Capital: A Critique of Political Economy

Capital a great landmark of nineteenth-century thought is the book that most shaped twentieth-century history. Capital offers a still-unrivaled picture of the dynamism of capitalism and its power to transform societies on a global scale.Marx died in 1883 but Capital the Bible of the working class is the book that most shaped twentieth-century history. His theories divided much of the world into two blocs one embracing communism and the other fearing it and cast a shadow into the twenty-first century.Although Marx writes as a philosopher and economist presenting an analysis of an economic system the book is surprisingly readable. It reads like a Gothic novel whose heroes are enslaved and consumed by the monster they created.Marx's conclusions are debated; his analysis is widely respected. Indeed it is Marx and not Adam Smith who understood the central role of capital. The historian Gareth Stedman Jones wrote: What is extraordinary about Capital is that it offers a still-unrivaled picture of the dynamism of capitalism and its transformation of societies on a global scale. Capital has now emerged as one of the great landmarks of nineteenth-century thought.Capital is a revolutionary book; forged during the political and industrial revolutions of the nineteenth century it became the keystone of many Communist revolutions of the twentieth century. In this comprehensive analysis of capitalist economics and articulation of his theory of class conflict Karl Marx (1818-1883) relentlessly argues that the accumulation of capital can only be achieved by bourgeoisie exploitation of the working classes. Capital has changed not only history but also human thought becoming a foundational text in materialist philosophy economics and politics.Karl Heinrich Marx (1818-1883) was a German-born philosopher economist historian and sociologist. While writing Capital he lived in poverty with his wife and four young children in a two-room flat in Soho London. In 1845 he wrote Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it words that capture his spirit and are inscribed on his grave. Later in 1848 in The Manifesto of the Communist Party with Engels he famously wrote: Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workers of the world unite! (This edition also includes The Manifesto of the Communist Party.)He would have felt vindicated had he lived to see the Russian and Chinese Revolutions!