Informertimes，capitalresortedtolegislation，whenevernecessary，toenforceitsproprietaryrightsoverthefreelabourer。Forinstance，downto1815，theemigrationofmechanicsemployedinmachinemakingwas，inEngland，forbidden，undergrievouspainsandpenalties。
Thereproductionoftheworking—classcarrieswithittheaccumulationofskill，thatishandeddownfromonegenerationtoanother。[13]Towhatextentthecapitalistreckonstheexistenceofsuchaskilledclassamongthefactorsofproductionthatbelongtohimbyright，andtowhatextentheactuallyregardsitastherealityofhisvariablecapital，isseensosoonasacrisisthreatenshimwithitsloss。InconsequenceofthecivilwarintheUnitedStatesandoftheaccompanyingcottonfamine，themajorityofthecottonoperativesinLancashirewere，asiswellknown，thrownoutofwork。Bothfromtheworking—classitself，andfromotherranksofsociety，therearoseacryforStateaid，orforvoluntarynationalsubscriptions，inordertoenablethe"superfluous"
handstoemigratetothecoloniesortotheUnitedStates。Thereupon，TheTimespublishedonthe24thMarch，1863，aletterfromEdmundPotter，aformerpresidentoftheManchesterChamberofCommerce。ThisletterwasrightlycalledintheHouseofCommons，themanufacturers’manifesto。[14]Wecullhereafewcharacteristicpassages，inwhichtheproprietaryrightsofcapitaloverlabour—powerareunblushinglyasserted。
"He"（themanoutofwork）"maybetoldthesupplyofcotton—workersistoolarge……and……must……infactbereducedbyathird，perhaps，andthatthentherewillbeahealthydemandfortheremainingtwo—thirds……
Publicopinion……urgesemigration……Themastercannotwillinglyseehislaboursupplybeingremoved;hemaythink，andperhapsjustly，thatitisbothwrongandunsound……Butifthepublicfundsaretobedevotedtoassistemigration，hebasarighttobeheard，andperhapstoprotest。"
Mr。Potterthenshowshowusefulthecottontradeis，howthe"tradehasundoubtedlydrawnthesurplus—populationfromIrelandandfromtheagriculturaldistricts，"howimmenseisitsextent，howintheyear1860ityielded5/13thsofthetotalEnglishexports，how，afterafewyears，itwillagainexpandbytheextensionofthemarket，particularlyoftheIndianmarket，andbycallingforthaplentifulsupplyofcottonat6d。perlb。
Hethencontinues:"Sometime……，one，two，orthreeyears，itmaybe，willproducethequantity……ThequestionIwouldputthenisthis？Isthetradeworthretaining？Isitworthwhiletokeepthemachinery（hemeansthelivinglabourmachines）inorder，andisitnotthegreatestfollytothinkofpartingwiththat？Ithinkitis。I
allowthattheworkersarenotaproperty，notthepropertyofLancashireandthemasters;buttheyarethestrengthofboth;theyarethementalandtrainedpowerwhichcannotbe。replacedforageneration;themeremachinerywhichtheyworkmightmuchofitbebeneficiallyreplaced，nayimproved，inatwelvemont;[15]Encourageorallow（！）theworking—powertoemigrate，andwhatofthecapitalist？……Takeawaythecreamoftheworkers，andfixedcapitalwilldepreciateinagreatdegree，andthefloatingwillnotsubjectitselftoastrugglewiththeshortsupplyofinferiorlabour……
