Karl Marx's Theory of Surplus Labour
For Marx surplus labour is the extra labour produced by a worker for his employer, to be put towards capital accumulation. The worker must do this work to keep his job but otherwise gains nothing by it. By helping the accumulation of capital he contributes to the cycle of mechanization and division of labour, which allow for fewer workers to do more work, thus adding to the competition between workers, and lowering their wages. Yet despite how it will contribute to a lessening of his earnings, the worker has no choice but to contribute surplus labour.
If a man had the means of production and could work for himself producing what he needed or what he could trade for what he needs, then a man could stop when he has what he needs. If a man does not own the means of production and therefore cannot sell the product of his own labour then he must sell his labour power to someone who owns the means of production. He will be paid a wage. Marx makes it very clear that the wage is paid not for the labour, but for the labour-power, that is, the use of the worker for whatever set amount of time. Marx writes: "Labour-power, then, is a commodity, no more, no less so than is the sugar. The first is measured by the clock, the other by the scales." (1847. Wage-Labour and Capital. pg 3. All subsequent references will be marked by page number only.)
The wage that the worker is paid will be somewhere around the subsistence wage – that is the wage necessary to keep the worker returning to the job the next day. While the subsistence wage for an individual worker can be just what is needed to keep the job position filled (not necessarily by the same person) the subsistence wage overall has to be enough th...
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...ot the nature of the mechanical inventions or means of production themselves prevent them from bringing happiness, but the nature in which they are used as capital. Not all mechanical inventions or means of production are capital. Capital is a commodity or collection of commodities that are expected to produce more wealth. As Marx writes "Capital does not consists in the fact that accumulated labour serves living labour as a means for new production. It consists in the fact that living labour serves accumulated labour as the means of preserving and multiplying its exchange value." (11) Capital relies on surplus-labour to preserve and multiply it, even while, as explained above, the profits from the increased capital are constantly diminishing.
Work Cited
Marx, Karl. 1849. Wage-Labour and Capital. In Economics 314/English 351 Reading Package. Camrose: Augustana
In Marx’s opinion, the cause of poverty has always been due to the struggle between social classes, with one class keeping its power by suppressing the other classes. He claims the opposing forces of the Industrial Age are the bourgeois and the proletarians. Marx describes the bourgeois as a middle class drunk on power. The bourgeois are the controllers of industrialization, the owners of the factories that abuse their workers and strip all human dignity away from them for pennies. Industry, Marx says, has made the proletariat working class only a tool for increasing the wealth of the bourgeoisie. Because the aim of the bourgeoisie is to increase their trade and wealth, it is necessary to exploit the worker to maximize profit. This, according to Marx, is why the labor of the proletariat continued to steadily increase while the wages of the proletariat continued to steadily decrease.
"The Jackson 5 Biography." The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum. Accessed May 4, 2014. http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-jackson-five/bio/.
Michael Jackson, king of pop was an American singer, songwriter, dancer and record producer. His contribution to the music, dance and fashion industry was immense and he was a global figure so many people around the world. Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 as an eight child of an African American family living in a small house in Gary, Indiana. He faced many hardships during his child such as being abused as a child, as his father confessed to being abusive towards him “ 'I don 't [regret the beatings], ' he said. 'It kept them out of jail and kept them right.”. This actually played a big role in his success.
Marx expressed many views about the over empowerment of the bourgeoisies in The Communists Manifesto. Marx believed that the working class was not getting paid what they deserved for the quality of work that they were producing. Marx thought that the all workers should be paid the same rather than by social position. For instance, Marx thought that a mineworker should be paid as much as a doctor. Marx states, ?The average price of w...
Michael Jackson was a very charismatic, influential individual. He took the world by surprise as his long, successful career blossomed at such a young age. Throughout his many years of hard work, and unparalleled performances, he changed the world with his music. He became one of the most popular recording artists, delivering his sweet, funky tones, smooth dance moves, and versatile music capabilities across the world. He was a legend that continues to influence other musicians, as well as his large, loyal fan-base, and is well-deserving of the title of “The King of Pop”
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Since the capitalist owned the mode of production, they had the power to make the workers work for however the amount they wanted to give. The wage-workers had no choice but to accept the amount wages they received. This was their only way to survive. This was around the time where Marx pointed out that the wage-workers were indeed being alienated and exploited.
