraaaa aurplue<br />
lebour tiae relative to necessary labour tlae eorksd<br />
(see tha dlsgraaatii and explanetlona in tha firat<br />
thraa parts of this earlee for tha difference<br />
between surplus end necessary labour tlaa);<br />
It Is in the' interests of labour to Increase<br />
necessary labour tlaa relative to surplus labour<br />
tlM.<br />
These seemingly aba tract notione neve vary real<br />
end concrete effects in socisty* (It is eorthahile<br />
rapeetlng here ahat ass pravlouely said about<br />
abstraction, ss that notion applies to tha aathod<br />
of political econosy. In pert one of the sariaa.<br />
It aas arguad that<br />
Tha sannar of investigating tha general natura<br />
of a social system involves....abstraction.<br />
Thia is tha wy in ahich tha aoat iaportant,<br />
the baaic features of e system ara Identified,<br />
aval the say in shlch thay ara lifted out of<br />
(abstracted froa) the less iaportant fseturas<br />
of thet system. This process is something dona<br />
in the atnd In en attempt to find out anion<br />
aspects of a society ere basic to that society -<br />
and shlch era superficial. The aethod of<br />
abstraction - of removing fundamental processes<br />
end etructuras fro» lass iaportant ones so that<br />
thay can be examined - la tied up elth tha<br />
atteapt to understand reality, rather then<br />
accepting that things ara tha aay thay aeea to<br />
be (IIP 19:Ze)),<br />
A nuaber of the abstract relatione end processes<br />
Identified neve concrete effecta In tha real aorld:<br />
for exajpl*! th * changing ralationahlps between<br />
necessary and surplus lebour tlae in practice<br />
involvee struggles bstaaen aorkera and employers ovar<br />
the length of tha aorking day, overtime,<br />
mechanleotion, and tha epeed and lnteneity of aork.<br />
Conflicts over these Issues tend to indicate en<br />
ettempt by either cepltel or lebour to change tha