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  Theonlydrawbacktothismethodisthatwhenhecomestoexamineasingleoneofthesephases,M。Proudhoncannotexplainitwithouthavingrecoursetoalltheotherrelationsofsociety;whichrelations,however,hehasnotyetmadehisdialecticmovementengender。When,afterthat,M。Proudhon,bemeansofpurereason,proceedstogivebirthtotheseotherphases,hetreatsthemasiftheywerenew—bornbabes。Heforgetsthattheyareofthesameageasthefirst。

  Thus,toarriveattheconstitutionofvalue,whichforhimisthebasisofalleconomicevolutions,hecouldnotdowithoutdivisionoflabor,competition,etc。Yetintheseries,intheunderstandofM。

  Proudhon,inthelogicalsequence,theserelationsdidnotexist。

  Inconstructingtheedificeofanideologicalsystembymeansofthecategoriesofpoliticaleconomy,thelimbsofthesocialsystemaredislocated。Thedifferentlimbsofsocietyareconvertedintosomanyseparatesocieties,followingoneupontheother。How,indeed,couldthesinglelogicalformulaofmovement,ofsequence,oftime,explainthestructureofsociety,inwhichallrelationscoexistsimultaneouslyandsupportoneanother?

  FourthObservationLetusseenowtowhatmodificationsM。ProudhonsubjectsHegel’sdialecticswhenheappliesittopoliticaleconomy。

  Forhim,M。Proudhon,everyeconomiccategoryhastwosides——

  onegood,theotherbad。Helooksuponthesecategoriesasthepettybourgeoislooksuponthegreatmenofhistory:Napoleonwasagreatman;hedidalotofgood;healsodidalotofharm。

  Thegoodsideandthebadside,theadvantagesanddrawbacks,takentogetherformforM。Proudhonthecontradictionineveryeconomiccategory。

  Theproblemtobesolved:tokeepthegoodside,whileeliminatingthebad。

  Slaveryisaneconomiccategorylikeanyother。Thusitalsohasitstwosides。letusleavealonethebadsideandtalkaboutthegoodsideofslavery。Needlesstosay,wearedealingonlywithdirectslavery,withNegroslaveryinSurinam,inBrazil,intheSouthernStatesofNorthAmerica。

  Directslaveryisjustasmuchthepivotofbourgeoisindustryasmachinery,credits,etc。Withoutslaveryyouhavenocotton;withoutcottonyouhavenomodernindustry。Itisslaverythatgavethecoloniestheirvalue;itisthecoloniesthatcreatedworldtrade,anditisworldtradethatisthepreconditionoflarge—scaleindustry。Thusslaveryisaneconomiccategoryofthegreatestimportance。

  WithoutslaveryNorthAmerica,themostprogressiveofcountries,wouldbetransformedintoapatriarchalcountry。WipeNorthAmericaoffthemapoftheworld,andyouwillhaveanarchy——thecompletedecayofmoderncommerceandcivilization。CauseslaverytodisappearandyouwillhavewipedAmericaoffthemapofnations。

  [NOTEbyEngelsto1885Germanedition:Thiswasperfectlycorrectfortheyear1847[whenMarxwrotetheselines]。AtthattimetheworldtradeoftheUnitedStatewaslimitedmainlytoimportofimmigrantsandindustrialproducts,andexportofcottonandtobacco,i。e。,oftheproductsofsouthernslavelabor。TheNorthernStatesproducedmainlycornandmeatfortheslavestates。ItwasonlywhentheNorthproducedcornandmeatforexportandalsobecameanindustrialcountry,andwhentheAmericancottonmonopolyhadtofacepowerfulcompetition,inIndia,Egypt,Brazil,etc。,thattheabolitionofslaverybecamepossible。AndeventhenthisledtotheruinoftheSouth,whichdidnotsucceedinreplacingtheopenNegroslaverybythedisguisedslaveryisIndianandChinesecoolies。]

  Thusslavery,becauseitisaneconomiccategory,hasalwaysexistedamongtheinstitutionsofthepeoples。Modernnationshavebeenableonlytodisguiseslaveryintheirowncountries,buttheyhaveimposeditwithoutdisguiseupontheNewWorld。

  WhatwouldM。Proudhondotosaveslavery?Hewouldformulatetheproblemthus:preservethegoodsideofthiseconomiccategory,eliminatethebad。

  Hegelhasnoproblemstoformulate。Hehasonlydialectics。M。

  ProudhonhasnothingofHegel’sdialecticsbutthelanguage。forhimthedialecticmovementisthedogmaticdistinctionbetweengoodandbad。

  LetusforamomentconsiderM。Proudhonhimselfasacategory。

  Letusexaminehisgoodandbadside,hisadvantagesandhisdrawbacks。

  IfhehastheadvantageoverHegelofsettingproblemswhichhereservestherightofsolvingforthegreatergoodofhumanity,hehasthedrawbackofbeingstrickenwithsterilitywhenitisaquestionofengenderinganewcategorybydialecticalbirth—throes。Whatconstitutesdialecticalmovementisthecoexistenceoftwocontradictorysides,theirconflictandtheirfusionintoanewcategory。Theverysettingoftheproblemofeliminatingthebadsidecutsshortthedialecticmovement。

  Itisnotthecategorywhichisposedandopposedtoitself,byitscontradictorynature,itisM。Proudhonwhogetsexcited,perplexedandfretsandfumesbetweenthetwosidesofthecategory。

  Caughtthusinablindalley,fromwhichitisdifficulttoescapebylegalmeans,M。Proudhontakesarealflyingleapwhichtransportshimatoneboundintoanewcategory。Thenitisthat,tohisastonishedgaze,isrevealedtheserialrelationintheunderstanding。

  Hetakesthefirstcategorythatcomeshandyandattributestoitarbitrarilythequalityofsupplyingaremedyforthedrawbacksofthecategorytobepurified。Thus,ifwearetobelieveM。Proudhon,taxesremedythedrawbacksofmonopoly;thebalanceoftrade,thedrawbacksoftaxes;landedproperty,thedrawbacksofcredit。

  Bytakingtheeconomiccategoriesthussuccessively,onebyone,andmakingonetheantidotetotheother,M。Proudhonmanagestomakewiththismixtureofcontradictionsandantidotestocontradictions,twovolumesofcontradictions,whichherightlyentitles:TheSystemofEconomicContradictions。

  FifthObservation\"Intheabsolutereasonalltheseideas……areequallysimple,andgeneral……Infact,weattainknowledgeonlybyasortofscaffoldingofourideas。Buttruthinitselfisindependentofthesedialecticalsymbolsandfreedfromthecombinationsofourminds。\"

  (Proudhon,Vol。II,p。97)

  Hereallofasudden,byakindofswitch—overofwhichwenowknowthesecret,themetaphysicsofpoliticaleconomyhasbecomeanillusion!NeverhasM。Proudhonspokenmoretruly。Indeed,fromthemomenttheprocessofthedialecticmovementisreducedtothesimpleprocessofopposinggoodtobad,andofadministeringonecategoryasanantidotetoanother,thecategoriesaredeprivedofallspontaneity;theidea\"ceasestofunction\";

  thereisnolifeleftinit。Itisnolongerposedordecomposedintocategories。

  Thesequenceofcategorieshasbecomeasortofscaffolding。Dialecticshasceasedtobethemovementofabsolutereason。Thereisnolongeranydialecticsbutonly,atthemost,absolutelypuremorality。

