1887PrefacetotheSecondGermanEditionThefollowingworkisareprintofthreearticleswhichIwrotein1872fortheLeipzigVolksstaat。Justatthattime，theblessingoftheFrenchmilliardswaspouringoverGermany：publicdebtswerepaidoff，fortressesandbarracksbuilt，stocksofweaponsandwarmaterialrenewed;theavailablecapitalnolessthanthevolumeofmoneyincirculationwassuddenlyenormouslyincreased，andallthisjustatatimewhenGermanywasenteringtheworldarenanotonlya\"unitedempire\"，butalsoasagreatindustrialcountry。Thesemilliardsgavethenewlarge-scaleindustryapowerfulimpetus，andabovealltheywereresponsiblefortheshortperiodofprosperity，sorichinillusions，whichfollowedonthewar，andforthegreatcrashwhichcameimmediatelyafterwardsin1873-74，throughwhichGermanyproveditselftobeanindustrialcountrycapableofcompetingontheworldmarket。
Theperiodinwhichanoldcivilizedcountrymakessuchatransitionfrommanufactureandsmall-scaleproductiontolarge-scaleindustry，atransitionwhichis，moreover，acceleratedbysuchfavorablecircumstance，isalsopredominantlytheperiodof\"housingshortage\"。Ontheonehand，massesofruralworkersaresuddenlydrawnintothebigtowns，whichdevelopintoindustrialcentres;ontheotherhand，thebuildingplanoftheseoldtownsdoesnotanylongerconformwiththeconditionsofthenewlarge-scaleindustryandthecorrespondingtraffic;streetsarewidenedandnewonescutthrough，andrailwaysrunthroughthecentreofthetown。Attheverytimewhenmassesofworkersarestreamingintothetowns，workers’dwellingsarepulleddownonalargescale。Hencethesuddenhousingshortagefortheworkersandforthesmalltradersandsmallbusinesseswhichdependfortheircustomontheworkers。Inthetownswhichgrewupfromtheverybeginningasindustrialcentres，thishousingshortageisasgoodasunknown——forinstance，Manchester，Leeds，Bradford，Barmen-Elberfeld。Ontheotherhand，inLondon，Paris，Berlin，Vienna，theshortagetookonacuteformsatthetime，forthemostpart，continuedtoexistinachronicform。
Itwas，therefore，justthisacutehousingshortage，thissymptomoftheindustrialrevolutiontakingplaceinGermany，whichfilledthepressofthedaywithcontributionsonthe\"housingquestion\"，andgaverisetoallsortsofsocialquackery。AseriesofsucharticlesevenfoundtheirwayintotheVolksstaat。Theanonymousauthor，whorevealedhimselflateronasDr。A。MulbergerofWurttemburg，consideredtheopportunityafavorableoneforenlighteningtheGermanworkers，bymeansofthisquestion，onthemiraculouseffectsofProudhon’ssocialpanacea。WhenIexpressedmyastonishmenttotheeditorsattheacceptanceofthesepeculiararticles，Iwascalledupontoanswerthem，andthisIdid。（SeePartOne：HowProudhonSolvestheHousingQuestion。）Thisseriesofarticleswassoonfollowedbyasecondseriesexaminingthephilanthropicbourgeoisviewofthequestion，onthebasisofaworkbyDr。EmilSax。（SeePartTwo：HowtheBourgeoisieSolvestheHousingQuestion。）Afteralongpause，Dr。Mulbergerdidmethehonorofreplyingtomyarticles，andthiscompelledmetomakearejoinder。
（PartThree：SupplementonProudhonandtheHousingQuestion。）Withthis，however，boththepolemicandalsomyspecialoccupationwiththisquestioncametoanend。Thisisthehistoryoftheoriginofthesethreeseriesofarticles，whichhavealsoappearedasareprintinpamphletform。ThefactthatanewreprinthasnowbecomenecessaryIoweundoubtedlytothebenevolentsolicitudeoftheGermanimperialgovernmentwhich，byprohibitingthework，asusualtremendouslyincreasedthesale，andIherebytakethisopportunityofexpressingmyrespectfulthankstoit。
Ihaverevisedthetextforthisnewedition，insertedafewadditionsandnotes，andIhavecorrectedasmalleconomicerrorinthefirstedition，asmyopponentDr。Mulbergerunfortunatelyfailedtodiscoverit。
Duringthisrevision，itwasborneinonemewhatgiganticprogresstheinternationalworkingclassmovementhasmadeduringthepast14years。
Atthattime，itwasstillafactthat\"for20yearstheworkersoftheLatincountrieshadnoothermentalnourishmentthantheworksofProudhon\"，and，atbest，thestillmoreone-sidedversionofProudhonismpresentedbythefatherof\"anarchism\"，Bakunin，whoregardedProudhonas\"notremaitreanoustous\"，themasterofusall。AlthoughtheProudhonistsinFrancewereonlyasmallsectamongtheworkers，theywerestilltheonlyoneswhohadadefinitelyformulatedprogrammeandwhowereableintheCommunetotakeovertheleadershipontheeconomicfield。InBelgium，ProudhonismreignedunchallengedamongtheWalloonworkers，andinSpainandItaly，withisolatedexceptions，everythingintheworkingclassmovementwhichwasnotanarchistwasdefinitelyProudhonist。Andtoday？InFrance，Proudhonhasbeencompletelydisposedofamongtheworkersandretainssupportersonlyamongtheradicalbourgeoisandpettybourgeois，who，asProudhonists，alsocallthemselves\"socialists\"，butagainstwhomthemostenergeticfightiscarriedonbythesocialistworkers。InBelgium，theFlemishhaveoustedtheWalloonsfromtheleadership，deposedProudhonism，andgreatlyraisedthelevelofthemovement。InSpain，asinItaly，theanarchisthightideofthe’70shasrecededandsweptawaywithittheremnantsofProudhonism。WhileinItaly，thenewpartyisstillinprocessofclarificationandformation，inSpainthesmallnucleus，whichastheNeuvaFederacionMadrilenaremainedloyaltotheGeneralCounciloftheInternational，hasdevelopedintoastrongpartywhich——ascanbeseenfromtherepublicanpressitself——isdestroyingtheinfluenceofthebourgeoisrepublicansontheworkersfarmoreeffectivelythanitsnoisyanarchistpredecessorswereeverabletodo。AmongmostLatinworkers，theforgottenworksofProudhonhavebeenreplacedbyCapital，TheCommunistManifesto，andaseriesofotherworksoftheMarxistschool，andthemaindemandofMarx——theseizureofallmeansofproductioninthenameofsocietybytheproletariat，whichhasattainedthemonopolyofpoliticalpower——isnowthedemandofthewholerevolutionaryworkingclassintheLatincountriesalso。
IfthereforeProudhonismhasbeenfinallysupplantedamongtheworkersoftheLatincountriesalso，ifit——inaccordancewithitsrealsignificance——onlyservesFrench，Spanish，ItalianandBelgianbourgeoisradicalsasanexpressionoftheirbourgeoisandpetty-bourgeoisdesires，whybotheraboutittoday？Whycombatanewadeadopponentbyreprintingthesearticles？
Firstofall，becausethesearticlesdonotconfinethemselvestoamerepolemicagainstProudhonandhisGermanrepresentatives。AsaconsequenceofthedivisionoflabourthatexistedbetweenMarxandmyself，itfelltometopresentouropinionsintheperiodicalpress，thatistosay，particularlyinthefightagainstopposingviews，inorderthatMarxshouldhavetimefortheelaborationofhisgreatbasicwork。Thusitbecamemytasktopresentourviews，forthemostpartinapolemicalform，inoppositiontootherkindsofviews。Soalsohere。PartsOneandTwocontainnotonlyacriticismoftheProudhonistconceptionofthequestion，butalsoapresentationofourownconception。
