PHIL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: The Communist Manifesto, Hormel, Overproduction
Document Summary
Workers young, many latinos, sweat even in the cold. Big strike against hormel in austin minnesota in 1980: celebrities supported, sdsu students sent food, strike failed, unions practically broken. Some tendencies in capitalism: simplification of class structure: capitalists v workers, technical progress in manufacturing technique, world-wide expansion of capitalism, concentration of ownership and wealth, larger, more unified working class. Over the long term, capitalist enterprises have to expand (or merge) or die. If he buys a widget machine, the product will be cheaper, and he needs to sell more of it. Uncoordinated expansion (=no common plan) by competitors means they must eventually saturate the local market. Less labor per widget means production cost is less, so the price is less. Ex: cdroms used to cost several $ each. Capitalists who refuse to adopt the new technology eventually driven out of business. Conflict forces people to do things whether they want to or not self- defense.
