Social Relations of Production
Those established between the proprietors of the means of production and the direct producers of a specific production process:
- ‘exploiter-exploited’ relationship:The proprietors of the means of production live at the expense of direct producers:
- ‘reciprocal collaboration’ relationship:There is a social property of the means of production (no sector lives from the exploitation of another sector):
SOCIAL CLASSES
Antagonistic social groups; one owns the work of another as a result of the different place they occupy in the economical structure.
Marx believes that there were no true 'social classes' until Capitalism arrived; it wasn't until then that the antagonism between the different social groups in western society began to aggravate.
In previous modes of production (slavery and servitude), there were only stratums,which lacked a fundamental concept:
CONCIOUSNESS OF CLASS: According to Marxism, an individual or a social group has 'consciousness of class' when he is/they are aware of his/their class interests.This consciousness limits the different sides within a FIGHT BETWEEN CLASSES.
FIGHT BETWEEN CLASSES: This struggle is produced between two antagonist classes when they defend their respective class interests.
Such ‘fight between classes’ is not always violent, and it generally develops in the following three stages:
After this general introduction, let's study the Capitalist mode of production.
According to Marx, the main trait which defines this mode of production is the exchange of merchandise.
MERCHANDISE = products which have a 'use value' for others through the market. In other words, a product, with its 'use value', acquires a CHANGE VALUE when it is sold, reflected in a price.
LAW OF VALUE: the exchange of merchandise in the market is ruled by the incorporated work quantity.
This law originates from 'classic economy' (Smith, Malthus, Ricardo,etc.). Marx differs from the classic economists in their interpretation of the concept of 'incorporated work'.
For him, the value of a product depends on the necessary social work used to produce it, not the incorporated individual work.
- commercial exchange: M — D — M …
In ‘commercial exchange’, which was supported by classic economy, a merchant sells his merchandise (M), with which he gets money (D)to buy more merchandise, which in turn would be sold, …, etc.
- capitalist exchange: D — M — D + d —- Surplus value
NECESSARY WORK TIME =that time in which a worker reproduces his work force.
EXTRA WORK TIME (unpaid) = that time in which a worker creates a ‘surplus value’ for the capitalist
Surplus value = value the worker creates beyond the value of his work force:
- ABSOLUTE: Obtained by prolonging the work day or by intensifying labour.
- RELATIVE: Obtained by reducing the necessary work time.
As we see, the marxists modification of the 'Law of Value' is based in the profit the capitalist obtains by means of selling products, in which, according to Marx, the worker doesn't participate, and thus producing the so-called ‘surplus value’.
CAPITAL = different elements of the work process when they are destined to produce surplus value for the owner:
- Constant: Invested by the means of production
- Variable: Invested by the work force.