Secondly，however，ProudhonplayedmuchtoosignificantaroleinthehistoryoftheEuropeanworkingclassmovementforhimtofallintooblivionwithoutmoreado。Refutedtheoreticallyanddiscardedpractically，hestillretainshishistoricalinterest。Whoeveroccupieshimselfinanydetailwithmodernsocialismmustalsoacquainthimselfwiththe\"vanquishedstandpoints\"ofthemovement。Marx’sPovertyofPhilosophyappearedseveralyearsbeforeProudhonputforwardhispracticalproposalsforsocialreform。InthisworkMarxwasabletodonomorethandiscoverandcriticisethegermofProudhon’sexchangebank。Fromthisangle，therefore，thisworkofminesupplements，unfortunatelyimperfectlyenough，Marx’swork。
Marxwouldhaveaccomplishedallthismuchbetterandmoreconvincingly。
Andfinally，bourgeoisandpetty-bourgeoissocialismisstronglyrepresentedinGermanydowntothisveryhour;ontheonehandbyprofessorialsocialistsandphilanthropistsofallsortswithwhomthewishtoturntheworkersintoownersoftheirdwellingsstillplaysagreatroleandagainstwhom，therefore，myworkisstillappropriate;andontheotherhand，intheSocial-DemocraticPartyitself，andevenintheranksoftheReichstagfraction，acertainpetty-bourgeoissocialismfindsavoice。
Thistakestheformthatwhilethefundamentalviewsofmodernsocialismandthedemandforthetransformationofallthemeansofproductionintosocialpropertyarerecognisedasjustified，however，therealisationofthisisdeclaredpossibleonlyinthedistantfuture，afuturewhichforallpracticalpurposesisquiteoutofsight。Thus，forthepresenttime，onehastohaverecoursetomeresocialpatchwork，andsympathycanbeshown，accordingtocircumstances，evenwiththemostreactionaryeffortsforso-called\"upliftingtheworkingclasses。\"TheexistenceofsuchatendencyisquiteinevitableinGermany，thelandofphilistinismparexcellence，particularlyatatimewhenindustrialdevelopmentisviolentlyandonamassscaledoingawaywiththisoldanddeeply-rootedphilistinism。
Thetendencyisalsoquiteharmlesstothemovement，inviewofthewonderfulcommonsenseofourworkerswhichhasbeendemonstratedsomagnificentlyduringthelasteightyearsofthestruggleagainsttheanti-socialistlaw，thepoliceandthecourts。Butitisnecessarythatitshouldbeclearlyrealisedthatsuchatendencyexists。Andwhenlateronthistendencytakesonafirmershapeandmoreclearlydefinedcontours，asitisnecessaryandevendesirablethatitshoulddo，itwillhavetogobacktoitspredecessorsinordertoformulateitsprogrammeandindoingsoitwillhardlybeabletoavoidProudhon。
Theessenceofboththebigbourgeoisandpetty-bourgeoissolutionsofthe\"housingquestion\"isthattheworkershouldownhisowndwelling。
However，thisisapointwhichhasbeenshowninaverypeculiarlightbytheindustrialdevelopmentofGermanyduringthepasttwentyyears。
Innoothercountrydothereexistsomanywageworkerswhoownnotonlytheirowndwellingsbutalsoagardenorfieldaswell。Besidestheseworkerstherearenumerousotherswhoholdhouseandgardenorfieldastenants，with，infact，fairlysecurepossession。Ruraldomesticindustrycarriedoninconjunctionwithhorticultureorsmall-scaleagricultureformsthebroadbasisofGermany’snewlarge-scaleindustry。Inthewesttheworkersareforthemostparttheownersoftheirdwellings，andintheeasttheyarechieflytenants。Wefindthiscombinationofdomesticindustrywithhorticultureandsmall-scaleagricultureandthereforewithsecurepossessionofadwellingnotonlywhereverhandweavingstillfightsagainstthemechanicalloom：intheLowerRhinelandandinWestphalia，intheSaxonErzgebirgeandinSilesia，butalsowhereverdomesticindustryofanysorthasestablisheditselfasaruraloccupation：intheThuringiaForestandintheRhön。
Atthetimeofthedebatesonthetobaccomonopoly，itwasrevealedtowhatextentcigarmakingwasalreadybeingcarriedonasaruraldomesticindustry。Whereveranyconditionofdistressoccursamongthesmallpeasants，asforinstanceafewyearsagointheEifel，thebourgeoispressimmediatelyraisesanoutcryfortheintroductionofasuitabledomesticindustryastheonlyremedy。AndinfactboththegrowingstateofwantoftheGermansmallpeasantsandthegeneralsituationofGermanindustryleadstoacontinualextensionofruraldomesticindustry。ThisisaphenomenonpeculiartoGermany。OnlyveryexceptionallydowefindasimilarphenomenoninFrance，forinstanceintheregionsofsilkcultivation。InEngland，wheretherearenosmallpeasants，ruraldomesticindustrydependsonthelabourpowerofthewivesandchildrenoftheagriculturallabourers。OnlyinIrelandcanweobservetheruraldomesticindustryofgarmentmakingbeingcarriedon，asinGermany，byrealpeasantfamilies。NaturallywedonotspeakhereofRussiaandothercountriesnotrepresentedontheindustrialworldmarket。
ThusasregardsindustrythereexiststodayastateofaffairsoverwidespreadareasinGermanywhichappearsatfirstglancetoresemblethatwhichprevailedgenerallybeforetheintroductionofmachinery。However，thisissoonlyatfirstglance。Theruraldomesticindustryofearliertimes，combinedwithhorticultureandagriculture，was，atleastinthecountriesinwhichindustrywasdeveloping，thebasisofatolerableandinsomecasesevencomfortablematerialsituationfortheworkingclass，butatthesametimethebasisofitsintellectualandpoliticalnullity。
Thehand-madeproductanditscostdeterminedthemarketprice，andowingtotheinsignificantlysmallproductivityoflabour，comparedwiththepresentday，themarketgrewfasterthanthesupplyasarule。ThisheldgoodataboutthemiddleofthelastcenturyforEngland，andpartlyforFrance，andparticularlyinthetextileindustry。InGermany，however，whichwasatthattimeonlyjustrecoveringfromthedevastationoftheThirtyYearsWarandworkingitswayupundermostunfavourablecircumstances，thesituationwasquitedifferent。TheonlydomesticindustryinGermanyproducingfortheworldmarket，linenweaving，wassoburdenedbytaxesandfeudalexactionsthatitdidnotraisethepeasantweaversabovetheverylowleveloftherestofthepeasantry。But，nevertheless，atthattimetheruralindustrialworkerenjoyedacertainsecurityofexistence。
Withtheintroductionofmachineryallthiswasaltered。Priceswerenowdeterminedbythemachine-madeproduct，andthewageofthedomesticindustrialworkerfellwiththisprice。However，theworkerhadtoacceptitorlookforotherwork，andhecouldnotdothatwithoutbecomingaproletarian，thatiswithoutgivinguphislittlehousegardenandfield，whetherhisownpropertyorheldbyhimastenant。Onlyintherarestcaseswashereadytodothis。AndthusthehorticultureandagricultureoftheoldruralhandweaversbecamethecausebyvirtueofwhichthestruggleofthehandloomagainstthemechanicalloomwassoprotractedandhasnotyetbeenfoughttoaconclusioninGermany。Inthisstruggleitwasshownforthefirsttime，especiallyinEngland，thatthesamecircumstancewhichformerlyservedasabasisforacomparativelycomfortablematerialsituationoftheworkers——theownershipbytheworkerofhismeansofproduction——hadnowbecomeahindranceandamisfortuneforthem。Inindustrythemechanicalloomdefeatedthehandloom，andinagriculturelarge-scalemethods（agriculturecarriedoninaccordancewithscientificprinciplesandwithtechnicallyperfectedtools）drovesmall-scalecultivationfromthefield。However，whilecollectivelabourandtheapplicationofmachineryandsciencebecamethesocialruleonbothfieldsofproduction，theworkerwaschainedtotheantiquatedmethodofindividualproductionandhandlabourbyhislittlehouse，garden，fieldandhandloom。Thepossessionofhouseandgardenwasnowofmuchlessadvantagethanthepossessionofcompletefreedomofmovement。Nofactoryworkerwouldhavechangedplaceswiththeslowlybutsurelystarvingruralhandweaver。