Wearetoldtheworkerswishit"（emigration）。"Verynaturalitisthattheyshoulddoso……Reduce，compressthecottontradebytakingawayitsworkingpowerandreducingtheirwagesexpenditure，sayone—fifth，orfivemillions，andwhatthenwouldhappentotheclassabove，thesmallshopkeepers;andwhatoftherents，thecottagerents……Traceouttheeffectsupwardstothesmallfarmer，thebetterhouseholder，and……thelandowner，andsayiftherecouldbeanysuggestionmoresuicidaltoallclassesofthecountrythanbyenfeeblinganationbyexportingthebestofitsmanufacturingpopulation，anddestroyingthevalueofsomeofitsmostproductivecapitalandenrichment……Iadvisealoan（offiveorsixmillionssterling），……extendingitmaybeovertwoorthreeyears，administeredbyspecialcommissionersaddedtotheBoardsofGuardiansinthecottondistricts，underspeciallegislativeregulations，enforcingsomeoccupationorlabour，asameansofkeepingupatleastthemoralstandardoftherecipientsoftheloan……cananythingbeworseforlandownersormastersthanpartingwiththebestoftheworkers，anddemoralisinganddisappointingtherestbyanextendeddepletiveemigration，adepletionofcapitalandvalueinanentireprovince？"
Potter，thechosenmouthpieceofthemanufacturers，distinguishestwosortsof"machinery，"eachofwhichbelongstothecapitalist，andofwhichonestandsinhisfactory，theotheratnight—timeandonSundaysishousedoutsidethefactory，incottages。Theoneisinanimate，theotherliving。
Theinanimatemachinerynotonlywearsoutanddepreciatesfromdaytoday，butagreatpartofitbecomessoquicklysuperannuated，byconstanttechnicalprogress，thatitcanbereplacedwithadvantagebynewmachineryafterafewmonths。Thelivingmachinery，onthecontrarygetsbetterthelongeritlasts，andinproportionastheskill，handedfromonegenerationtoanother，accumulates。TheTimesansweredthecottonlordasfollows:
"Mr。EdmundPotterissoimpressedwiththeexceptionalandsupremeimportanceofthecottonmastersthat，inordertopreservethisclassandperpetuatetheirprofession，hewouldkeephalfamillionofthelabouringclassconfinedinagreatmoralworkhouseagainsttheir’will。’Isthetradeworthretaining？’asksMr。Potter。’Certainlybyallhonestmeansitis，’weanswer。’Isitworthwhilekeepingthemachineryinorder？’
againasksMr。Potter。Herewehesitate。Bythe’machinery’Mr。Pottermeansthehumanmachinery，forhegoesontoprotestthathedoesnotmeantousethemasanabsoluteproperty。Wemustconfessthatwedonotthinkit’worthwhile，’orevenpossible，tokeepthehumanmachineryinorder—thatistoshutitupandkeepitoiledtillitiswanted。Humanmachinerywillrustunderinaction，oilandrubitasyoumay。Moreover，thehumanmachinerywill，aswehavejustseen，getthesteamupofitsownaccord，andburstorrunamuckinourgreattowns。itmight，asMr。Pottersays，requiresometimetoreproducetheworkers，but，havingmachinistsandcapitalistsathand，wecouldalwaysfindthrifty，hard，industriousmenwherewithtoimprovisemoremaster—manufacturersthanwecaneverwant。Mr。Pottertalksofthetradereviving’inone，two，orthreeyears，’andheasksusnot’toencourageorallow（！）theworkingpowertoemigrate。’[16]Hesaysthatitisverynaturaltheworkersshouldwishtoemigrate;buthethinksthatinspiteoftheirdesire，thenationoughttokeepthishalfmillionofworkerswiththeir700，000dependents，shutupinthecottondistricts;andasanecessaryconsequence，hemustofcoursethinkthatthenationoughttokeepdowntheirdiscontentbyforce，andsustainthembyalms？anduponthechancethatthecottonmastersmaysomedaywantthem……Thetimeiscomewhenthegreatpublicopinionoftheseislandsmustoperatetosavethis’workingpower’fromthosewhowoulddealwithitastheywoulddealwithiron，andcoal，andcotton。"
TheTimes’articlewasonlyajeud’esprit。The"greatpublicopinion"was，infact，ofMr。Potter’sopinion，thatthefactoryoperativesarepartofthemovablefittingsofafactory。Theiremigrationwasprevented。