  WhenM。Proudhonspokeoftheseriesintheunderstanding,ofthelogicalsequenceofcategories,hedeclaredpositivelythathedidnotwanttogivehistoryaccordingtotheorderintime,thatis,inM。

  Proudhon’sview,thehistoricalsequenceinwhichthecategorieshavemanifestedthemselves。Thusforhimeverythinghappenedinthepureetherofreason。

  Everythingwastobederivedfromthisetherbymeansofdialectics。Nowthathehastoputthisdialecticsintopractice,hisreasonisindefault。

  M。Proudhon’sdialecticsrunscountertoHegel’sdialectics,andnowwehaveM。Proudhonreducedtosayingthattheorderinwhichhegivestheeconomiccategoriesisnolongertheorderinwhichtheyengenderoneanother。Economicevolutionsarenolongertheevolutionsofreasonitself。

  WhatthendoesM。Proudhongiveus?Realhistory,whichis,accordingtoM。Proudhon’sunderstanding,thesequenceinwhichthecategorieshavemanifestedthemselvesinorderoftime?No!Historyasittakeplaceintheideaitself?Stillless!Thatis,neithertheprofanehistoryofcategories,northeirsacredhistory!Whathistorydoeshegiveusthen?Thehistoryofhisowncontradictions。Letusseehowtheygo,andhowtheydragM。

  Proudhonintheirtrain。

  Beforeenteringuponthisexamination,whichgivesrisetothesixthimportantobservation,wehaveyetanother,lessimportantobservationtomake。

  LetusadmitwithM。Proudhonthatrealhistory,historyaccordingtotheorderintime,isthehistoricalsequenceinwhichideas,categoriesandprincipleshavemanifestedthemselves。

  Eachprinciplehashaditsowncenturyinwhichtomanifestitself。

  Theprincipleofauthority,forexample,hadthe11thcentury,justastheprincipleofindividualismhadthe18thcentury。Inlogicalsequence,itwasthecenturythatbelongedtotheprinciple,andnottheprinciplewhichbelongedtothecentury。When,consequently,inordertosaveprinciplesasmuchastosavehistory,weaskourselveswhyaparticularprinciplewasmanifestedinthe11thcenturyorinthe18thcenturyratherthaninanyother,wearenecessarilyforcedtoexamineminutelywhatmenwerelikeinthe11thcentury,whattheywerelikeinthe18th,whatweretheirrespectiveneeds,theirproductiveforces,theirmodeofproduction,therawmaterialsoftheirproduction——inshort,whatweretherelationsbetweenmanandmanwhichresultedfromalltheseconditionsofexistence。

  Togettothebottomofallthesequestions——whatisthisbuttodrawupthereal,profanehistoryofmenineverycenturyandtopresentthesemenasboththeauthorsandtheactorsoftheirowndrama?Butthemomentyoupresentmenastheactorsandauthorsoftheirownhistory,youarrive——bydetour——attherealstartingpoint,becauseyouhaveabandonedthoseeternalprinciplesofwhichyouspokeattheoutset。

  M。Proudhonhasnotevengonefarenoughalongthecrossroadwhichanideologisttakestoreachthemainroadofhistory。

  SixthObservationLetustakethecrossroadwithM。Proudhon。

  Weshallconcedethateconomicrelations,viewedasimmutablelaws,eternalprinciples,idealcategories,existedbeforeactiveandenergeticmendid;weshallconcedefurtherthattheselaws,principlesandcategorieshad,sincethebeginningoftime,slumbered\"intheimpersonalreasonofhumanity\"。Wehavealreadyseenthat,withallthesechangelessandmotionlesseternities,thereisnohistoryleft;thereisatmosthistoryintheidea,thatis,historyreflectedinthedialecticmovementofpurereason。M。

  Proudhon,bysayingthat,inthedialecticmovementideasarenolongerdifferentiated,hasdoneawaywithboththeshadowofmovementandthemovementofshadows,bymeansofwhichonecouldstillhavecreatedatleastasemblanceofhistory。Insteadofthat,heimputestohistoryhisownimpotence。Helaystheblameoneverything,eventheFrenchlanguage。

  \"Itisnotcorrectthen,\"saysM。Proudhon,thephilosopher,\"tosaythatsomethingappears,thatsomethingisproduced:incivilizationasintheuniverse,everythinghasexisted,hasacted,frometernity。Thisappliestothewholeofsocialeconomy。\"

  (Vol。II,p。102)

  SogreatistheproductiveforceofthecontradictionswhichfunctionandwhichmadeM。Proudhonfunction,that,intryingtoexplainhistory,heisforcedtodenyit;intryingtoexplainthesuccessiveappearanceofsocialrelations,hedeniesthatanythingcanappear:intryingtoexplainproduction,withallitsphases,hequestionswhetheranythingcanbeproduced!

  Thus,forM。Proudhon,thereisnolongeranyhistory:nolongeranysequenceofideas。Andyethisbooktillexists;anditispreciselythatbookwhichis,tousehisownexpression,\"historyaccordingtothesequenceofideas\"。Howshallwefindaformula,forM。Proudhonisamanofformulas,tohelphimtoclearallthesecontradictionsinoneleap?

  Tothisendhehasinventedanewreason,whichisneitherthepureandvirginabsolutereason,northecommonreasonofmenlivingandactingindifferentperiods,butareasonquiteapart——thereasonoftheperson,Society——ofthesubject,Humanity——whichunderthepenofM。Proudhonfiguresattimesalsoassocialgenius,generalreason,orfinallyashumanreason。Thisreason,deckedoutundersomanynames,betraysitselfnevertheless,ateverymoment,astheindividualreasonofM。Proudhon,withitsgoodanditsbadside,itsantidotesanditsproblems。

  \"Humanreasondoesnotcreatetruth\",hiddeninthedepthsofabsolute,eternalreason。Itcanonlyunveilit。Butsuchtruthsasithasunveileduptonowareincomplete,insufficient,andconsequentlycontradictory。

  Hence,economiccategories,beingthemselvestruthsdiscovered,revealedbyhumanreason,bysocialgenius,areequallyincompleteandcontainwithinthemselvesthegermofcontradictions。beforeM。Proudhon,socialgeniussawonlytheantagonisticelements,andnotthesyntheticformula,bothhiddensimultaneouslyinabsolutereason。Economicrelations,whichmerelyrealizeonearththeseinsufficienttruths,theseincompleteideas,areconsequentlycontradictoryinthemselves,andpresenttwosides,onegood,theotherbad。

  Tofindcompletetruth,theidea,inallitsfullness,thesyntheticformulathatistoannihilatethecontradiction,thisistheproblemofsocialgenius。Thisagainiswhy,inM。Proudhon’sillusion,thissamesocialgeniushasbeenharriedfromonecategorytoanotherwithouteverhavingbeenable,despiteallitsbatteryofcategories,tosnatchfromGodorfromabsolutereason,asyntheticformula。

  \"Atfirst,society(socialgenius)statesaprimaryfact,putsforwardahypothesis……averitableantinomy,whoseantagonisticresultsdevelopinthesocialeconomyinthesamewayasitsconsequencescouldhavebeendeducedinthemind;sothatindustrialmovement,followinginallthingsthedeductionofideas,splitsupintotwocurrents,oneofusefuleffects,theotherofsubversiveresults。Tobringharmonyintotheconstitutionofthistwo—sideprinciple,andtosolvethisantinomy,societygivesrisetoasecond,whichwillsoonbefollowedbyathird;andprogressofsocialgeniuswilltakeplaceinthismanner,until,havingexhaustedallitscontradictions——Isuppose,butitisnotprovedthatthereisalimittohumancontradictions——itreturnsinoneleaptoallitsformerpositionsandwithasingleformulasolvesallitsproblems。\"

