Capitalism is "naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation", according to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifesto. There never had to be capitalism for any reason. I disagree with the claim that capitalism had to occur as an intermediary system between feudalism and monarchy and to get to socialism, then communism. Increasing the "efficiency" of production never was dependent on establishing capitalism or on the continuation of any sort of class society. Workers could have been organized to produce what needed to be produced, without causing undue harm to the natural world, with the least toil necessary for each worker and to share the benefits equally among all in need. No surplus value needed to be exploited from anyone. Any surplus value that could have occurred *without* *exploiting* workers or the natural world could have rightfully been distributed to those who were unable to produce, to meet the common needs of all, and/or kept in reserve in reasonable amounts for times when production could not occur.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 18:30:02 +0000
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