Theywerelockedupinthat"moralworkhouse，"thecottondistricts，andtheyform，asbefore，"thestrength"ofthecottonmanufacturersofLancashire。
Capitalistproduction，therefore，ofitselfreproducestheseparationbetweenlabour—powerandthemeansoflabour。Ittherebyreproducesandperpetuatestheconditionforexploitingthelabourer。Itincessantlyforceshimtosellhislabour—powerinordertolive，andenablesthecapitalisttopurchaselabour—powerinorderthathemayenrichhimself。[17]Itisnolongeramereaccident，thatcapitalistandlabourerconfronteachotherinthemarketasbuyerandseller。Itistheprocessitselfthatincessantlyhurlsbackthelabourerontothemarketasavendorofhislabour—power，andthatincessantlyconvertshisownproductintoameansbywhichanothermancanpurchasehim。Inreality，thelabourerbelongstocapitalbeforehehassoldhimselftocapital。Hiseconomicbondage[18]isbothbroughtaboutandconcealedbytheperiodicsaleofhimself，byhischangeofmasters，andbytheoscillationsinthemarket—priceoflabour—power。[19]
Capitalistproduction，therefore，underitsaspectofacontinuousconnectedprocess，ofaprocessofreproduction，producesnotonlycommodities，notonlysurplus—value，butitalsoproducesandreproducesthecapitalistrelation;ontheonesidethecapitalist，ontheotherthewage—labourer。[20]
Footnotes[1]"Maiscesriches，quiconsommentlesproduitsdutravaildesautres，nepeuventlesobtenirquepardeséchanges[purchasesofcommodities]。
S’ilsdonnentcependantleurrichesseacquiseetaccumuléeenretourcontrecesproduitsnouveauxquisontl’objetdeleurfantaisie，ilssemblentexposésàépuiserbientôtleurfondsderéserve;
ilsnetravaillentpoint，avors—nousdit，etilsnepeuventmêmetravailler;oncroiraitdoncquechaquejourdoitvoirdiminuerleursvieillesrichesses，etquelorsqu’ilneleurenresteraplus，rienneseraoffertenéchangeauxouvriersquitravaillentexclusivementpoureux……
Maisdansl’ordresocial，larichesseaacquislapropriété
desereproduireparletravaild’autrui，etsansquesonproprietaireyconcoure。Larichesse，commeletravail，etparletravail，donneunfruitannuelquipeutêtredétruitchaqueannéesansquelericheendeviennepluspauvre。Cefruitestlerevenuquinetducapital"（Sismondi:"Nouv。Princ。d’Econ。Pol。"Paris，1819，t。I，pp。81—82。）
[2]"Wagesaswellasprofitsaretobeconsidered，eachofthem，asreallyaportionofthefinishedproduct。"（Ramsay，l。c。，p。142。）"Theshareoftheproductwhichcomestothelabourerintheformofwages。"（J。Mill，"Eléments，&c。"TranslatedbyParissot。Paris，1823，p。34。）
[3]"Whencapitalisemployedinadvancingtotheworkmanhiswages，itaddsnothingtothefundsforthemaintenanceoflabour。"（CazenoveinnotetohiseditionofMalthus’"DefinitionsinPol。Econ。"London，1853，p。
22。）
[4]"Thewagesoflabourareadvancedbycapitalistsinthecaseoflessthanonefourthofthelabourersoftheearth。"（Rich。Jones:"TextbookofLecturesonthePol。Econ。ofNations。"Hertford，1852，p。36。）
[5]"Thoughthemanufacturer"（i。e。，thelabourer）"hashiswagesadvancedtohimbyhismaster，heinrealitycostshimnoexpense，thevalueofthesewagesbeinggenerallyreserved，togetherwithaprofit，intheimprovedvalueofthesubjectuponwhichhislabourisbestowed。"（A。Smith，l。
c。，BookII……ch。III，p。311。）
[6]"Thisisaremarkablypeculiarpropertyofproductivelabour。Whateverisproductivelyconsumediscapitalanditbecomescapitalbyconsumption。"
（JamesMill，l。c。，p。242。）JamesMill，however，nevergotonthetrackofthis"remarkablypeculiarproperty。"