  (Vol。Ip。133)

  Justtheasantithesiswasbeforeturnedintoanantidote,sonowthethesisbecomesahypothesis。Thischangeofterms,comingfromM。Proudhon,hasnolongeranythingsurprisingforus!Humanreason,whichisanythingbutpure,havingonlyincompletevision,encountersateverystepnewproblemstobesolved。Everynewthesiswhichitdiscoversinabsolutereasonandwhichisthenegationofthefirstthesis,becomesforitasynthesis,whichitacceptsrathernaivelyasthesolutionoftheprobleminquestion。

  Itisthusthatthisreasonfretsandfumesineverrenewingcontradictionsuntil,comingtotheendofthecontradictions,itperceivesthatallitsthesesandsynthesesaremerelycontradictoryhypotheses。Initsperplexity,\"humanreason,socialgenius,returnsinoneleaptoallitsformerpositions,andinasingleformula,solvesallitsproblems\"。Thisuniqueformula,bytheway,constitutesM。Proudhon’struediscovery。Itisconstitutedvalue。

  HypothesesaremadeonlyinviewofacertainaiM。Theaimthatsocialgenius,speakingthroughthemouthofM。Proudhon,setitselfinthefirstplace,wastoeliminatethebadineveryeconomiccategory,inordertohavenothingleftbutthegood。Forit,thegood,thesupremewell—being,therealpracticalaim,isequality。Andwhydidthesocialgeniusaimatequalityratherthaninequality,fraternity,catholicism,oranyotherprinciple?Because\"humanityhassuccessivelyrealizedsomanyseparatehypothesesonlyinviewofasuperiorhypothesis\",whichpreciselyisequality。Inotherwords:becauseequalityisM。Proudhon’sideal。Heimaginesthatthedivisionoflabor,credit,theworkshop——

  alleconomicrelations——wereinventedmerelyforthebenefitofequality,andyettheyalwaysendedupbyturningagainstit。SincehistoryandthefictionofM。Proudhoncontradicteachotherateverystep,thelatterconcludesthatthereisacontradiction。Ifthereisacontradiction,itexistsonlybetweenhisfixedideaandrealmovement。

  Henceforth,thegoodsideofaneconomicrelationisthatwhichaffirmsequality;thebadside,thatwhichnegatesitandaffirmsinequality。

  Everynewcategoryisahypothesisofthesocialgeniustoeliminatetheinequalityengenderedbytheprecedinghypothesis。Inshort,equalityistheprimordialintention,themysticaltendency,theprovidentialaimthatthesocialgeniushasconstantlybeforeitseyesasitwhirlsinthecircleofeconomiccontradictions。Thus,ProvidenceisthelocomotivewhichmakesthewholeofM。Proudhon’seconomicbaggagemovebetterthanhispureandvolatizedreason。HehasdevotedtoProvidenceawholechapter,whichfollowstheoneontaxes。

  Providence,providentialaim,thisisthegreatwordusedtodaytoexplainthemovementofhistory。Infact,thiswordexplainsnothing。

  Itisatmostarhetoricalform,oneofthevariouswaysofparaphrasingfacts。

  ItisafactthatinScotlandlandedpropertyacquiredanewvaluebythedevelopmentofEnglishindustry。Thisindustryopenedupnewoutletsforwool。Inordertoproducewoolonalargescale,arablelandhadtobetransformedintopasturage。Toeffectthistransformation,theestateshadtobeconcentrated。Toconcentratetheestates,smallholdingshadfirsttobeabolished,thousandsoftenantshadtobedrivenfromtheirnativesoilandafewshepherdsinchargeofmillionsofsheeptobeinstalledintheirplace。Thus,bysuccessivetransformations,landedpropertyinScotlandhasresultedinthedrivingoutofmenbysheep。NowsaythattheprovidentialaimoftheinstitutionoflandedpropertyinScotlandwastohavemendrivenoutbysheep,andyouwillhavemadeprovidentialhistory。

  Ofcourse,thetendencytowardsequalitybelongstoourcentury。

  Tosaynowthatallformercenturies,withentirelydifferentneeds,meansofproduction,etc。,workedprovidentiallyfortherealizationofequalityis,firstly,tosubstitutethemeansandthemenofourcenturyforthemenandthemeansofearliercenturiesandtomisunderstandthehistoricalmovementbywhichthesuccessivegenerationstransformedtheresultsacquiredbythegenerationsthatprecededtheM。Economistsknowverywellthattheverythingthatwasfortheoneafinishedproductwasfortheotherbuttherawmaterialfornewproduction。

  Suppose,asM。Proudhondoes,thatsocialgeniusproduced,orratherimprovised,thefeudallordswiththeprovidentialaimoftransformingthesettlersintoresponsibleandequally—placedworkers:andyouwillhaveeffectedasubstitutionofaimsandofpersonsworthyoftheProvidencethatinstitutedlandedpropertyinScotland,inordertogiveitselfthemaliciouspleasureofdrivingoutmenbysheep。

  ButsinceM。ProudhontakessuchatenderinterestinProvidence,wereferhimtotheHistoiredel’economiepolitiqueofM。deVilleneuve—Bargemont,wholikewisegoesinpursuitofaprovidentialaiM。Thisaim,however,isnotequality,butcatholicism。

  SeventhandLastObservationEconomistshaveasingularmethodofprocedure。Thereareonlytwokindsofinstitutionsforthem,artificialandnatural。Theinstitutionsoffeudalismareartificialinstitutions,thoseofthebourgeoisiearenaturalinstitutions。

  Inthis,theyresemblethetheologians,wholikewiseestablishtwokindsofreligion。Everyreligionwhichisnottheirsisaninventionofmen,whiletheirownisanemanationfromGod。Whentheeconomistssaythatpresent—dayrelations——therelationsofbourgeoisproduction——arenatural,theyimplythatthesearetherelationsinwhichwealthiscreatedandproductiveforcesdevelopedinconformitywiththelawsofnature。Theserelationsthereforearethemselvesnaturallawsindependentoftheinfluenceoftime。Theyareeternallawswhichmustalwaysgovernsociety。Thus,therehasbeenhistory,butthereisnolongerany。Therehasbeenhistory,sincethereweretheinstitutionsoffeudalism,andintheseinstitutionsoffeudalismwefindquitedifferentrelationsofproductionfromthoseofbourgeoissociety,whichtheeconomiststrytopassoffasnaturalandassuch,eternal。

  Feudalismalsohaditsproletariat——serfdom,whichcontinuedallthegermsofthebourgeoisie。Feudalproductionalsohadtwoantagonisticelementswhicharelikewisedesignatedbythenameofthegoodsideandthebadsideoffeudalism,irrespectiveofthefactthatitisalwaysthebadsidethatintheendtriumphsoverthegoodside。Itisthebadsidethatproducesthemovementwhichmakeshistory,byprovidingastruggle。If,duringtheepochofthedominationoffeudalism,theeconomists,enthusiasticovertheknightlyvirtues,thebeautifulharmonybetweenrightsandduties,thepatriarchallifeofthetowns,theprosperousconditionofdomesticindustryinthecountryside,thedevelopmentofindustryorganizedintocorporations,guildsandfraternities,inshort,everythingthatconstitutesthegoodsideoffeudalism,hadsetthemselvestheproblemofeliminatingeverythingthatcastashadowonthepicture——serfdom,privileges,anarchy——whatwouldhavehappened?Alltheelementswhichcalledforththestrugglewouldhavebeendestroyed,andthedevelopmentofthebourgeoisienippedinthebud。Onewouldhavesetoneselftheabsurdproblemofeliminatinghistory。