Germanyappearedlateontheworldmarket。Ourlarge-scaleindustrydatesfromthe’forties;itreceiveditsfirstimpetusfromtheRevolutionof1848，andwasabletodevelopfullyonlyaftertheRevolutionsof1866and1870hadclearedatleasttheworstpoliticalobstaclesoutofitsway。Buttoalargeextentitfoundtheworldmarketalreadyoccupied。
ThearticlesofmassproductionweresuppliedbyEnglandandtheelegantluxuryarticlesbyFrance。Germanycouldnotbeattheformerinpriceorthelatterinquality。Forthemoment，therefore，nothingelseremainedbut，inaccordancewiththetendencyofGermanproductionuptothattime，tosqueezeintotheworldmarketwitharticleswhichweretoopettyfortheEnglishandtooshoddyfortheFrench。OfcoursethepopularGermancustomofcheating，byfirstsendinggoodsamplesandafterwardsinferiorarticles，soonmetwithsufficientlyseverepunishmentontheworldmarketandwasprettywellabandoned。Ontheotherhand，thecompetitionofoverproductionisgraduallyforcingeventherespectableEnglishalongthedownwardpathofqualitydeteriorationandsohasgivenanadvantagetotheGermans，whoareunbeatableonthisfield。Andthuswefinallycametopossessalarge-scaleindustryandtoplayaroleontheworldmarket。Butourlarge-scaleindustryworksalmostexclusivelyforthehomemarket（withtheexceptionoftheironindustrywhichproducesfarbeyondthelimitsofhomedemand），andourmassexportconsistsofatremendousnumberofsmallarticles，forwhichlarge-scaleindustryprovidesatmostthehalf-finishedmanufactures，whichsmallarticles，however，aresuppliedchieflybyruraldomesticindustry。
Andhereisseeninallitsglorythe\"blessing\"ofhouse-andland-ownershipforthemodernworker。Nowhere，hardlyexceptingeventheIrishdomesticindustries，aresuchinfamouslylowwagespaidasintheGermandomesticindustries。Competitionpermitsthecapitalisttodeductfromthepriceoflabourpowerthatwhichthefamilyearnsfromitsownlittlegardenorfield;theworkersarecompelledtoacceptanypiecewagesofferedtothem，becauseotherwisetheywouldgetnothingatall，andtheycouldnotlivefromtheproductsoftheirsmall-scaleagriculturealone，andbecause，ontheotherhand，itisjustthisagricultureandlandownershipwhichchainsthemtothespotandpreventsthemfromlookingaroundforotheremployment。ThisisthebasiswhichupholdsGermany’scapacitytocompeteontheworldmarketinawholeseriesofsmallarticles。Thewholecapitalprofitisderivedfromadeductionfromnormalwagesandthewholesurplusvaluecanbepresentedtothepurchaser。ThatisthesecretoftheextraordinarycheapnessofmostoftheGermanexportarticles。
ItisthiscircumstancemorethananyotherwhichkeepsthewagesandthelivingconditionsoftheGermanworkersonotherindustrialfieldsalsobelowtheleveloftheWesternEuropeancountries。Thedeadweightofsuchpricesforlabour，kepttraditionallyfarbelowthevalueoflabourpower，depressesthewagesoftheurbanworkersalso，evenoftheworkersinthebigtowns，belowthevalueoflabourpower;andthisisallthemorethecasebecausepoorly-paiddomesticindustryhastakentheplaceoftheoldhandicraftsinthetownsalso，andhere，too，depressesthegenerallevelofwages。
Hereweseeclearly：thatwhichatanearlierhistoricalstagewasthebasisofrelativewell-beingfortheworkers，namely，thecombinationofagricultureandindustry，theownershipofhouse，gardenandfield，andsecurityoftenureinthedwelling-place，isbecomingtoday，undertheruleoflarge-scaleindustry，notonlytheworsthindrancetotheworker，butthegreatestmisfortuneforthewholeworkingclass，thebasisforanunexampleddepressionofwagesbelowtheirnormallevel，andthatnotoilyforindividualdistrictsandbranchesofenterprise，butforthewholecountry。Nowonderthatthebigbourgeoisieandpettybourgeoisiewholiveandgrowrichfromtheseabnormaldeductionsfromwagesareenthusiasticoverruralindustryandtheworkersowningtheirownhouses，andthattheyregardtheintroductionofnewdomesticindustriesasthesoleremedyforallruraldistress。
Thatisonesideofthematter，butitalsohasitsreverseside。
DomesticindustryhasbecomethebroadbasisoftheGermanexporttradeandthereforeofthewholeoflarge-scaleindustry。ItisthusspreadoverwideareasofGermanyandisextendingstillfurtherdaily。Theruinofthesmallpeasant，inevitablefromthetimewhenhisindustrialdomesticproductionforhisownusewasdestroyedbythecheap，hand-madeandmachineproduct，andhiscattlebreeding，andthushismanureproductionalso，wasdestroyedbythedissolutionoftheoldMarksystem，theabolitionofthecommonMarkandofcompulsorylandtillage——thisruinforciblydrivesthesmallpeasant，fallenvictimtotheusurer，intothearmsofmoderndomesticindustry。LikethegroundrentofthelandlordinIreland，theinterestofthemortgageusurerinGermanycannotbepaidfromtheyieldofthesoil，butonlyfromthewagesoftheindustrialpeasant。However，withtheexpansionofdomesticindustry，onepeasantareaaftertheotherisbeingdrawnintothepresent-dayindustrialmovement。ItisthisrevolutionisationoftheruralareasbydomesticindustrywhichspreadstheindustrialrevolutioninGermanyoverafarwiderterritorythanisthecaseinEnglandandFrance;
itisthecomparativelylowlevelofourindustrywhichmakesitsextensioninareaallthemorenecessary。ThisexplainswhyinGermany，incontrasttoEnglandandFrance，therevolutionaryworkingclassmovementhasspreadsotremendouslyoverthegreaterpartofthecountryinsteadofbeingconfinedexclusivelytotheurbancentres。Andthisfurtherexplainsthesteady，certainandirresistibleprogressofthemovement。ItisperfectlyclearthatinGermanyavictoriousrisinginthecapitalandintheotherbigtownswillbepossibleonlywhenthemajorityofthesmallertownsandagreatpartoftheruralareashavebecomeripeforthechange。Givenanythinglikenormaldevelopment，weshallneverbeinapositiontowinworkingclassvictorieslikethoseoftheParisiansin1848and1871，butforthesamereasonweshallnotsufferdefeatsoftherevolutionarycapitalbythereactionaryprovincesasParissufferedtheminbothcases。InFrance，themovementalwaysoriginatedinthecapital;inGermany，itoriginatedintheareasofbigIndustry，Ofmanufactureandofdomesticindustry;
thecapitalwasconqueredonlylater。Therefore，perhaps，inthefuturealsotheinitiativewillcontinuetorestwiththeFrenchbutthedecisioncanbefoughtoutonlyinGermany。
However，thisruraldomesticindustryandmanufacture，whichinitsexpansionhasbecomethedecisivebranchofGermanproductionandthusrevolutionisesmoreandmoretheGermanpeasantry，isitselfonlythepreliminarystageofafar-reachingrevolution。AsMarxhasalreadyproved（Capital，Vol。I，page514，etseq。），atacertainstageofdevelopmentthehourofitsdownfallowingtomachineryandfactoryproductionwillsoundforitalso。Andthishourwouldappeartobeathand。ButinGermanythedestructionofruraldomesticindustryandmanufacturebymachineryandfactoryproductionmeansthedestructionofthelivelihoodofmillionsofruralproducers，theexpropriationofalmosthalftheGermansmallpeasantry;
