The Contradictions of Capitalism

Capitalism controls or enslaves the laborer by making his existence dependent on the process of production instead of the production of the labor for himself. The laborer is historically different in a capitalist society because he is separated from production. He no longer produces for himself but instead for the general wealth, or the wealth of the capitalist. Capitalism controls even the capitalist himself by turning him into a mechanism which acts as the driving force of capitalism. As a consequence, the capitalist creates a society which is alienating and brutal for the laborer. However, the domination of the capitalist system leads to the creation of a collective working group that can become a form for human development and the creation of new radical social changes.
The core domination of capitalism lies with the domination over the capitalist himself. The purpose of capital is to accumulate as much wealth as possible. To do so, different task have to be divided to increase production. Capitalism is driven by a circuit which consists of having money, exchanging it for a commodity, and then selling that product once again but for a greater quantity of money, or M-C-M’. Capital changes itself both into money and commodities, while at the same time differentiates itself from its original value by creating surplus value and expanding spontaneously (334). In order for a capitalist to be successful he must never stop this cycle, he must always keep growing his capital. The “final result of every separate circuit […] forms of itself the starting point of a new circuit” (333). This idea creates in the capitalist a mentality of competition, a drive to always find new ways to increase productivity and lower cost in order to increa...

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...ee scope to his own natural and acquired powers” (414). Consequently, even though machines do dominate over the wage labour by allowing him to be exploited, they also lead to the development of social wealth. Additionally, modern industry revolutionizes the family and social structures. Machines allow for all members of the family and of all ages to participate in the workforce. This change leads to an equalization in the sexes and to and independence of the youth from their parents. Machines open up the work market for “individuals of both sexes and all ages” which “under suitable conditions become source of human development” (415). The process of capitalism, therefore, will produce individuals who are able to adapt to different situations, who have a wide range of skill, and who will add to the growth of human experience through the revolution of social wealth.