  Afterthetriumphofthebourgeoisie,therewasnolongeranyquestionofthegoodorthebadsideoffeudalisM。Thebourgeoisietookpossessionoftheproductiveforcesithaddevelopedunderfeudalism。Alltheoldeconomicforms,thecorrespondingcivilrelations,thepoliticalstatewhichwastheofficialexpressionoftheoldcivilsociety,weresmashed。

  Thus,feudalproduction,tobejudgedproperly,mustbeconsideredasamodeofproductionfoundedonantagonisM。Itmustbeshownhowwealthwasproducedwithinthisantagonism,howtheproductiveforcesweredevelopedatthesametimeasclassantagonisms,howoneoftheclasses,thebadside,thedrawbackofsociety,wentongrowinguntilthematerialconditionsforitsemancipationhadattainedfullmaturity。Isnotthisasgoodassayingthatthemodeofproduction,therelationsinwhichproductiveforcesaredeveloped,areanythingbuteternallaws,butthattheycorrespondtoadefinitedevelopmentofmenandoftheirproductiveforces,andthatachangeinmen’sproductiveforcesnecessarilybringsaboutachangeintheirrelationsofproduction?Asthemainthingisnottobedeprivedofthefruitsofcivilization,oftheacquiredproductiveforces,thetraditionalformsinwhichtheywereproducedmustbesmashed。Fromthismoment,therevolutionaryclassbecomesconservative。

  Thebourgeoisiebeginswithaproletariatwhichisitselfarelicoftheproletariat[Marxwrotehere\"workingclass\"inthecopyhegaveN。Utina]offeudaltimes。Inthecourseofitshistoricaldevelopment,thebourgeoisienecessarilydevelopsitsantagonisticcharacter,whichatfirstismoreorlessdisguised,existingonlyinalatentstate。Asthebourgeoisiedevelops,theredevelopsinitsbosomanewproletariat,amodernproletariat;theredevelopsastrugglebetweentheproletarianclassandthebourgeoisieclass,astrugglewhich,beforebeingfelt,perceived,appreciated,understood,avowed,andproclaimedaloudbybothsides,expressesitself,tostartwith,merelyinpartialandmomentaryconflicts,insubversiveacts。Ontheotherhand,ifallthemembersofthemodernbourgeoisiehavethesameinterestsinasmuchastheyformaclassasagainstanotherclass,theyhaveopposite,antagonisticinterestsinasmuchastheystandface—to—facewithoneanother。Thisoppositionofinterestsresultsfromtheeconomicconditionsoftheirbourgeoislife。Fromdaytodayithasbecomesclearerthattheproductionrelationsinwhichthebourgeoisiemoveshavenotasimple,uniformcharacter,butadualcharacter;thatintheselfsamerelationsinwhichwealthisproduced,povertyisalsoproduced;thatintheselfsamerelationsinwhichthereisadevelopmentoftheproductiveforces,thereisalsoaforceproducingrepression;thattheserelationsproducebourgeoiswealth——i。e。,thewealthofthebourgeoisclass——onlybycontinuallyannihilatingthewealthoftheindividualmembersofthisclassandbyproducinganever—growingproletariat。

  Themoretheantagonisticcharactercomestolight,themoretheeconomists,thescientificrepresentativesofbourgeoisproduction,findthemselvesinconflictwiththeirowntheory;anddifferentschoolsarise。

  WehavetheFATALISTeconomists,whointheirtheoryareasindifferenttowhattheycallthedrawbacksofbourgeoisproductionasthebourgeoisthemselvesareinpracticetothesufferingsoftheproletarianswhohelpthemtoacquirewealth。Inthisfatalistschool,thereareClassicsandRomantics。TheClassics,likeAdamSmithandRicardo,representabourgeoisiewhich,whilestillstrugglingwiththerelicsoffeudalsociety,worksonlytopurgeeconomicrelationsoffeudaltaints,toincreasetheproductiveforcesandtogiveanewupsurgetoindustryandcommerce。Theproletariatthattakespartinthisstruggleandisabsorbedinthisfeverishlaborexperiencesonlypassing,accidentalsufferings,anditselfregardsthemassuch。EconomistslikeAdamSmithandRicardo,whoarethehistoriansofthisepoch,havenoothermissionthanthatofshowinghowwealthisacquiredinbourgeoisproductionrelations,offormulatingtheserelationsintocategories,intolaws,andofshowinghowsuperiortheselaws,thesecategories,arefortheproductionofwealthtothelawsandcategoriesoffeudalsociety。Povertyisintheireyesmerelythepangwhichaccompanieseverychildbirth,innatureasinindustry。

  TheROMANTICSbelongtoourownage,inwhichthebourgeoisieisindirectappositiontotheproletariat;inwhichpovertyisengenderedinasgreatabundanceaswealth。Theeconomistsnowposeasblasefatalists,who,fromtheirelevatedposition,castaproudlydisdainfulglanceatthehumanmachineswhomanufacturewealth。Theycopyallthedevelopmentsgivenbytheirpredecessors,andtheindifferencewhichinthelatterwasmerelynaivetebecomesinthemcoquetry。

  NextcomestheHUMANITARIANschool,whichsympathizeswiththebadsideofpresent—dayproductionrelations。Itseeks,bywayofeasingitsconscience,topalliateevenifslightlytherealcontrasts;itsincerelydeploresthedistressoftheproletariat,theunbridledcompetitionofthebourgeoisamongthemselves;itcounselstheworkerstobesober,toworkhardandtohavefewchildren;itadvisesthebourgeoistoputareasonedardorintoproduction。Thewholetheoryofthisschoolrestsoninterminabledistinctionsbetweentheoryandpractice,betweenprinciplesandresults,betweenideasandapplication,betweenformandcontent,betweenessenceandreality,betweenrightandfact,betweenthegoodsideandthebadside。

  ThePHILANTHROPICschoolisthehumanitarianschoolcarriedtoperfection。Itdeniesthenecessityofantagonism;itwantstoturnallmenintobourgeois;itwantstorealizetheoryinsofarasitisdistinguishedfrompracticeandcontainsnoantagonisM。Itgoeswithoutsayingthat,intheory,itiseasytomakeanabstractionofthecontradictionsthataremetwithateverymomentinactualreality。Thistheorywouldthereforebecomeidealizedreality。Thephilanthropists,then,wanttoretainthecategorieswhichexpressbourgeoisrelations,withouttheantagonismwhichconstitutesthemandisinseparablefromtheM。Theythinktheyareseriouslyfightingbourgeoispractice,andtheyaremorebourgeoisthantheothers。