[7]"Itistrueindeed，thatthefirstintroducingamanufactureemploysmanypoor，buttheyceasenottobeso，andthecontinuanceofitmakesmany。"
（"ReasonsforaLimitedExportationofWool。"London，1677，p。19。）"Thefarmernowabsurdlyasserts，thathekeepsthepoor。Theyareindeedkeptinmisery。"（"ReasonsfortheLateIncreaseofthePoorRates:oraComparativeViewofthePricesoflabourandProvisions。"London，1777，p。31。）
[8]Rossiwouldnotdeclaimsoemphaticallyagainstthis，hadliereallypenetratedthesecretof"productiveconsumption。"
[9]"ThelabourersintheminesofS。America，whosedailytask（theheaviestperhapsintheworld）consistsinbringingtothesurfaceontheirshouldersaloadofmetalweighingfrom180to200pounds，fromadepthof450feet，liveonbroadandbeansonly;theythemselveswouldpreferthebreadaloneforfood，buttheirmasters，whohavefoundoutthatthemencannotworksohardonbread，treatthemlikehorses，andcompelthemtoeatbeans;
beans，however，arerelativelymuchricherinbone—earth（phosphateoflime）thanisbread。"（Liebig，l。c。，vol。1。，p。194，note。）
[10]JamesMill，l。c。，p。238。
[11]"Ifthepriceoflabourshouldrisesohighthat，notwithstandingtheincreaseofcapital，nomorecouldbeemployed，Ishouldsaythatsuchincreaseofcapitalwouldbestillunproductivelyconsumed。"（Ricardo，l。c。，p。
163。）
[12]"Theonlyproductiveconsumption，properlysocalled，istheconsumptionordestructionofwealth"（healludestothemeansofproduction）"bycapitalistswithaviewtoreproduction……Theworkman……isaproductiveconsumertothepersonwhoemployshim，andtotheState，butnot，strictlyspeaking，tohimself。"（Malthus’"Definitions，&c。"，p。30。）
[13]"Theonlything，ofwhichonecansay，thatitisstoredupandpreparedbeforehand，istheskillofthelabourer……Theaccumulationandstorageofskilledlabour，thatmostimportantoperation，is，asregardsthegreatmassoflabourers，accomplishedwithoutanycapitalwhatever。"（Th。Hodgskin:
"LabourDefended，&c。，"p。13。）
[14]"Thatlettermightbelookeduponasthemanifestoofthemanufacturers。"
（Ferrand:"MotionontheCottonFamine。"H。o。C。，27thApril，1863。）
[15]Itwillnotbeforgottenthatthissamecapitalsingsquiteanothersong，underordinarycircumstances，whenthereisaquestionofreducingwages。
Thenthemastersexclaimwithonevoice:"Thefactoryoperativesshouldkeepinwholesomeremembrancethefactthattheirsisreallyalowspeciesofskilledlabour，andthatthereisnonewhichismoreeasilyacquired，orofitsqualitymoreamplyremunerated，orwhich，byashorttrainingoftheleastexpert，canbemorequickly，aswellasabundantly，acquired……Themaster’smachinery"（whichwenowlearncanbereplacedwithadvantagein12months，）"reallyplaysafarmoreimportantpartinthebusinessofproductionthanthelabourandskilloftheoperative"（whocannotnowbereplacedunder30years），"whichsixmonths’educationcanreach，andacommonlabourercanlearn。"（Seeante，p。423。）
[16]Parliamentdidnotvoteasinglefarthinginaidofemigration，butsimplypassedsomeActsempoweringthemunicipalcorporationstokeeptheoperativesinahalf—starvedstate，i。e。，toexploitthematlessthanthenormalwages。Ontheotherhand，when3yearslater，thecattlediseasebrokeout，Parliamentbrokewildlythroughitsusagesandvoted，straightoff，millionsforindemnifyingthemillionairelandlords，whosefarmersinanyeventcameoffwithoutloss，owingtotheriseinthepriceofmeat。
Thebull—likebellowofthelandedproprietorsattheopeningofParliament，in1866，showedthatamancanworshipthecowSabalawithoutbeingaHindu，andcanchangehimselfintoanoxwithoutbeingaJupiter。