thetransformationnotonlyofdomesticindustryintofactoryproduction，butalsoofpeasantagricultureintolarge-scalecapitalistagriculture，ofsmalllandedpropertyintobigestates——anindustrialandagriculturalrevolutioninfavourofcapitalandbiglandownershipatthecostofthepeasants。ShoulditbeGermany’sfatealsotoundergothistransformationwhilestillundertheoldsocialconditionsthenitwillunquestionablybetheturningpoint。Iftheworking，classofnoothercountryhastakentheinitiativebythattime，thenGermanywillcertainlystrikefirst，andthepeasantsonsofthe\"gloriousarmy\"willbravelyassist。
Andwiththisthebourgeoisandpetty-bourgeoisutopiawhichwouldgiveeachworkertheownershipofhisowndwellingandthuschainhiminsemi-feudalfashiontohisownparticularcapitaliststakesonaverydifferentcomplexion。Itsrealisationisseentobethetransformationofallthesmallruralhouseownersintoindustrialdomesticworkers;thedestructionoftheoldisolationandwithitthedestructionofthepoliticalinsignificanceofthesmallpeasantswhowouldbedraggedintothe\"socialwhirlpool\";
theextensionoftheindustrialrevolutionovertheruralareasandthusthetransformationofthemoststableandconservativeclassofthepopulationintoarevolutionaryhotbed;and，astheculminationofthewholeprocess，theexpropriationbymachineryofthepeasantsengagedinhomeindustry，drivingthemforciblyintoinsurrection。
Wecanreadilyallowthebourgeois-socialistphilanthropiststheprivateenjoymentoftheiridealsolongastheycontinueintheirpublicfunctionascapitaliststorealiseitinthisinvertedfashiontothebenefitofthesocialrevolution。
FREDERICKENGELS
London，January101887。
TheHousingQuestion——PartITHEHOUSINGQUESTIONPARTONEHOWPROUDHONSOLVESTHEHOUSINGQUESTIONbyFREDERICKENGELSInNo。10andthefollowingnumbersoftheVolksstaatappearsaseriesofsixarticlesonthehousingquestion。Thesearticlesareonlyworthyofattentionbecause，apartfromsomelong-forgottenwould-beliterarywritingsofthe’forties，theyarethefirstattempttotransplanttheProudhonistschooltoGermany。ThisrepresentssuchanenormousstepbackwardincomparisonwiththewholecourseofdevelopmentofGermansocialism，whichdeliveredadecisiveblowparticularlytotheProudhonistideasasfarbackastwenty-fiveyearsago，[InMarx：MiseredelaPhilosophie，etc。，BruxellesetParis，1847（ThePovertyofPhilosophy，etc。）。
——[NotebyF。Engels。]thatitisworthwhileansweringitimmediately。
Theso-calledhousingshortage，whichplayssuchagreatroleinthepressnowadays，doesnotconsistinthefactthattheworkingclassgenerallylivesinbad，overcrowdedandunhealthydwellings。Thisshortageisnotsomethingpeculiartothepresent;itisnotevenoneofthesufferingspeculiartothemodernproletariatincontradistinctiontoallearlieroppressedclasses。Onthecontrary，alloppressedclassesinallperiodssufferedmoreorlessuniformlyfromit。Inordertomakeanendofthishousingshortagethereisonlyonemeans：toabolishaltogethertheexploitationandoppressionoftheworkingclassbytherulingclass。Whatismeanttodaybyhousingshortageisthepeculiarintensificationofthebadhousingconditionsoftheworkersastheresultofthesuddenrushofpopulationto，thebigtowns;acolossalincreaseinrents，astillfurtheraggravationofovercrowdingintheindividualhouses，and，forsome，theimpossibilityoffindingaplacetoliveinatall。Andthishousingshortagegetstalkedofsomuchonlybecauseitdoesnotlimititselftotheworkingclassbuthasaffectedthepettybourgeoisiealso。
Thehousingshortagefromwhichtheworkersandpartofthepettybourgeoisiesufferinourmodembigcitiesisoneofthenumeroussmaller，secondaryevilswhichresultfromthepresent-daycapitalistmodeofproduction。
Itisnotatalladirectresultoftheexploitationoftheworkerasaworkerbythecapitalists。Thisexploitationisthebasicevilwhichthesocialrevolutionstrivestoabolishbyabolishingthecapitalistmodeofproduction。Thecornerstoneofthecapitalistmodeofproductionis，however，thefactthatourpresentsocialorderenablesthecapitaliststobuythelabourpoweroftheworkeratitsvalue，buttoextractfromitmuchmorethanitsvaluebymakingtheworkerworklongerthanisnecessaryinordertoreproducethepricepaidforthelabourpower。Thesurplusvalueproducedinthisfashionisdividedamongthewholeclassofcapitalistsandlandownerstogetherwiththeirpaidservants，fromthePopeandtheKaiser，downtothenightwatchmanandbelow。Wearenotconcernedhereastohowthisdistributioncomesabout，butthismuchiscertain：thatallthosewhodonotworkcanliveonlyfromfragmentsofthissurplusvaluewhichreachtheminonewayoranother。（SeeMarx’sCapitalwherethiswasworkedoutforthefirsttime。）
Thedistributionofthissurplusvalue，producedbytheworking。classandtakenfromitwithoutpayment，amongthenon-workingclassesproceedsamidextremelyedifyingsquabblingsandmutualswindling。Insofarasthisdistributiontakesplacebymeansofbuyingandselling，oneofitschiefmethodsisthecheatingofthebuyerbytheseller，andinretailtrade，particularlyinthebigtowns，thishasbecomeanabsoluteconditionofexistenceforthesellers。When，however，theworkerischeatedbyhisgrocerorhisbaker，eitherinregardtothepriceorthequalityofthecommodity，thisdoesnothappentohiminhisspecificcapacityasaworker。Onthecontrary，assoonasacertainaveragelevelofcheatinghasbecomethesocialruleinanyplace，itmustinthelongrunbeleveledoutbyacorrespondingincreaseinwages。Theworkerappearsbeforethesmallshopkeeperasabuyer，thatis，astheownerofmoneyorcredit，andhencenotatallinhiscapacityasaworker，thatis，asaselleroflabourpower。Thecheatingmayhithim，andthepoorerclassasawhole，harderthanithitstherichersocialclasses，butitisnotanevilwhichhitshimexclusivelyorispeculiartohisclass。
Anditisjustthesamewiththehousingshortage。Thegrowthofthebigmoderncitiesgivesthelandincertainareas，particularlyinthosewhicharecentrallysituated，anartificialandoftencolossallyincreasingvalue;thebuildingserectedontheseareasdepressthisvalue，insteadofincreasingit，becausetheynolongercorrespondtothechangedcircumstances。Theyarepulleddownandreplacedbyothers。Thistakesplaceaboveallwithworkers’houseswhicharesituatedcentrallyandwhoserents，evenwiththegreatestovercrowding，cannever，oronlyveryslowly，increaseaboveacertainmaximum。Theyarepulleddownandintheirsteadshops，warehousesandpublicbuildingsareerected。ThroughitsHaussmanninParis，Bonapartismexploitedthistendencytremendouslyforswindlingandprivateenrichment。[HaussmannwasPrefectoftheSeineDepartmentintheyears1853-70andcarriedonbigbuildingalterationsinParisintheinterestsofthebourgeoisie。Hedidnotfailtoprofithimselfalso-
