Political Science 1020E Lecture 3: Lecture notes - Socialism 2 – Nov 19
12 Feb 2019
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Engels marx made two great discoveries: law of human nature, theory of surplus value, explains the nature of capitalist society, workers are sacrifices to capital. Distinction between labour and labour power: how capitalist make money, buy labour-power (ability to work, worker produces more than the value of what they are being paid, capitalist takes that surplus value; profit; unpaid labour. Capitalist profit is the surplus value created by workers. History is the history of class struggle development of productive capacity. Conflicts of interest are linked to our relation to the means of production. Politics is about the resolution/ suppression of class conflict. The state exists to deal with conflicts of interest generated by coercive surplus extraction. Revolution is likely in states that fail to integrate their classes: marx thought it ought to come from proletariats, people rise up in the name of something else; not just class interest, but economic aspect as well.