[17]"L’ouvrierdemandaitdelasubsistencepourvivre，lechefdemandaitdutravailpourgagner。"（Sismondi，l。c。，p。91。）
[18]AboorishlyclumsyformofthisbondageexistsinthecountyofDurham。
ThisIsoneofthefewcounties，inwhichcircumstancesdonotsecuretothefarmerundisputedproprietaryrightsovertheagriculturallabourer。
Theminingindustryallowsthelattersomechoice。Inthiscounty，thefarmer，contrarytothecustomelsewhere，rentsonlysuchfarmsashaveonthemlabourers’cottages。Therentofthecottageisapartofthewages。
Thesecottagesareknownas"hinds’houses。"Theyarelettothelabourersinconsiderationofcertainfeudalservices，underacontractcalled"bondage，"
which，amongstotherthings，bindsthelabourer，duringthetimeheisemployedelsewhere，toleavesomeone，sayhisdaughter，&c。，tosupplyhisplace。Thelabourerhimselfiscalleda"bondsman。"Therelationshipheresetupalsoshowshowindividualconsumptionbythelabourerbecomesconsumptiononbehalfofcapital—orproductiveconsumption—fromquiteanewpointofview:"Itiscurioustoobservethattheverydungofthehindandbondsmanistheperquisiteofthecalculatinglord……andthelordwillallownoprivybuthisowntoexistintheneighbourhood，andwillrathergiveabitofmanurehereandthereforagardenthanbateanypartofhisseigneurialright。"（"PublicHealth，ReportVII。，1864，"
p。188。）
[19]Itwillnotbeforgotten，that，withrespecttothelabourofchildren，&c。，eventheformalityofavoluntarysaledisappears。
[20]"Capitalpre—supposeswage—labour，andwage—labourpre—supposescapital。
Oneisanecessaryconditiontotheexistenceoftheother;theymutuallycalleachotherintoexistence。Doesanoperativeinacotton—factoryproducenothingbutcottongoods？No，heproducescapital。Heproducesvaluesthatgivefreshcommandoverhislabour，andthat，bymeansofsuchcommand，createfreshvalues。"（KarlMarx:"LohnarbeitundKapital，"intheNeueRheinischeZeitung:No。266，7thApril，1849。）ThearticlespublishedundertheabovetitleintheN。Rh。Z。arepartsofsomelecturesgivenbymeonthatsubject，in1847，intheGerman"Arheiter—Verein"atBrussels，thepublicationofwhichwasinterruptedbytherevolutionofFebruary。
ChapterTwenty—FourKarlMarxCapitalVolumeOnePartVII:
TheAccumulationofCapitalCHAPTERTWENTY—FOUR:
CONVERSIONOFSURPLUS—VALUEINTOCAPITAL
ContentsSection1—CapitalistProductiononaProgressivelyIncreasingScale。TransitionoftheLawsofPropertythatCharacteriseProductionofCommoditiesintoLawsofCapitalistAppropriationSection2—ErroneousConception，byPoliticalEconomy，ofReproductiononaProgressivelyIncreasingScaleSection3—SeparationofSurplus—ValueintoCapitalandRevenue。TheAbstinenceTheorySection4—Circumstancesthat，IndependentlyoftheProportionalDivisionofSurplus—ValueintoCapitalandRevenue，DeterminetheAmountofAccumulation。DegreeofExploitationofLabour—Power。ProductivityofLabour。GrowingDifferenceinAmountBetweenCapitalEmployedandCapitalConsumed。MagnitudeofCapitalAdvancedSection5—TheSo—CalledLabour—FundSECTION1。CAPITALISTPRODUCTIONONAPROGRESSIVELYINCREASINGSCALE。TRANSITIONOF
THELAWSOFPROPERTYTHATCHARACTERISEPRODUCTIONOFCOMMODITIESINTOLAWS
OFCAPITALISTAPPROPRIATION
Hithertowehaveinvestigatedhowsurplus—valueemanatesfromcapital;
wehavenowtoseehowcapitalarisesfromsurplus—value。Employingsurplus—valueascapital，reconvertingitintocapital，iscalledaccumulationofcapital。[1]