Ed。]ButthespiritofHaussmannhasalsobeenabroadinLondon，ManchesterandLiverpool，andseemstofeelitselfjustasmuchathomeinBerlinandVienna。Theresultisthattheworkersareforcedoutofthecentreofthetownstowardstheoutskirts;thatworkers’dwellings，andsmalldwellingsingeneral，becomerareandexpensiveandoftenaltogetherunobtainable，forunderthesecircumstancesthebuildingindustry，whichisofferedamuchbetterfieldforspeculationbymoreexpensivehouses，buildsworkers’
dwellingsonlybywayofexception。
Thishousingshortagethereforecertainlyhitstheworkerharderthanithitsanymoreprosperousclass，butitisjustaslittleanevilwhichburdenstheworkingclassexclusivelyasthecheatingoftheshopkeeper，anditmust，asfarastheworkingclassisconcerned，whenitreachesacertainlevelandattainsacertainpermanencysimilarlyfindacertaineconomicadjustment。
Itiswithjustsuchsufferingsasthese，whichtheworkingclassenduresincommonwithotherclasses，andparticularlythepettybourgeoisie，thatpetty-bourgeoissocialism，towhichProudhonbelongs，preferstooccupyitself。AndthusitisnotatallaccidentalthatourGermanProudhonistoccupieshimselfchieflywiththehousingquestion，which，aswehaveseen，isbynomeansexclusivelyaworkingclassquestion;andthat，onthecontrary，hedeclaresittobeatrue，exclusivelyworkingclassquestion。
\"Asthewageworkerinrelationtothecapitalist，soisthetenantinrelationtothehouseowner。\"
Thisistotallyuntrue。
Inthehousingquestionwehavetwopartiesconfrontingeachother：
thetenantandthelandlordorhouseowner。Theformerwishestopurchasefromthelatterthetemporaryuseofadwelling;hehasmoneyorcredit，evenifhehastobuythiscreditfromthehouseownerhimselfatausuriouspriceasanadditiontotherent。Itissimplecommoditysale;itisnotanoperationbetweenproletarianandbourgeois，betweenworkerandcapitalist。
Thetenant——evenifheisaworker——appearsasamanwithmoney;hemustalreadyhavesoldhisownparticularcommodity，hislabourpower，inordertoappearwiththeproceedsasthebuyeroftheuseofadwelling，orhemustbeinapositiontogiveaguaranteeoftheimpendingsaleofthislabourpower。Thepeculiarresultswhichattendthesaleoflabourpowertothecapitalistarecompletelyabsenthere。Thecapitalistcausesthepurchasedlabourpowerfirstlytoproduceitsownvalueandsecondlytoproduceasurplusvaluewhichremainsinhishandsforthetimebeing，subjecttoitsdistributionamongthecapitalistclass。Inthiscasethereforeanextravalueisproduced，thetotalsumoftheexistingvalueisincreased。
Intherenttransactionthesituationisquitedifferent。Nomatterhowmuchthelandlordmayoverreachthetenantitisstillonlyatransferofalreadyexisting，previouslyproducedvalue，andthetotalsumofvaluespossessedbythelandlordandthetenanttogetherremainsthesameafterasitwasbefore。Theworkerisalwayscheatedofapartoftheproductofhislabour，whetherthatlabourispaidforbythecapitalistbelow，above，oratitsvalue。
Thetenant，ontheotherhand，ischeatedonlywhenheiscompelledtopayforthedwellingaboveitsvalue。Itis，therefore，acompletemisrepresentationoftherelationbetweenlandlordandtenanttoattempttomakeitequivalenttotherelationbetweenworkerandcapitalist。Onthecontrary，wearedealingherewithaquiteordinarycommoditytransactionbetweentwocitizens，andthistransactionproceedsaccordingtotheeconomiclawswhichgovernthesaleofcommoditiesingeneralandinparticularthesaleofthecommodity，landproperty。Thebuildingandmaintenancecostsofthehouse，orofthepartofthehouseinquestion，entersfirstofallintothecalculation;
thelandvalue，determinedbythemoreorlessfavourablesituationofthehouse，comesnext;thestateoftherelationbetweensupplyanddemandexistingatthemomentisfinallydecisive。ThissimpleeconomicrelationexpressesitselfinthemindofourProudhonistasfollows：
\"Thehouse，onceithasbeenbuilt。servesasaperpetuallegaltitletoadefinitefractionofsociallabouralthoughtherealvalueofthehousehasalreadylongagobeenmorethanpaidoutintheformofrenttotheowner。Thusitcomesaboutthatahousethat，forinstance，wasbuiltfiftyyearsago，duringthisperiodcoverstheoriginalcosttwo，three，five，tenandmoretimesoverinitsrentyield。\"HerewehaveatoncethewholeProudhon。Firstly，itisforgottenthattherentmustnotonlypaytheinterestsonthebuildingcosts，butmustalsocoverrepairsandtheaveragesumofbad’debts，unpaidrents，aswellastheoccasionalperiodswhenthehouseisuntenanted，andfinallypayoffinannualsumsthebuildingcapitalwhichhasbeeninvestedinahousewhichisperishableandwhichintimebecomesuninhabitableandworthless。Secondly，itisforgottenthattherentmustalsopayinterestontheincreasedvalueofthelanduponwhichthebuildingiserectedandthatthereforeapartofitconsistsofgroundrent。OurProudhonistimmediatelydeclares，itistrue，thatthisincreaseofvaluedoesnotequitablybelongtothelandowner，sinceitcomesaboutwithouthisco-operation，buttosocietyasawhole。However，heoverlooksthefactthatwiththisheisinrealitydemandingtheabolitionoflandedproperty，apointwhichwouldleadustoofarifwewentintoithere。Andfinallyheoverlooksthemfactthatthewholetransactionisnotoneofbuyingthehousefromitsowner，butofbuyingitsuseforacertaintime。Proudhon，whoneverbotheredhimselfabouttherealandactualconditionsunderwhichanyeconomicphenomenonoccurs，isnaturallyalsounabletoexplainhowtheoriginalcostpriceofahouseispaidbacktentimesoverinthecourseoffiftyyearsintheformofrent。Insteadofexaminingandestablishingthisnotatalldifficultquestioneconomically，anddiscoveringwhetheritisreallyincontradictiontoeconomiclaws，andifsohow，Proudhonrescueshimselfbyaboldleapfromeconomicsintolegaltalk：\"Thehouse，onceithasbeenbuilt，servesasaperpetuallegaltitle\"toacertainannualpayment。
Howthiscomesabout，howthehousebecomesalegaltitle，onthisProudhonissilent。Andyet——thatisjustwhatheshouldhaveexplained。Hadheexaminedit，hewouldhavefoundthatnotallthelegaltitlesintheworld，nomatterhowperpetual，couldgiveahousethepowerofobtainingitscostpricebacktentimesoverinthecourseoffiftyyearsintheformofrent，butthatonlyeconomicconditions（whichmayhavesocialrecognitionintheformoflegaltitles）canaccomplishthis。Andwiththishewouldagainbeasfarasatthestart。
ThewholeProudhonistteachingrestsonthissavingleapfromeconomicrealityintolegalphraseology。EverytimeourgoodProudhonlosestheeconomichangofthings——andthishappenstohimwitheveryseriousproblem——hetakesrefugeinthesphereoflawandappealstoeternaljustice。
\"Proudhonbeginsbytakinghisidealofjustice，of’justiceeternelle，’fromthejuridicalrelationsthatcorrespondtotheproductionofcommodities：thereby，itmaybenoted，heproves，totheconsolationofallgoodcitizens，thattheproductionofcommoditiesisaformofproductionaseverlastingasjustice。