  Justastheeconomistsarethescientificrepresentativesofthebourgeoisclass,sotheSocialistsandCommunistsarethetheoreticiansoftheproletarianclass。Solongastheproletariatisnotyetsufficientlydevelopedtoconstituteitselfasaclass,andconsequentlysolongasthestruggleitselfoftheproletariatwiththebourgeoisiehasnotyetassumedapoliticalcharacter,andtheproductiveforcesarenotyetsufficientlydevelopedinthebosomofthebourgeoisieitselftoenableustocatchaglimpseofthematerialconditionsnecessaryfortheemancipationoftheproletariatandfortheformationofanewsociety,thesetheoreticiansaremerelyutopianswho,tomeetthewantsoftheoppressedclasses,improvisesystemsandgoinsearchofaregeneratingscience。Butinthemeasurethathistorymovesforward,andwithitthestruggleoftheproletariatassumescleareroutlines,theynolongerneedtoseekscienceintheirminds;theyhaveonlytotakenoteofwhatishappeningbeforetheireyesandtobecomeitsmouthpiece。Solongastheylookforscienceandmerelymakesystems,solongastheyareatthebeginningofthestruggle,theyseeinpovertynothingbutpoverty,withoutseeinginittherevolutionary,subversiveside,whichwilloverthrowtheoldsociety。Fromthismoment,science,whichisaproductofthehistoricalmovement,hasassociateditselfconsciouslywithit,hasceasedtobedoctrinaireandhasbecomerevolutionary。

  LetusreturntoM。Proudhon。

  Everyeconomicrelationhasagoodandabadside;itistheonepointonwhichM。Proudhondoesnotgivehimselfthelie。Heseesthegoodsideexpoundedbytheeconomists;thebadsideheseesdenouncedbytheSocialists。Heborrowsfromtheeconomiststhenecessityofeternalrelations;

  heborrowsfromtheSocialiststheillusionofseeinginpovertynothingbutpoverty。Heisinagreementwithbothinwantingtofallbackupontheauthorityofscience。Scienceforhimreducesitselftotheslenderproportionsofascientificformula;heisthemaninsearchofformulas。

  ThusitisthatM。Proudhonflattershimselfonhavinggivenacriticismofbothpoliticaleconomyandcommunism:heisbeneaththemboth。Beneaththeeconomists,since,asaphilosopherwhohasathiselbowamagicformula,hethoughthecoulddispensewithgoingintopurelyeconomicdetails;beneaththesocialists,becausehehasneithercourageenoughnorinsightenoughtorise,beitevenspeculatively,abovethebourgeoishorizon。

  Hewantstobethesynthesis——heisacompositeerror。

  Hewantstosoarasthemanofscienceabovethebourgeoisandproletarians;heismerelythepettybourgeois,continuallytossedbackandforthbetweencapitalandlabor,politicaleconomyandcommunism。

  2。

  DIVISIONOFLABORANDMACHINERY

  Thedivisionoflabor,accordingtoM。Proudhon,openstheseriesofeconomicevolutions。

  \"Consideredinitsessence,thedivisionoflaboristhemannerinwhichequalityofconditionsandintelligenceisrealized。\"

  Goodsideofthe(Vol。I,p。93)

  divisionoflabor

  \"Thedivisionoflaborhasbecomeforusaninstrumentofpoverty。\"

  (Vol。I,p。94)

  Variant

  \"Labor,bydividingitselfaccordingtothelawwhichispeculiartoit,andwhichistheBadsideoftheprimaryconditionsofitsfruit—

  divisionoflaborfulness,endsinthenegationofitsaimsanddestroysitself。\"

  (Vol。I,p。94)

  Tofindthe\"recompositionProblemtobesolvedwhichwipesoutthedrawbacksofthedivision,whileretainingitsusefuleffects。\"

  (Vol。I,p。97)Thedivisionoflaboris,accordingtoM。Proudhon,aneternallaw,asimple,abstractcategory。Thereforetheabstraction,theidea,thewordmustsufficeforhimtoexplainthedivisionoflaboratdifferenthistoricalepochs。

  Castes,corporations,manufacture,large—scaleindustry,mustbeexplainedbythesingleworddivide。Firststudycarefullythemeaningof\"divide\",andyouwillhavenoneedtostudythenumerousinfluenceswhichgivethedivisionoflaboradefintivecharacterineveryepoch。

  Certainly,thingswouldbemademuchtooeasyiftheywerereducedtoM。Proudhon’scategories。Historydoesnotproceedsocategorically。

  IttookthreewholecenturiesinGermanytoestablishthefirstbigdivisionoflabor,theseparationofthetownsfromthecountry。Inproportion,asthisonerelationoftownandcountrywasmodified,thewholeofsocietywasmodified。Totakeonlythisoneaspectofthedivisionoflabor,youhavetheoldrepublics,andyouhaveChristianfeudalism;youhaveoldEnglandwithitsbaronsandyouhavemodernEnglandwithitscottonlords。

  Inthe14thand15thcenturies,whentherewereasyetnocolonies,whenAmericadidnotyetexistforEurope,whenAsiaexistedonlythroughtheintermediaryofConstantinople,whentheMediterraneanwasthecentreofcommercialactivity,thedivisionoflaborhadaverydifferentform,averydifferentaspectfromthatofthe17thcentury,whentheSpanish,thePortuguese,theDutch,theEnglish,andtheFrenchhadcoloniesestablishedinallpartsoftheworld。Theextentofthemarket,itsphysiognomy,givetothedivisionoflaboratdifferentperiodsaphysiognomy,acharacter,whichitwouldbedifficulttodeducefromthesingleworddivide,fromtheidea,fromthecategory。

  \"AlleconomistssinceAdamSmith,\"saysM。Proudhon,\"havepointedouttheadvantagesanddrawbacksofthelawofdiv—ision,butinsistmuchmoreonthefirstthanonthesecond,becausethatwasmoreserviceablefortheiroptimism,andnoneofthemhaseverwonderedwhatcouldbethedrawbackstoalaw……Howdoesthesameprinciple,pursuedvigor—ouslytoitsconsequences,leadtodiametricallyoppositeresults?NotoneeconomistbeforeorsinceA。Smithhasevenperceivedthatherewasaproblemtoelucidate。Saygoestothelengthofrecognizingthatinthedivisionoflaborthesamecausethatproducesthegoodengendersthebad。\"

  [I95—96]

  AdamSmithgoesfurtherthanM。Proudhonthinks。Hesawclearlythat\"thedifferenceofnaturaltalentsindifferentmenis,inreality,muchlessthanweareawareof;andtheverydif—ferentgeniuswhichappearstodistinguishmenofdifferentprofessions,whengrownuptomaturity,isnotsomuchthecauseastheeffectofthedivisionoflabor。\"

  [I20]

  Inprinciple,aporterdifferslessfromaphilosopherthanamastifffromagreyhound。ItisthedivisionoflaborwhichhassetagulfbetweentheM。

  AllthisdoesnotpreventM。ProudhonfromsayingelsewherethatAdamSmithhasnottheslightestideaofthedrawbacksproducedbythedivisionoflabor。itisthisagainthatmakeshimsaythatJ。B。Saywasthefirsttorecognize\"thatinthedivisionoflaborthesamecausethatproducesthegoodengendersthebad。\"[I96]

  ButletuslistentoLemontey;Suumcuique。[34]

  \"M。J。B。SayhasdonemethehonorofadoptinginhisexcellenttreatiseonpoliticaleconomytheprinciplethatIbroughttolightinthisfragmentonthemoralinfluenceofthedivisionoflabor。Thesomewhatfrivoloustitleofmybook[35]doubtlesspreventedhimfromcitingme。ItisonlytothismotivethatIcanattributethesilenceofawritertoorichinhisownstocktodisavowsomodestaload。\"

  (Lemontey,OEuvrescompletes,Vol。I,p。245,Paris1840)