Firstletusconsiderthistransactionfromthestandpointoftheindividualcapitalist。Supposeaspinnertohaveadvancedacapitalof£10，000，ofwhichfour—fifths（£8，000）arelaidoutincotton，machinery，&c。，andone—fifth（£2，000）inwages。Lethimproduce240，000
lbs。ofyamannually，havingavalueof£2，000。Therateofsurplus—valuebeing100%，thesurplus—valueliesinthesurplusornetproductof40，000
lbs。ofyarn，one—sixthofthegrossproduct，withavalueof£2，000
whichwillberealisedbyasale。£2，000is£2，000。Wecanneitherseenorsmellinthissumofmoneyatraceofsurplus—value。Whenweknowthatagivenvalueissurplus—value，weknowhowitsownercamebyit;butthatdoesnotalterthenatureeitherofvalueorofmoney。
Inordertoconvertthisadditionalsumof£2，000intocapital，themaster—spinnerwill，allcircumstancesremainingasbefore，advancefour—fifthsofit（£1，600）inthepurchaseofcotton，&c。，andone—fifth（£400）inthepurchaseofadditionalspinners，whowillfindinthemarketthenecessariesoflifewhosevaluethemasterhasadvancedtothem。
Thenthenewcapitalof£2，000functionsinthespinning—mill，andbringsin，initsturn，asurplus—valueof£400。
Thecapital—valuewasoriginallyadvancedinthemoney—form。Thesurplus—valueonthecontraryis，originally，thevalueofadefiniteportionofthegrossproduct。Ifthisgrossproductbesold，convertedintomoney，thecapital—valueregainsitsoriginalform。Fromthismomentthecapital—valueandthesurplus—valuearebothofthemsumsofmoney，andtheirreconversionintocapitaltakesplaceinpreciselythesameway。Theone，aswellastheother，islaidoutbythecapitalistinthepurchaseofcommoditiesthatplacehiminapositiontobeginafreshthefabricationofhisgoods，andthistime，onanextendedscale。Butinordertobeabletobuythosecommodities，hemustfindthemreadyinthemarket。
Hisownyamscirculate，onlybecausehebringshisannualproducttomarket，asallothercapitalistslikewisedowiththeircommodities。Butthesecommodities，beforecomingtomarket，werepartofthegeneralannualproduct，partofthetotalmassofobjectsofeverykind，intowhichthesumoftheindividualcapitals，i。e。，thetotalcapitalofsociety，hadbeenconvertedinthecourseoftheyear，andofwhicheachcapitalisthadinhandonlyanaliquotpart。Thetransactionsinthemarketeffectuateonlytheinterchangeoftheindividualcomponentsofthisannualproduct，transferthemfromonehandtoanother，butcanneitheraugmentthetotalannualproduction，noralterthenatureoftheobjectsproduced。Hencetheusethatcanbemadeofthetotalannualproduct，dependsentirelyuponitsowncomposition，butinnowayuponcirculation。
Theannualproduction，mustinthefirstplacefurnishallthoseobjects（use—values）fromwhichthematerialcomponentsofcapital，usedupinthecourseoftheyear，havetobereplaced。Deductingthesethereremainsthenetorsurplus—product，inwhichthesurplus—valuelies。Andofwhatdoesthissurplus—productconsist？Onlyofthingsdestinedtosatisfythewantsanddesiresofthecapitalistclass，thingswhich，consequently，enterintotheconsumption—fundofthecapitalists？Werethatthecase，thecupofsurplus—valuewouldbedrainedtotheverydregs，andnothingbutsimplereproductionwouldevertakeplace。
