Thusthecontradictioninherentinthecommodityassuch,namelythatofbeingaparticularuse—valueandsimultaneouslyuniversalequivalent,andhenceause—valueforeverybodyorauniversaluse—value,hasbeensolvedinthecaseofthisonecommodity。Whereasnowtheexchange—valueofallothercommoditiesisinthefirstplacepresentedintheformofanidealequationwiththecommoditythathasbeensetapart,anequationwhichhasstilltoberealised;theuse—valueofthiscommodity,thoughreal,seemsintheexchangeprocesstohavemerelyaformalexistencewhichhasstilltoberealisedbyconversionintoactualuse—values。Thecommodityoriginallyappearedascommodityingeneral,asuniversallabour—timematerialisedinapartieularuse—value。Allcommoditiesarecomparedintheexchangeprocesswiththeoneexcludedcommoditywhichisregardedascommodityingeneral,thecommodity,theembodimentofuniversallabour—timeinaparticularuse—value。Theyarethereforeasparticularcommoditiesopposedtooneparticularcommodityconsideredasbeingtheuniversalcommodity。[ThesametermisusedbyGenovesi。（Noteinauthor\'scopy。）]Thefactthatcommodity—ownerstreatoneanother\'slabourasuniversalsociallabourappearsintheformoftheirtreatingtheirowncommoditiesasexchange—values;andtheinterrelationofcommoditiesasexchange—valuesintheexchangeprocessappearsastheiruniversalrelationtoaparticularcommodityastheadequateexpressionoftheirexchange—value;thisinturnappearsasthespecificrelationofthisparticularcommoditytoallothercommoditiesandhenceasthedistinctive,asitwerenaturallyevolved,socialcharacterofathing。Theparticularcommoditywhichthusrepresentstheexchange—valueofallcommodities,thatistosay,theexchange—valueofcommoditiesregardedasaparticular,exclusivecommodity,constitutesmoney。Itisacrystallizationoftheexchange—valueofcommoditiesandisformedintheexchangeprocess。Thus,whileintheexchangeprocesscommoditiesbecomeuse—valuesforoneanotherbydiscardingalldeterminateformsandconfrontingoneanotherintheirimmediatephysicalaspect,theymustassumeanewdeterminateformthey——mustevolvemoney,soastobeabletoconfrontoneanotherasexchange—values。
Moneyisnotasymbol,justastheexistenceofause—valueintheformofacommodityisnosymbol。Asocialrelationofproductionappearsassomethingexistingapartfromindividualhumanbeings,andthedistinctiverelationsintowhichtheyenterinthecourseofproductioninsocietyappearasthespecificpropertiesofathing——itisthispervertedappearance,thisprosaicallyreal,andbynomeansimaginary,mystificationthatischaracteristicofallsocialformsoflabourpositingexchange—value。Thispervertedappearancemanifestsitselfmerelyinamorestrikingmannerinmoneythanitdoesincommodities。
Thenecessaryphysicalpropertiesoftheparticularcommodity,inwhichthemoneyformofallothercommoditiesistobecrystallised——insofarastheydirect]yfollowfromthenatureofexchange—value——are:unlimiteddivisibility,homogeneityofitspartsanduniformqualityofallunitsofthecommodity。Asthematerialisationofuniversallabour—timeitmustbehomogeneousandcapableofexpressingonlyquantitativedifferences。
Anothernecessarypropertyisdurabilityofitsuse—valuesinceitmustendurethroughtheexchangeprocess。Preciousmetalspossessthesequalitiesinanexceptionallyhighdegree。Sincemoneyisnottheresultofdeliberationorofagreement,buthascomeintobeingspontaneouslyinthecourseofexchange,manydifferent,moreorlessunsuitable,commoditieswereatvarioustimesusedasmoney。Whenexchangereachesacertainstageofdevelopment,theneedarisestopolarisethefunctionsofexchange—valueanduse—valueamongvariouscommodities——sothatonecommodity,forexample,shallactasmeansofexchangewhileanotherisdisposedofasause—value。Theoutcomeisthatonecommodityorsometimesseveralcommoditiesrepresentingthemostcommonuse—valuecomeoccasionallytoserveasmoney。Evenwhennoimmediateneedfortheseuse—valuesexists,thedemandforthemisboundtobemoregeneralthanthatforotheruse—values,sincetheyconstitutethemostsubstantialphysicalelementinwealth。
Directbarter,thespontaneousformofexchange,signifiesthebeginningofthetransformationofuse—valuesintocommoditiesratherthanthetransformationofcommoditiesintomoney。Exchange—valuedoesnotacquireanindependentform,butisstilldirectlytiedtouse—value。Thisismanifestedintwoways。Use—value,notexchange—value,isthepurposeofthewholesystemofproduction,anduse—valuesaccordinglyceasetobeuse—valuesandbecomemeansofexchange,orcommodities,onlywhenalargeramountofthemhasbeenproducedthanisrequiredforconsumption。Ontheotherhand,theybecomecommoditiesonlywithinthelimitssetbytheirimmediateuse—value,evenwhenthisfunctionispolarisedsothatthecommoditiestobeexchangedbytheirownersmustbeuse—valuesforbothofthem,buteachcommoditymustbeause—valueforitsnon—owner。Infact,theexchangeofcommoditiesevolvesoriginallynotwithinprimitivecommunities,[11]butontheirmargins,ontheirborders,thefewpointswheretheycomeintocontactwithothercommunities。Thisiswherebarterbeginsandmovesthenceintotheinteriorofthecommunity,exertingadisintegratinginfluenceuponit。Theparticularuse—valueswhich,asaresultofbarterbetweendifferentcommunities,becomecommodities,e。g。,slaves,cattle,metals,usuallyservealsoasthefirstmoneywithinthesecommunities。Wehaveseenthatthedegreetowhichtheexchange—valueofacommodityfunctionsasexchange—valueisthehigher,thelongertheseriesofitsequivalentsorthelargerthesphereinwhichthecommodityisexchanged。Thegradualextensionofbarter,thegrowingnumberofexchangetransactions,andtheincreasingvarietyofcommoditiesbarteredlead,therefore,tothefurtherdevelopmentofthecommodityasexchange—value,stimulatestheformationofmoneyandconsequentlyhasadisintegratingeffectondirectbarter。Economistsusuallyreasonthattheemergenceofmoneyisduetoexternaldifficultieswhichtheexpansionofbarterencounters,buttheyforgetthatthesedifficultiesarisefromtheevolutionofexchange—valueandhencefromthatofsociallabourasuniversallabour。