  Letusdohimthisjustice:Lemonteywittilyexposedtheunpleasantconsequencesofthedivisionoflaborasitisconstitutedtoday,andM。Proudhonfoundnothingtoaddtoit。Butnowthat,throughthefaultofM。Proudhon,wehavebeendrawnintothisquestionofpriority,letussayagain,inpassing,thatlongbeforeM。Lemontey,and17yearsbeforeAdamSmith,whowasapupilofA。Ferguson,thelast—namedgaveaclearexpositionofthesubjectinachapterwhichdealsspecificallywiththedivisionoflabor。

  \"Itmayevenbedoubted,whetherthemeasureofnationalcapacityincreaseswiththeadvancementofarts。Manymech—anicalarts……succeedbestunderatotalsuppressionofsentimentandreason;andignoranceisthemotherofindus—tryaswellassuperstition。Reflectionandfancyaresub—jecttoerr;butahabitofmovingthehand,orthefoot,isindependentofeither。Manufactures,accordingly,prospermost,wherethemindisleastconsulted,andwherethework—shopmay,withoutanygreateffortofimagination,beconsideredasanengine,thepartsofwhicharemen……

  \"Thegeneralofficermaybeagreatproficientintheknowledgeofwar,whiletheskillofthesoldierisconfinedtoafewmotionsofthehandandthefoot。Theformermayhavegainedwhatthelatterhaslost……

  \"Andthinkingitself,inthisageofseparations,maybecomeapeculiarcraft。\"

  (A。Ferguson,AnEssayontheHistoryofofCivilSociety,Edinburgh1783[II108,109,110])

  Tobringthisliterarysurveytoaclose,weexpresslydenythat\"alleconomistshaveinsistedfarmoreontheadvantagesthanonthedrawbacksofthedivisionoflabor\"。ItsufficestomentionSismondi。

  Thus,asfarastheadvantagesofthedivisionoflaborareconcerned,M。Proudhonhadnothingfurthertodothantoparaphrasethegeneralphrasesknowntoeverybody。

  Letusnowseehowhederivesfromthedivisionoflabor,takenasagenerallaw,asacategory,asathought,thedrawbackswhichcareattachedtoit。Howisitthatthiscategory,thislawimpliesanunequaldistributionoflabortothedetrimentofM。Proudhon’sequalitariansystem?

  \"Atthissolemnhourofthedivisionoflabor,thestormwindsbegintoblowoverhumanity。Progressdoesnottakeplaceforallinanequalanduniformmanner……Itbeginsbytakingpossessionofasmallnumberoftheprivileged……Itisthispreferenceforpersononthepartofprogressthathasforsolongkeptupthebeliefinthenaturalandprovidentialinequalityofconditions,hasgivenrisetocastes,andhierarchicallyconstitutedallsocieties。\"

  (Proudhon,Vol。I,p。94)

  Thedivisionoflaborcreatedcastes。Now,castesarethedrawbacksofthedivisionoflabor;thus,itisthedivisionoflaborthathasengenderedthedrawbacks。QuoderotdemonstranduM。[\"Whichwasthethingtobeproved。\"]

  Willyougofurtherandaskwhatmadethedivisionoflaborcreatecastes。

  hierarchicalconstitutionsandprivilegedpersons?M。Proudhonwilltellyou:Progress。Andwhatmadeprogress?Limitation。Limitation,forM。Proudhon,isacceptanceofpersonsonthepartofprogress。

  Afterphilosophycomeshistory。Itisnolongereitherdescriptivehistoryordialecticalhistory,itiscomparativehistory。M。Proudhonestablishesaparallelbetweenthepresent—dayprintingworkerandtheprintingworkeroftheMiddleAges;betweenthemanoflettersoftodayandthemanoflettersoftheMiddleAges,andheweighsdownthebalanceonthesideofthosewhobelongmoreorlesstothedivisionoflaborastheMiddleAgesconstitutedortransmittedit。Heopposesthedivisionoflaborofonehistoricalepoch。WasthatwhatM。Proudhonhadtoprove?

  No。Heshouldhaveshownusthedrawbacksofthedivisionoflaboringeneral,ofthedivisionoflaborasacategory。Besides,whystressthispartofM。Proudhon’swork,sincealittlelaterweshallseehimformallyretractalltheseallegeddevelopments?

  \"Thefirsteffectoffractionallabor,\"continuesM。Proudhon,\"afterthedepravationofthesoul,isthepro—longationoftheshifts,whichgrowininverseratiotothesumtotalofintelligenceexpended……Butasthelengthoftheshiftscannotexceed16to18hoursperday,themomentthecompensationcannotbetakenoutofthetime,itwillbetakenoutoftheprice,andthewageswilldiminish……Whatiscertain,andtheonlythingforustonote,isthattheuniversalconsciencedoesnotassessatthesameratetheworkofaforemanandthelaborofamechanic’sassist—

  ant。Itisthereforenecessarytoreducethepriceoftheday’swork;sothattheworker,afterhavingbeenafflictedinhissoulbyadegradingfunction,cannotescapebeingstruckinhisbodybythemeagrenessofhisremuneration。\"

  [I97—98]

  Wepassoverthelogicalvalueofthesesyllogisms,whichKantwouldcallparalogismswhichleadastray。

  Thisisthesubstanceofit:

  Thedivisionoflaborreducestheworkertoadegradingfunction;

  tothisdegradingfunctioncorrespondsadepravedsoul;tothedepravationofthesoulisbefittinganever—increasingwagereduction。Andtoprovethatthisreductionisbefittingtoadepravedsoul,M。Proudhonsays,torelievehisconscience,thattheuniversalconsciencewillsitthus。

  IsM。Proudhon’ssoultobereckonedasapartoftheuniversalconscience?

  Machineryis,forM。Proudhon,\"thelogicalantithesisofthedivisionoflabor\",andwiththehelpofhisdialectics,hebeginsbytransformingmachineryintotheworkshop。

  Afterpresupposingthemodernworkshop,inordertomakepovertytheoutcomeofthedivisionoflabor,M。Proudhonpresupposespovertyengenderedbythedivisionoflabor,inordertocometotheworkshopandbeabletorepresentitasthedialecticalnegationofthatpoverty。Afterstrikingtheworkermorallybyadegradingfunction,physicallybythemeagrenessofthewage;afterputtingtheworkerunderthedependenceoftheforeman,anddebasinghisworktothelaborofamechanic’sassistant,helaystheblameagainontheworkshopandthemachineryfordegradingtheworker\"bygivinghimamaster\",andhecompleteshisabasementbymakinghim\"sinkfromtherankofartisantothatofcommonlaborer\"。Excellentdialectics!