Toaccumulateitisnecessarytoconvertaportionofthesurplus—productintocapital。Butwecannot，exceptbyamiracle，convertintocapitalanythingbutsucharticlesascanbeemployedinthelabour—process（i。e。，meansofproduction），andsuchfurtherarticlesasaresuitableforthesustenanceofthelabourer（i。e。，meansofsubsistence）。Consequently，apartoftheannualsurplus—labourmusthavebeenappliedtotheproductionofadditionalmeansofproductionandsubsistence，overandabovethequantityofthesethingsrequiredtoreplacethecapitaladvanced。Inoneword，surplus—valueisconvertibleintocapitalsolelybecausethesurplus—product，whosevalueitis，alreadycomprisesthematerialelementsofnewcapital。[2]
Nowinordertoallowoftheseelementsactuallyfunctioningascapital，thecapitalistclassrequiresadditionallabour。Iftheexploitationofthelabourersalreadyemployeddonotincrease，eitherextensivelyorintensively，thenadditionallabour—powermustbefound。Forthisthemechanismofcapitalistproductionprovidesbeforehand，byconvertingtheworking—classintoaclassdependentonwages，aclasswhoseordinarywagessuffice，notonlyforitsmaintenance，butforitsincrease。itisonlynecessaryforcapitaltoincorporatethisadditionallabour—power，annuallysuppliedbytheworking—classintheshapeoflabourersofallages，withthesurplusmeansofproductioncomprisedintheannualproduce，andtheconversionofsurplus—valueintocapitaliscomplete。Fromaconcretepointofview，accumulationresolvesitselfintothereproductionofcapitalonaprogressivelyincreasingscale。
Thecircleinwhichsimplereproductionmoves，altersitsform，and，touseSismondi’sexpression，changesintoaspiral。[3]
Letusnowreturntoourillustration。Itistheoldstory:AbrahambegatIsaac，IsaacbegatJacob，andsoon。Theoriginalcapitalof£10，000
bringsinasurplus—valueof£2，000，whichiscapitalised。Thenewcapitalof£2，000bringsinasurplus—valueof£400，andthis，too，iscapitalised，convertedintoasecondadditionalcapital，which，initsturn，producesafurthersurplus—valueof£80。Andsotheballrollson。
Wehereleaveoutofconsiderationtheportionofthesurplus—valueconsumedbythecapitalist。Justaslittledoesitconcernus，forthemoment，whethertheadditionalcapitalisjoinedontotheoriginalcapital，orisseparatedfromittofunctionindependently;whetherthesamecapitalist，whoaccumulatedit，employsit，orwhetherhehandsitovertoanother。
Thisonlywemustnotforget，thatbythesideofthenewly—formedcapital，theoriginalcapitalcontinuestoreproduceitself，andtoproducesurplus—value，andthatthisisalsotrueofallaccumulatedcapital，andtheadditionalcapitalengenderedbyit。
Theoriginalcapitalwasformedbytheadvanceof£10，000。Howdidtheownerbecomepossessedofit？"Byhisownlabourandthatofhisforefathers，"
answerunanimouslythespokesmenofPoliticalEconomy。[4]And，infact，theirsuppositionappearstheonlyoneconsonantwiththelawsoftheproductionofcommodities。
Butitisquiteotherwisewithregardtotheadditionalcapitalof£2，000。
Howthatoriginatedweknowperfectlywell。Thereisnotonesingleatomofitsvaluethatdoesnotoweitsexistencetounpaidlabour。Themeansofproduction，withwhichtheadditionallabour—powerisincorporated，aswellasthenecessarieswithwhichthelabourersaresustained，arenothingbutcomponentpartsofthesurplus—product，ofthetributeannuallyexactedfromtheworking—classbythecapitalistclass。Thoughthelatterwithaportionofthattributepurchasestheadditionallabour—powerevenatitsfullprice，sothatequivalentisexchangedforequivalent，yetthetransactionisforallthatonlytheolddodgeofeveryconquerorwhobuyscommoditiesfromtheconqueredwiththemoneyhehasrobbedthemof。