Thenheturnsroundandseekstoreformtheactualproductionofcommodities，andtheactuallegalsystemcorrespondingthereto，inaccordancewiththisideal。Whatopinionshouldwehaveofachemist，who。insteadofstudyingtheactuallawsofthemolecularchangesinthecompositionanddecompositionofmatter，andonthatfoundationsolvingdefiniteproblems，claimedtoregulatethecompositionanddecompositionofmatterbymeansofthe’eternalideas，’of’naturaliteandaffinite’？Dowereallyknowanymoreabout’usury，’whenwesayitcontradicts’justicekernel，’
’equiteeternelle，’’mutualiteeternelle，’andother’veriteseternelles’thanthefathersofthechurchdidwhentheysaditwasincompatiblewith’graceeternelle，’’foieternelle，’and’lavolonteeternelledeDieu’？\"[Marx，Capital，Vol。1，Kerredition，footnote，pp。96-97-Ed。]OurProudhonistdoesnotfareanybetterthanhislordandmaster：
\"Therentagreementisoneofthethousandexchangeswhichareasnecessaryinthelifeofmodemsocietyasthecirculationofthebloodinthebodieso（animals。Naturally，itwouldbeintheinterestsofthissocietyifalltheseexchangeswerepervadedbyaconceptionofjustice，thatistosay，iftheytookplacealwaysaccordingtothestrictdemandsofjustice。Inaword，theeconomiclifeofsocietymust，asProudhonsays，raiseitselftotheheightsofeconomicjustice。Inreality，asweknow，exactlytheoppositetakesplace。\"Isitcrediblethat，fiveyearsafterMarxhadcharacterisedProudhonismsosummarilyandconvincinglypreciselyfromthisdecisiveangle，itshouldbepossibletoprintsuchconfusedstuffintheGermanlanguage。Whatdoesthisrigmarolemean？Nothingmorethanthatthepracticaleffectsoftheeconomiclawswhichgovernpresent-daysocietyruncontrarytotheauthor’ssenseofjusticeandthathecherishesthepiouswishthattheaffairmightbesoarrangedthatthiswouldthennolongerbethecase。Yes，butiftoadshadtailstheywouldnolongerbetoads！Andisthenthecapitalistmodeofproductionnot\"pervadedbyaconceptionofjustice，\"namely，thatofitsownrighttoexploittheworkers？Andiftheauthortellsusthatthatisnothisideaofjustice，areweonestepfurther？
Butlotusgobacktothehousingquestion。OurProudhonistnowgiveshis\"conceptionofjustice\"freereinandtreatsustothefollowingmovingdeclamation：
\"Wedonothesitatetoassertthatthereisnomoreterriblemockeryofthewholecultureofourlaudedcenturythanthefactthatinthebigcities90percentandmoreofthepopulationhavenoplacethattheycancalltheirown。Therealkeypointofmoralandfamilyexistence，hearthandhome，isbeingsweptawaybythesocialwhirlpool……Inthisrespectwearefarbelowthesavages。
Thetroglodytehashiscave，theAustralianaboriginehashisclayhut，theIndianhashisownhearth——themodernproletarianispracticallysuspendedinmidair，\"etc。InthisjeremiadwehaveProudhonisminitswholereactionaryform。Inordertocreatethemodemrevolutionaryclassoftheproletariatitwasabsolutelynecessarytocuttheumbilicalcordwhichstillboundtheworkerofthepasttotheland。Thehandweaverwhohadhislittlehouse，gardenandfieldalongwithhisloom，wasaquiet，contentedman\"inallgodlinessandrespectability\"despiteallmiseryanddespiteallpoliticalpressure;
hedoffedhiscaptotherich，tothepriestsandtotheofficialsofthestate;andinwardlywasaltogetheraslave。Itispreciselymodemlarge-scaleindustry，whichhasturnedtheworker，formerlychainedtotheland，intoacompletelypropertylessproletarian，liberatedfromalltraditionalfettersandfreeasabird;itispreciselythiseconomicrevolutionwhichhascreatedthesoleconditionsunderwhichtheexploitationoftheworkingclassinitsfinalform，inthecapitalistmodeofproduction，canbeoverthrown。
AndnowcomesthistearfulProudhonistandbewailsthedrivingoftheworkersfromhearthandhomeasthoughitwereagreatretrogressioninsteadofbeingtheveryfirstconditionfortheirintellectualemancipation。
Twenty-sevenyearsagoIdescribedinTheConditionoftheWorkingClassinEnglandthemainfeaturesofjustthisprocessofdrivingtheworkersfromhearthandhomeasittookplaceintheeighteenthcenturyinEngland。Theinfamiesofwhichthelandownersandfactoryownerswereguiltyinsodoing，andthedeleteriouseffects，materialandmoral，whichthisexpulsioninevitablyhadontheworkersconcernedinthefirstplace，aretherealsodescribedastheydeserve。Butcoulditentermyheadtoregardthis，whichwasinthecircumstancesanabsolutelynecessaryhistoricalprocessofdevelopment，asaretrogression\"belowthesavages\"？Impossible！
TheEnglishproletarianof1872isonaninfinitelyhigherlevelthantheruralweaverof1772withhis\"hearthandhome。\"Willthetroglodytewithhiscave，theAustralianaboriginewithhisclayhut，andtheIndianwithhisheartheveraccomplishaJuneinsurrectionandaParisCommune？
Thatthesituationoftheworkershasingeneralbecomemateriallyworsesincetheintroductionofcapitalistproductiononalargescaleisdoubtedonlybythebourgeoisie。Butshouldthereforelookbackwardlonginglytothe（likewiseverymeagerflesh-potsofEgypt，toruralsmall-scaleindustry，whichproducedonlyservilesouls，orto\"thesavages\"？Onthecontrary。
Onlytheproletariatcreatedbymodernlarge-scaleindustry，liberatedfromallinheritedfetters，includingthosewhichchainedittotheland，anddriveninherdsintothebigtowns，isinapositiontoaccomplishthegreatsocialtransformationwhichwillputanendtoallclassexploitationandallclassrule。Theoldruralhandweaverswithhearthandhomewouldneverhavebeenabletodoit;theywouldneverhavebeenabletoconceivesuchanidea，muchlessabletodesiretocarryitout。
ForProudhon，ontheotherhand，thewholeindustrialrevolutionofthelasthundredyears，theintroductionofsteampowerandlarge-scalefactoryproductionwhichsubstitutedmachineryforhandlabourandincreasedtheproductivityoflabourathousandfold，isahighlyrepugnantoccurrence，somethingwhichreallyoughtnevertohavetakenplace。Thepetty-bourgeoisProudhondemandsaworldinwhicheachpersonturnsoutaseparateandindependentproductthatisimmediatelyconsumableandexchangeableinthemarket。Then，aslongaseachpersononlyreceivesbackthefullvalueofhislabourintheformofanotherproduct，\"eternaljustice\"issatisfiedandthebestpossibleworldcreated。ButthisbestpossibleworldofProudhonhasalreadybeennippedinthebudandtroddenunderfootbytheadvanceofindustrialdevelopmentwhichhaslongagodestroyedindividuallabourinallthebigbranchesofindustriesandwhichisdestroyingitdailymoreandmoreinthesmallerandsmallestbrancheswhichhassetsociallaboursupportedbymachineryandtheharnessedforcesofnatureinitsplace，andwhosefinishedproductimmediatelyexchangeableorconsumable，isthejointworkofmanyindividualsthroughwhosehandsithastopass。