  Andifheonlystoppedthere!Butno,hehastohaveanewhistoryofthedivisionoflabor,notanylongertoderivethecontradictionsfromit,buttoreconstructtheworkshopafterhisownfashion。Toattainthisendhefindshimselfcompelledtoforgetallhehasjustsaidaboutdivision。

  Laborisorganized,isdivideddifferentlyaccordingtotheinstrumentsitdisposesover。Thehand—millpresupposesadifferentdivisionoflaborfromthesteam—mill。Thus,itisslappinghistoryinthefacetowanttobeginbythedivisionoflaboringeneral,inordertogetsubsequentlytoaspecificinstrumentofproduction,machinery。

  Machineryisnomoreaneconomiccategorythanthebullockthatdragstheplough。Machineryismerelyaproductiveforce。Themodernworkshop,whichdependsontheapplicationofmachinery,isasocialproductionrelation,aneconomiccategory。

  LetusseenowhowthingshappeninM。Proudhon’sbrilliantimagination。

  \"Insociety,theincessantappearanceofmachineryistheantithesis,theinverseformulaofthedivisionoflabor:itistheprotestoftheindustrialgeniusagainstfractionalandhomicallabor。What,actually,isamachine?Awayofunitingdifferentportionsoflaborwhichhadbeenseparatedbythedivisionoflabor。Everymachinecanbedefinedasasummaryofseveraloperations……Thus,throughthemachinetherewillbearestorationoftheworker……machinery,whichinpoliticaleconomyplacesitselfincontradictiontothedivisionoflabor,representssynthesis,whichinthehumanmindisopposedtoanalysis……Divisionmerelyseparatedthedifferentpartsoflabor,lettingeachonedevotehimselftothespecialitywhichmostsuitedhim;theworkshopgroupstheworkersaccordingtotherelationofeachparttothewhole……Itintroducestheprincipleofauthorityinlabor……Butthisisnotall;themachineortheworkshop,afterdegradingtheworkerbygivinghimamaster,completeshisabasementbymakinghimsinkfromtherankofartisantothatofcommonlaborer……Theperiodwearegoingthrougharthemoment,thatofmachinery,isdistinguishedbyaspecialcharacteristic,thewageworker。Thewageworkerissubsequenttothedivisionoflaborandtoexchange。\"

  [I135,136,161]

  JustasimpleremarktoM。Proudhon。Theseparationofthedifferentpartsoflabor,leavingtoeachonetheopportunityofdevotinghimselftothespecialitybestsuitedtohim——aseparationwhichM。Proudhondatesfromthebeginningoftheworld——existsonlyinmodernindustryundertheruleofcompetition。

  M。Proudhongoesontogiveusamost\"interestinggenealogy\",toshowhowtheworkshoparosefromthedivisionoflaborandthewageworkerfromtheworkshop。

  Hesupposesamanwho\"noticedthatbydividingupproductionintoitsdifferentpartsandhavingeachoneperformedbyaseparateworker\",theforcesofproductionwouldbemultiplied。

  Thisman,\"graspingthethreadofthisidea,tellshimselfthat,byformingapermanentgroupofworkersselectedforthespecialpurposehesetshimself,hewillobtainamoresustainedproduction,etc。\"[I161]

  Thismanmakesaproposaltoothermen,tomakethemgrasphisideaandthethreadofhisidea。

  Thisman,atthebeginningofindustry,dealsontermsofequalitywithhiscompanionswholaterbecomeshisworkmen。

  \"Onerealizes,infact,thatthisoriginalequalityhadrapidlytodisappearinviewoftheadvantageouspositionofthemasterandthedependenceofthewage—earner。\"[I163]

  ThatisanotherexampleofM。Proudhon’shistoricalanddescriptivemethod。

  Letusnowexamine,fromthehistoricalandeconomicpointofview,whethertheworkshopofthemachinereallyintroducedtheprincipleofauthorityinsocietysubsequentlytothedivisionoflabor;whetheritrehabilitatedtheworkerontheonehand,whilesubmittinghimtoauthorityontheother;whetherthemachineistherecompositionofdividedlabor,thesynthesisoflaborasopposedtoitsanalysis。

  Societyasawholehasthisincommonwiththeinteriorofaworkshop,thatittoohasitsdivisionoflabor。Ifonetookasamodelthedivisionoflaborinamodernworkshop,inordertoapplyittoawholesociety,thesocietybestorganizedfortheproductionofwealthwouldundoubtedlybethatwhichhadasinglechiefemployer,distributingtaskstodifferentmembersofthecommunityaccordingtoapreviouslyfixedrule。Butthisisbynomeansthecase。Whileinsidethemodernworkshopthedivisionoflaborismeticulouslyregulatedbytheauthorityoftheemployer,modernsocietyhasnootherrule,nootherauthorityforthedistributionoflaborthanfreecompetition。

  Underthepatriarchalsystem,underthecastesystem,underthefeudalandcorporativesystem,therewasdivisionoflaborinthewholeofsocietyaccordingtofixedrules。Weretheserulesestablishedbyalegislator?No。Originallybornoftheconditionsofmaterialproduction,theywereraisedtothestatusoflawsonlymuchlater。Inthisway,thesedifferentformsofthedivisionoflaborbecamesomanybasesofsocialorganization。Asforthedivisionintheworkshop,itwasverylittledevelopedinalltheseformsofsociety。

  Itcanevenbelaiddownasageneralrulethatthelessauthoritypresidesoverthedivisionoflaborinsidesociety,themorethedivisionoflabordevelopsinsidetheworkshop,andthemoreitissubjectedtheretotheauthorityofasingleperson。Thusauthorityintheworkshopandauthorityinsociety,inrelationtothedivisionoflabor,areininverseratiotoeachother。

  Thequestionnowiswhatkindofworkshopitisinwhichtheoccupationsareverymuchseparated,whereeachworker’staskisreducedtoaverysimpleoperation,andwheretheauthority,capital,groupsanddirectsthework。Howwasthisworkshopbroughtintoexistence?Inordertoanswerthisquestion,weshallhavetoexaminehowmanufacturingindustry,properlyso—called,hasdeveloped。Iamspeakinghereofthatindustrywhichisnotyetindustry,withitsmachinery,butwhichisalreadynolongertheindustryoftheartisansoftheMiddleAges,nordomesticindustry。Weshallnotgointogreatdetail:weshallmerelygiveafewmainpointstoshowthathistoryisnottobemadewithformulas。

  Oneofthemostindispensableconditionsfortheformationofmanufacturingindustrywastheaccumulationofcapital,facilitatedbythediscoveryofAmericaandtheimportofitspreciousmetals。

  Itissufficientlyprovedthattheincreaseinthemeansofexchangeresultedinthedepreciationofwagesandlandrents,ontheonehand,andthegrowthofindustrialprofitsontheother。Inotherwords:totheextentthatthepropertiedclassandtheworkingclass,thefeudallordsandthepeople,sank,tothatextentthecapitalistclass,thebourgeoisie,rose。

  Therewereyetothercircumstanceswhichcontributedsimultaneouslytothedevelopmentofmanufacturingindustry:theincreaseofcommoditiesputintocirculationfromthemomentthattradehadpenetratedtotheEastIndiesbywayoftheCapeofGoodHope;thecolonialsystem;thedevelopmentofmaritimetrade。

  Anotherpointwhichhasnotyetbeensufficientlyappreciatedinthehistoryofmanufacturingindustryisthedisbandingofthenumerousretinuesoffeudallords,whosesubordinateranksbecamevagrantsbeforeenteringtheworkshop。Thecreationoftheworkshopwasprecededbyanalmostuniversalvagrancyinthe15thand16thcenturies。Theworkshopfound,besides,apowerfulsupportinthemanypeasantswho,continuallydrivenfromthecountryowingtothetransformationofthefieldsintopasturesandtotheprogressinagriculturewhichnecessitatedfewerhandsforthetillageofthesoil,wentoncongregatinginthetownsduringwholecenturies。

