"The ultimate reason for all real crises always remains the poverty and restricted consumption of the masses as opposed to the drive of captialist production to develop the productive forces as though only the absolute consuming power of society constituted their outer limit " (Capital vol. III, Moscow, 1959, pp. 472-73) ; quoted in The Development of Capitalism in Russia.
Comment Capital can never employed all the proletarians, all the time or most of the time, and this is a built in restriction on consumption, even during period of expanding consumption. This mass of non-producing consumers allows the capitalist to set wages. (Non-producing classes is what Marx calls it is the top portion of the material quoted above). Lets try and get behind under consumption as an "ism." "Under consumption" as an "ism" is a distinct body of politics. The calling card of every Social Democrat has always been and remains the battle cry of "raise the consuming capacity of the masses." It is the ideology of under consumption of the masses, as an "ism," that establishes the political unity between capital and its various production units being strangled by a break in circulation; the social democrats and their efforts to win the masses to preservation of capitalism. The social democrats American brand, are neatly lining up behind President Obama, demanding to raise the consuming capacity of the masses, with an $800 million spending package promising jobs. Under consumption as an "ism" is actually a coherent thought and ideology. Under consumption as an "ism" is pure social democratic ideology and politics. One ought not raise concession battles to the level of an "ism." For one to say for instance, the financial crisis of 2008 is ultimately related to "restricted consumption of the masses" is just silly. Capital can never continuously employed all the proletarians and this is a built in restriction on consumption, even during boom times or during periods of expanding consumption. Society faces a permanent, unrelenting crisis in/of fixed capital, which can no longer be mitigated by market expansion or deepening by credit extension. Unlike during the time of Marx the falling rate of profit cannot today be overcome on the basis of quantitative market expansion. During Marx crisis could be mitigated through market expansion and the creation of a real world market with colonies. Marx use of the term "world market" meant an outline of a world market. Today there is a "for real" world market. In 1850 and 1860 there was not. Dead labor consumes living labor in the absolute sense. During the time of Marx dead labor consumption of living labor was mitigated through conversion of a sea of humanity from serfs to modern proletarians and the employed working class expanded in absolute terms. The entire system expanded. Advanced robotics and computerized production process introduces a new quality in to the game. Capital is hitting the historical wall Permanent overcapacity in virtually every industry and not just overproduction or under consumption is the new reality and this did not exist in 1870. Permanent overcapacity finds capital feeding on itself in search of profits. Not surplus value but profits or valueless wealth. Valueless wealth is impossible and cannot stand for long. WL. "Let us suppose that the whole of society is composed only of industrial capitalists and wage-workers. Let us furthermore disregard price fluctuations, which prevent large portions of the total capital from replacing themselves in their average proportions and which, owing to the general interrelations of the entire reproduction process as developed in particular by credit, must always call forth general stoppages of a transient nature. Let us also disregard the sham transactions and speculations, which the credit system favours. Then, a crisis could only be explained as the result of a disproportion of production in various branches of the economy, and as a result of a disproportion between the consumption of the capitalists and their accumulation. But as matters stand, the replacement of the capital invested in production depends largely upon the consuming power of the non-producing classes; while the consuming power of the workers is limited partly by the laws of wages, partly by the fact that they are used only as long as they can be profitably employed by the capitalist class. The ultimate reason for all real crises always remains the poverty and restricted consumption of the masses as opposed to the drive of capitalist production to develop the productive forces as though only the absolute consuming power of society constituted their limit. _http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1894-c3/ch30.htm_ (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1894-c3/ch30.htm) Vol 3 Chapter 30. This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from _http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm_ (http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm) **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! 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