Anditispreciselythisindustrialrevolutionwhichhasraisedtheproductivepowerofhumanlabourtosuchahighlevelthat——forthefirsttimeinthehistoryofhumanity——thepossibilityexists，givenarationaldivisionoflabouramongall，toproducenotonlyenoughfortheplentifulconsumptionofallmembersofsocietyandforanabundantreservefund，butalsotoleaveeachindividualsufficientleisuresothatwhatisreallyworthpreservinginhistoricallyinheritedculture——science，art，humanrelationsisnotonlypreserved，butconvertedfromamonopolyoftherulingclassintothecommonpropertyofthewholeofsociety，andfurtherdeveloped。Andhereisthedecisivepoint：assoonastheproductivepowerofhumanlabourhasdevelopedtothisheight，everyexcusedisappearsfortheexistenceofarulingclass。Wasnotthefinalreasonwithwhichclassdifferencesweredefendedalways：theremustbeaclasswhichneednotplagueitselfwith，heproductionofitsdailysubsistence，inorderthatitmayhavetimetolookaftertheintellectualworkofsociety？Thistalk，whichuptonowhaditsgreathistoricaljustification，hasbeencutoffattherootonceandforallbytheindustrialrevolutionofthelasthundredyears。Theexistenceofarulingclassisbecomingdailymoreandmoreahindrancetothedevelopmentofindustrialproductivepower，andequallysotoscience，artandespeciallyculturalhumanrelations。Thereneverweregreaterboorsthanourmodernbourgeois。
ButallthisisnothingtofriendProudhon。Hewants\"eternaljustice\"andnothingelse。Eachshallreceiveinexchangeforhisproductthefullproceedsofhislabour，thefullvalueofhislabour。Buttoreckonthatoutinaproductofmodernindustryisacomplicatedmatter。Formodernindustryobscurestheparticularshareoftheindividualinthetotalproduct，whichintheoldindividualhandicraftwasobviouslyrepresentedbythefinishedproduct。Further，modernindustryabolishesmoreandmoretheindividualexchangeonwhichProudhon’swholesystemisbuiltup，namelydirectexchangebetweentwoproducers，eachofwhomtakestheproductoftheotherinordertoconsumeit。ConsequentlyareactionarycharacterrunsthroughoutthewholeofProudhonism;anaversiontotheindustrialrevolution，andthedesire，sometimesovertly，sometimescovertlyexpressed，todrivethewholeofmodernindustryoutofthetemple，steamengines，mechanicalloomsandtherestoftheswindle，andtoreturntotheold，respectablehandlabour。Thatwewould-thenloseninehundredandninety-ninethousandthsofourproductivepower，thatthewholeofhumanitywouldbecondemnedtotheworstpossiblelabourslavery，thatstarvationwouldbecomethegeneralrule——whatdoesallthatmatterifonlywesucceedinorganisingexchangeinsuchafashionthateachreceives\"thefullproceedsofhislabour，\"andthat\"eternaljustice\"isrealized？Fiatjustitia，pereatmundus！
Justicemustprevailthoughthewholeworldperish！
AndtheworldwouldperishinthisProudhonistcounter-revolutionifitwereatallpossibletocarryitout。
Itis，moreover，self-evidentthat，withsocialproductionconditionedbymodernlarge-scaleindustry，itispossibletoassureeachperson\"thefullproceedsofhislabour，\"sofarasthisphrasehasanymeaningatall。Andithasameaningonlyifitisextendedtomeannotthateachindividualworkerbecomesthepossessorof66thefullproceedsofhislabour，\"butthatthewholeofsociety，consistingentirelyofworkers，becomesthepossessorofthetotalproceedsofitslabour，whichitpartlydistributesamongitsmembersforconsumption，partlyusesforreplacingandincreasingthemeansofproduction，andpartlystoresupasareservefundforproductionandconsumption。
Afterwhathasbeensaidabove，wealreadyknowinadvancehowourProudhonistwillsolvethegreathousingquestion。Ontheonehand，wehavethedemandthateachworkerownhisownhomeinorderthatwemaynotremain\"belowthesavages。\"Ontheotherhand，wehavetheassurancethatthetwo，three，fiveortenfoldrepaymentoftheoriginalcostpriceofahouseintheformofrent，asitactuallytakesplace，isbasedona\"legaltitle\"andthatthislegaltitleisincontradictionto\"eternaljustice\"。Thesolutionissimple：weabolishthelegaltitleanddeclare，invirtueofeternaljustice，therentpaidtobeapaymentonaccountofthecostofthedwellingitself。Ifonehassoarrangedonpremisesthattheyalreadycontaintheconclusioninthem，thenofcourseitdemandsnogreaterskillthananycharlatanpossessestoproducethealreadypreparedresultfromthebagandtopointtounshakablelogicwhoseresultitis。
Andsoithappenshere。Theabolitionofrented>Transferinterrupted！y，andindeedintheformthatthedemandisputforwardfortheconversionofeverytenantintotheownerofhisowndwelling。Howarewetodothat？
Verysimply：
\"Renteddwellingswillberedeemed……TheprevioushouseownerwillbepaidthevalueofWshousetothelastfarthing。Rent，insteadofbeingaspreviouslythetributewhichthetenantmustpaytotheperpetualtitleofcapital，willbe，fromthedaywhentheredemptionofrenteddwellingsisproclaimed，theexactlyfixedsumpaidbythetenanttoprovidetheannualinstallmentforthepaymentofthedwellingwhichhaspassedintothepossessionofthetenant……Society……transformsitselfinthiswayintoatotalityofindependentandfreeownersofdwellings。\"TheProudhonistfindsitacrimeagainsteternaljusticethat，thehouseownercanwithoutworkingobtaingroundrentandinterestoutofthecapitalhehasinvestedinthehouse。Hedecreesthat，thismustcease，thatcapitalinvestedinhousesshallproducenointerest，andsofarasitrepresentspurchasedlandedproperty，nogroundrenteither。Nowwehaveseenthatherebythecapitalistmodeofproduction，thebasisofpresent-daysociety，isinnowayaffected。Thepivotonwhichtheexploitationoftheworkerturnsisthesaleoflabourpowertothecapitalistandtheusewhichthecapitalistmakesofthistransactioninthathecompelstheworkertoproducefarmorethanthepaidvalueofthelabourpower，amountsto。Itisthistransactionbetweencapitalistandworkerwhichproducesallthesurplusvaluewhichisafterwardsdividedintheformofgroundrent，commercialprofit，interestoncapital，taxes，etc。，amongthevarioussub-speciesofcapitalistsandtheirservants。AndnowourProudhonistcomesalongandbelievesthatifweweretoforbidonesinglesub-speciesofcapitalists，andatthatofsuchcapitalistswhopurchasenolabourpowerdirectlyandthereforealsocausenosurplusvaluetobeproduced，toreceiveprofitorinterest，itwouldbeastepforward！Themassofunpaidlabourtakenfromtheworkingclasswouldremainexactlythesameevenifhouseownersweretobedeprivedtomorrow。，ofthepossibilityofreceivinggroundrentandinterest。However，thisdoesnotpreventourProudhonistfromdeclaring：
\"TheabolitionofrentdwellingsisthusoneofthemostfruitfulandmagnificenteffortswhichhaseversprungfromthewomboftherevolutionaryideaanditmustbecomeoneoftheprimarydemandsofSocial-Democracy。\"ThisisexactlythetypeofmarketcryofthemasterProudhonhimself，whosecacklingwasalwaysininverseratiotothesizeoftheeggslaid。
Andnowimaginethefinestateofthingsifeachworker，pettybourgeoisandbourgeoiswerecompelledbypayingannualinstallmentstobecomefirstpartownerandthenfullownerofhisdwelling！IntheindustrialdistrictsinEngland，wherethereislarge-scaleindustrybutsmallworkers’