The United States is a major port for human trafficking and, “Due to the covert nature of human trafficking, it is difficult to ascertain which countries are the primary source nations for trafficking into the US” (Hepburn). People of all ages and genders are at risk to human trafficking (Hepburn). Women and girls make up about fifty-six percent of the people trafficked for forced labor, while men and boys make up the other forty-four percent; children make up forty to fifty percent of those numbers (Hepburn). Ninety-eight percent of the people trafficked for sexual explorations are women and girls (Hepburn). Children tend to be targeted more than adults because they are much more vulnerable. Human trafficking has different forms, and “While trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation is more publicized in the media, it is not the only form of trafficking that takes place in the US” (Hepburn). Trafficking for the purposes of forced labor is just as likely to occur as trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation (Hepburn). Many citizens have never heard of human trafficking for something other than sexual exploitation. Hepburn shows that, “Forty-three percent are trafficked for purposes of...
Introduction: Perhaps no one has received this title in history “the king of pop”, now a days many artist’s have arisen and have performed but not as the king of pop known worldwide and in history, has dominated the world of pop as Michael Jackson.
Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry followed behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking (“11 Facts” pg. 2). The International Labour Organization estimates that women and girls represent the largest share of forced labor victims with 11.4 million trafficked victims compared to 9.5 million men ( ). Trafficking comes in many forms, forcing victims into prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude, compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography, and misleading victims into debt bondage (11 Facts. Pg 2). According to federal reports estimate that 14,500 to 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States each year (What is Human Trafficking. Pg 2). Traffickers will often make their victims’ new birth certificates, passports, and drivers’ licenses making it almost in possible for them to ...
The Trafficking of children and women for sexual mistreatment has become a key worry for nearly all governments as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) not overlooking the media. Up to date, accounts in the United States regarding human trafficking for sexual exploitations have shown that the matter is a national problem that is on the rise (Wheaton & Schauer, 2012). A projected 60,000 women and children are trafficked each year in the United States. These women and children come generally from the Latin America, South East Asia and some countries of the former Soviet Union in Eastern and Central Europe.
Michael Joseph Jackson was and still is seen as the biggest popstar of the 20th century and is also considered the most popular recording artist of all time. A person could identify his voice as soon as they heard it. He had incredible dance moves, musical adaptability, and had a great deal of star power. Jackson was born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana to Katherine Jackson and Joseph Jackson who was a guitarist but had to put his musical ambitions to the side to care for his large family. Michael was a part of a group known as the Jackson 5 just at the age of five, which was made up of four of his older brothers. Their father believing they had talent, would soon lead them to fame. While still being a part of the Jackson 5 group, at the
First taking to the stage at the age of just 11 as part of his family's gig The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson grew quickly into the superstardom, which would both reward and plague his life. An apparently unstoppable creative and financial force through the highs of his career, 'The King of Pop' struggled with a confused and turbulent private life that was often made appalling public. In the wake of his shock death though, it is for his artistry - and not his controversies - that he will be remembered and sadly missed.
A free-market gives way to power and control to a certain group of individuals at the top of economic system, which results in inequality. The inequality sets the working class at a disadvantage because there is minimal to no intervention in protecting the workers. Karl Marx claimed that capitalism exploited the working class, which would eventually alienate the individual in a work setting, from himself, and humanity. In order to deter further alienation and exploitation of workers, Marx figured that the working class had to think alike in ordinance to the problem of a capitalist system to agree that social change was necessary.
The capitalist is motivated by being rewarded wealth. Capital can only multiply by giving itself in return of labor power. This exchange is based on specified percentages. For example, after a long 12 hours of weaving the worker is only compensated two shillings. They attain residual wealth by taking advantage of workers. These workers are being compensated less than the value of their work. The workers endure great deals of exploitation. Workers put their labor power into effect to acquire means of survival which makes existence possible. The amount of commodities is based on the cost of life and the workers’ work ethic. Marx foreseen that class conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat would result in the collapsing of capitalism. The motivations of the capitalist and the workers create conflict because the capitalist attempt to uphold capitalism by advocating their principles, beliefs, and fabricated perceptions that prevent proletariats from rebelling. Once the two classes conflict with one another the cla...