  Thegrowthofthemarket,theaccumulationofcapital,themodificationinthesocialpositionoftheclasses,alargenumberofpersonsbeingdeprivedoftheirsourcesofincome,allthesearehistoricalpreconditionsfortheformationofmanufacture。Itwasnot,asM。Proudhonsays,friendlyagreementsbetweenequalsthatbroughtmenintotheworkshop。Itwasnoteveninthebosomoftheoldguildsthatmanufacturewasborn。Itwasthemerchantthatbecameheadofthemodernworkshop,andnottheoldguildmaster。

  Almosteverywheretherewasadesperatestrugglebetweenmanufactureandcrafts。

  Theaccumulationandconcentrationofinstrumentsandworkersprecededthedevelopmentofthedivisionoflaborinsidetheworkshop。

  Manufactureconsistedmuchmoreinthebringingtogetherofmanyworkersandmanycraftsinoneplace,inoneroomunderthecommandofonecapital,thanintheanalysisoflaborandtheadaptationofaspecialworkertoaverysimpletask。

  Theutilityofaworkshopconsistedmuchlessinthedivisionoflaborassuchthaninthecircumstancesthatworkwasdoneonamuchlargerscale,thatmanyunnecessaryexpensesweresaved,etc。Attheendofthe16thandatthebeginningofthe17thcentury,Dutchmanufacturescarcelyknewanydivisionoflabor。

  Thedevelopmentofthedivisionoflaborsupposestheassemblageofworkersinaworkshop。Thereisnotonesingleexample,whetherinthe16thorinthe17thcentury,ofthedifferentbranchesofoneandthesamecraftbeingexploitedseparatelytosuchanextentthatitwouldhavesufficedtoassemblethemallinoneplacesoastoobtainacomplete,ready—madeworkshop。Butoncethemenandtheinstrumentshadbeenbroughttogether,thedivisionoflabor,suchasithadexistedintheformoftheguilds,wasreproduced,necessarilyreflectedinsidetheworkshop。

  ForM。Proudhon,whoseesthingsupsidedown,ifheseesthematall,thedivisionoflabor,inAdamSmith’ssense,precedestheworkshop,whichisaconditionofitsexistence。

  Machinery,properlyso—called,datesfromtheendofthe18thcentury。Nothingismoreabsurdthantoseeinmachinerytheantithesisofthedivisionoflabor,thesynthesisrestoringunitytodividedlabor。

  Themachineisaunificationoftheinstrumentsoflabor,andbynomeansacombinationofdifferentoperationsfortheworkerhimself。

  \"When,bythedivisionoflabor,eachparticularoperationhasbeensimplifiedtotheuseofasingleinstrument,thelinkingupofalltheseinstruments,setinmotionbyasingleengine,constitutes——amachine。\"

  (Babbage,Traitesurl’economiedesmachines[etdesmanufactures],Paris1833[p。230])

  Simpletools;accumulationtools;compositetools;settinginmotionofacompositetoolbyasinglehandengine,byman;settinginmotionoftheseinstrumentsbynaturalforces,machines;systemofmachineshavingonemotor;systemofmachineshavingoneautomaticmotor——thisistheprogressofmachinery。

  Theconcentrationoftheinstrumentsofproductionandthedivisionoflaborareasinseparableonefromtheotherasare,inthepoliticalsphere,theconcentrationofpublicauthorityandthedivisionofprivateinterests。England,withtheconcentrationoftheland,thisinstrumentofagriculturallabor,hasatthesametimedivisionofagriculturallaborandtheapplicationofmachinerytotheexploitationofthesoil。France,whichhasthedivisionoftheinstruments,thesmallholdingssystem,has,ingeneral,neitherdivisionofagriculturallabornorapplicationofmachinerytothesoil。

  ForM。Proudhontheconcentrationoftheinstrumentsoflaboristhenegationofthedivisionoflabor。Inreality,wefindagainthereverse。Astheconcentrationofinstrumentsdevelops,thedivisiondevelopsalso,andviceversa。Thisiswhyeverybigmechanicalinventionisfollowedbyagreaterdivisionoflabor,andeachincreaseinthedivisionoflaborgivesriseinturntonewmechanicalinventions。

  WeneednotrecallthefactthatthegreatprogressofthedivisionoflaborbeganinEnglandaftertheinventionofmachinery。Thus,theweaversandspinnerswereforthemostpartpeasantslikethoseonestillmeetsinbackwardcountries。Theinventionofmachinerybroughtabouttheseparationofmanufacturingindustryfromagriculturalindustry。Theweaverandthespinner,unitedbutlatelyinasinglefamily,wereseparatedbythemachine。

  Thankstothemachine,thespinnercanliveinEnglandwhiletheweaverresidesintheEastIndies。Beforetheinventionofmachinery,theindustryofacountrywascarriedonchieflywithrawmaterialsthatweretheproductsofitsownsoil;inEngland——wool,inGermany——flax,inFrance——silksandflax,intheEastIndiesandtheLevant——cottons,etc。Thankstotheapplicationofmachineryandofsteam,thedivisionoflaborwasabouttoassumesuchdimensionsthatlarge—scaleindustry,detachedfromthenationalsoil,dependsentirelyontheworldmarket,oninternationalexchange,onaninternationaldivisionoflabor。Inshort——themachinehassogreataninfluenceonthedivisionoflabor,thatwhen,inthemanufactureofsomeobject,ameanshasbeenfoundtoproducepartsofitmechanically,themanufacturesplitsupimmediatelyintotwoworksindependentofeachother。

  NeedwespeakofthephilanthropicandprovidentialaimthatM。

  Proudhondiscoversintheinventionandfirstapplicationofmachinery?

  WheninEnglandthemarkethadbecomesofardevelopedthatmanuallaborwasnolongeradequate,theneedformachinerywasfelt。Thencametheideaoftheapplicationofmechanicalscience,alreadyquitedevelopedinthe18thcentury。

  Theautomaticworkshopopeneditscareerwithactswhichwereanythingbutphilanthropic。Childrenwerekeptatworkatthewhip’send;

  theyweremadeanobjectoftrafficandcontractswereundertakenwiththeorphanages。Allthelawsontheapprenticeshipofworkerswererepealed,because,touseM。Proudhon’sphraseology,therewasnofurtherneedforsyntheticworkers。Finally,from1825onwards,almostallthenewinventionsweretheresultofcollisionsbetweentheworkerandtheemployerwhosoughtatallcoststodepreciatetheworker’sspecializedability。

  Aftereachnewstrikeofanyimportance,thereappearedanewmachine。

  Solittleindeeddidtheworkerseeintheapplicationofmachineryasortofrehabilitation,restoration——asM。Proudhonwouldsay——thatinthe18thcenturyhestoodoutforaverylongtimeagainsttheincipientdominationoftheautomation。

  \"Wyatt,\"saysDoctorUre,\"inventedtheseriesofflutedrollers……

  (thespinningfingersusuallyascribedtoAwkright)……

  \"Themaindifficultydidnot,tomyapprehension,liesomuchintheinventionofaproperself—actingmechanism……asintraininghumanbeingstorenouncetheirdesultoryhabitsofwork,andtoidentifythemselveswiththeunvaryingregular—ityofthecomplexautomation。Buttodeviseandadministerasuccessfulcodeoffactorydiscipline,suitedtothenecessitiesoffactorydiligence,wastheHerculeanenter—prise,thenobleachievementofAwkright。\"

  [I21—22,23]

  Inshort,bytheintroductionofmachinery,thedivisionoflaborinsidesocietyhasgrownup,thetaskoftheworkerinsidetheworkshophasbeensimplified,capitalhasbeenconcentrated,humanbeingshavebeenfurtherdismembered。

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