housesandeachmarriedworkeroccupiesalittlehouseofhisown，theremightpossiblybesomesenseinit。Butthesmall-scaleindustryinParisandinmostofthebigtownsonthecontinentisaccompaniedbylargehousesineachofwhichten，twentyorthirtyfamilieslivetogether。Onthedayoftheworld-deliveringdecree，whentheredemptionofrentdwellingsisproclaimed，PeterisworkinginanengineeringworksinBerlin。Ayearlaterheisownerof，ifyoulike，thefifteenthpartofhisdwellingconsistingofalittleroomonthefifthfloorofahousesomewhereintheneighborhoodofHamburgerTor。HethenloseshisworkandsoonfindshimselfinasimilardwellingonthethirdfloorofahouseinthePothofinHanoverwithawonderfulviewontothecourtyard。Afterfivemonths’staytherehehasjustacquiredonethirty-sixthpartofthispropertywhenastrikesendshimtoMunichandcompelshimbyastayofelevenmonthstotakeonhimselfownershipinexactlyelevenone-hundred-and-eightiethsofarathergloomypropertyonthestreetlevelbehindtheOber-Angergasse。Furtherremovalssuchasnowadayssooftenoccurtoworkerssaddlehimfurtherwithseventhree-hundred-and-sixtiethsofanolessdesirableresidenceinSt。Gallen，twenty-threeone-hundred-and-eightiethsofanotheroneinLeeds，andthreehundredandforty-sevenfifty-six-thousand-two-hundred-and-twenty-thirds，toreckonitoutexactlyinorderthat\"eternaljustice\"mayhavenothingtocomplainabout，ofathirddwellinginSeraing。AndnowwhatistheuseforourPeterofallthesesharesindwellings？Whoistogivehimtherealvalueoftheseshares？Whereishetofindtheownerorownersoftheremainingsharesinhisvariousone-timedwellings？Andwhatexactlyarethepropertyrelationsofanybighousewhosefloorshold，letussay，twentydwellingsandwhich，whentheredemptionperiodhaselapsedandrenteddwellingsareabolished，belongsperhapstothreehundredpartownerswhoarescatteredinallquartersoftheglobe。OurProudhonistwillanswerthatbythattimetheProudhonistexchangebankwillexistandwillpaytoanyoneatanytimethefulllabourproceedsforanylabourproduct，andwillthereforepayoutalsothefullvalueofashareinadwelling。
ButinthefirstplacewearenotatallconcernedherewiththeProudhonistexchangebanksinceitisnowhereevenmentionedinthearticlesonthehousingquestion，andsecondlyitrestsonthepeculiarerrorthatifsomeonewantstosellacommodityhewillnecessarilyalsofindabuyerforitsfullvalueandthirdlyithasalreadygonebankruptinEnglandmorethanonceunderthenameofLabourExchangeBazaar，beforeProudhoninventedit。
ThewholeconceptionthattheworkershouldbuyhisdwellingrestsinitsturnonthereactionarybasicoutlookofProudhonism，alreadyemphasized，accordingtowhichtheconditionscreatedbymodernlarge-scaleindustryarediseasedexcrescences，andthatsocietymustbeledviolently，i。e。，againstthetrendwhichithasbeenfollowingforahundredyears，toaconditioninwhichtheoldstablehandicraftoftheindividualistherule，whichasawholeisnothingbuttheidealizedrestorationofsmall-scaleenterprise，whichhasbeenruinedandisstillbeingruined。Iftheworkersareonlyflungbackintothesestableconditions，ifthe\"socialwhirlpool\"
hasbeenhappilyabolished，thentheworkernaturallycouldalsoagainmakeuseofpropertyin\"hearthandhome，\"andtheaboveredemptiontheoryappearslessridiculous。Proudhononlyforgetsthatinordertoaccomplishallthishemustfirstofallputbacktheclockofworldhistorybyahundredyears，andthattherebyhewouldmakethepresent-dayworkersintojustsuchnarrow-minded，crawling，sneakingslavesastheirgreat-grandfatherswere。
Asfar，however，asthisProudhonistsolutionofthehousingquestioncontainsanyrationalandpracticallyapplicablecontentitisalreadybeingcarriedouttoday，butthisrealizationdoesnotspringfrom\"thewomboftherevolutionaryidea，\"butfromthebigbourgeoishimself。LetuslistentoanexcellentSpanishnewspaper，LaEmancipacion，ofMadridofMarch16，1872：
\"Thereisstillanothermeansofsolvingthehousingquestion，thewayproposedbyProudhon，whichdazzlesatfirstglance，butoncloserexaminationrevealsitsutterimpotence。Proudhonproposedthatthetenantsshouldbeconvertedintopurchasersbyinstallments，sothattherentpaidannuallywouldbereckonedasaninstallmentonthepaymentofthevalueofthedwelling，and，afteracertaintime，thetenantwouldbecometheownerofthedwelling。Thismeans，whichProudhonconsideredveryrevolutionary，isbeingputintooperationinallcountriesbycompaniesofspeculatorswhothussecuredoubleandtreblepaymentofthevalueofthehousesbyraisingtherents。M。DollfusandotherbigmanufacturersinNortheasternFrancehavecarriedoutthissystemnotonlyinordertomakemoney，butinaddition，withapoliticalideaatthebackoftheirminds。\"Thecleverestleadersoftherulingclasshavealwaysdirectedtheireffortstowardsincreasingthenumberofsmallpropertyownersinordertobuildanarmyforthemselvesagainsttheproletariat。Thebourgeoisrevolutionsofthelastcenturydividedupthebigestatesofthenobilityandthechurchintosmallproperties，justastheSpanishrepublicansproposetodotodaywiththestillexistinglargeestates，andcreatedtherebyaclassofsmalllandownerswhichhassincebecomethemostreactionaryelementinsocietyandapermanenthindrancetotherevolutionarymovementoftheurbanproletariat。NapoleonIIIaimedatcreatingasimilarclassinthetownsbyreducingthesizeoftheindividualbondsofthepublicdebt，andM。Dollfusandhiscolleaguessoughttostifleallrevolutionaryspiritintheirworkersbysellingthemsmalldwellingstobepaidforinannualinstallments，andatthesametimetochaintheworkersbythispropertytothefactoryinwhichtheywork。ThusweseethattheProudhonplanhasnotmerelyfailedtobringtheworkingclassanyrelief，ithaseventurneddirectlyagainstit。\"*
[Howthissolutionofthehousingquestionbymeansofchainingworkertohisown\"home\"isarisingspontaneouslyintheneighborhoodofbigorgrowingAmericantownscanbeseenfromthefollowingpassageofaletterbyEleanorMarx-Aveling，Indianapolis，November28，1886：\"In，orrathernearKansasCitywesawsomemiserablelittlewoodenhuts，containingaboutthreeroomseach，stillinthewilds;thelandcost600dollarsandwasjustenoughtoputthelittlehouseonit;thelattercostafurther600dollars，thatistogetherabout4，800marks[L240]foramiserablelittlething，anhourawayfromthetown，inamuddydesert。\"Inthiswaytheworkersmustshoulderheavymortgagedebtsinordertoobtaineventhesehousesandthustheybecomecompletelytheslavesoftheiremployers;
theyareboundtotheirhouses，theycannotgoaway，andtheyarecompelledtoputupwithwhateverworkingconditionsareofferedthem。[NotebyF。
EngelstothesecondGermanedition。]Howisthehousingquestiontobesolvedthen？Inpresent-daysocietyjustasanyothersocialquestionissolved：bythegradualeconomicadjustmentofsupplyanddemand，asolutionwhicheverreproducesthequestionitselfanewandthereforeisnosolution。
Howasocialrevolutionwouldsolvethisquestiondependsnotonlyonthecircumstanceswhichwouldexistineachcase，butisalsoconnectedwithstillmorefar-reachingquestions，amongwhichoneofthemostfundamentalistheabolitionoftheantithesisbetweentownandcountry。Asitisnotourtasktocreateutopiansystemsforthearrangementofthefuturesociety，itwouldbemorethanidletogointothequestionhere。Butonethingiscertain：therearealreadyinexistencesufficientbuildingsfordwellingsinthebigtownstoremedyimmediatelyanyreal\"housingshortage，\"givenrationalutilizationofthem。Thiscannaturallyonlytakeplacebytheexpropriationofthepresentownersandbyquarteringintheirhousesthehomelessorthoseworkersexcessivelyovercrowdedintheirformerhouses。