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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

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