Iftheadditionalcapitalemploysthepersonwhoproducedit，thisproducermustnotonlycontinuetoaugmentthevalueoftheoriginalcapital，butmustbuybackthefruitsofhispreviouslabourwithmorelabourthantheycost。Whenviewedasatransactionbetweenthecapitalistclassandtheworking—class，itmakesnodifferencethatadditionallabourersareemployedbymeansoftheunpaidlabourofthepreviouslyemployedlabourers。Thecapitalistmayevenconverttheadditionalcapitalintoamachinethatthrowstheproducersofthatcapitaloutofwork，andthatreplacesthembyafewchildren。Ineverycasetheworking—classcreatesbythesurplus—labourofoneyearthecapitaldestinedtoemployadditionallabourinthefollowingyear。[5]Andthisiswhatiscalled:creatingcapitaloutofcapital。
Theaccumulationofthefirstadditionalcapitalof£2，000pre—supposesavalueof£10，000belongingtothecapitalistbyvirtueofhis"primitivelabour，"andadvancedbyhim。Thesecondadditionalcapitalof£400
pre—supposes，onthecontrary，onlythepreviousaccumulationofthe£2，000，ofwhichthe£400isthesurplus—valuecapitalised。Theownershipofpastunpaidlabouristhenceforththesoleconditionfortheappropriationoflivingunpaidlabouronaconstantlyincreasingscale。Themorethecapitalisthasaccumulated，themoreisheabletoaccumulate。
Insofarasthesurplus—value，ofwhichtheadditionalcapital，No。
1，consists，istheresultofthepurchaseoflabour—powerwithpartoftheoriginalcapital，apurchasethatconformedtothelawsoftheexchangeofcommodities，andthat，fromalegalstandpoint，pre—supposesnothingbeyondthefreedisposal，onthepartofthelabourer，ofhisowncapacities，andonthepartoftheownerofmoneyorcommodities，ofthevaluesthatbelongtohim;insofarastheadditionalcapital，No。2，&c。，isthemereresultofNo。1，and，therefore，aconsequenceoftheaboveconditions;insofaraseachsingletransactioninvariablyconformstothelawsoftheexchangeofcommodities，thecapitalistbuyinglabour—power，thelabourersellingit，andwewillassumeatitsrealvalue;
insofarasallthisistrue，itisevidentthatthelawsofappropriationorofprivateproperty，lawsthatarebasedontheproductionandcirculationofcommodities，becomebytheirowninnerandinexorabledialecticchangedintotheirveryopposite。Theexchangeofequivalents，theoriginaloperationwithwhichwestarted，hasnowbecometurnedroundinsuchawaythatthereisonlyanapparentexchange。Thisisowingtothefact，first，thatthecapitalwhichisexchangedforlabour—powerisitselfbutaportionoftheproductofothers’labourappropriatedwithoutanequivalent;and，secondly，thatthiscapitalmustnotonlybereplacedbyitsproducer，butreplacedtogetherwithanaddedsurplus。Therelationofexchangesubsistingbetweencapitalistandlabourerbecomesameresemblanceappertainingtotheprocessofcirculation，amereform，foreigntotherealnatureofthetransaction，andonlymystifyingit。Theeverrepeatedpurchaseandsaleoflabour—powerisnowthemereform;whatreallytakesplaceisthis？thecapitalistagainandagainappropriates，withoutequivalent，aportionofthepreviouslymaterialisedlabourofothers，andexchangesitforagreaterquantityoflivinglabour;Atfirsttherightsofpropertyseemedtoustobebasedonaman’sownlabour。Atleast，somesuchassumptionwasnecessarysinceonlycommodity—ownerswithequalrightsconfrontedeachother，andthesolemeansbywhichamancouldbecomepossessedofthecommoditiesofothers，wasbyalienatinghisowncommodities;andthesecouldbereplacedbylabouralone。Now，however，propertyturnsouttobetheright，onthepartofthecapitalist，toappropriatetheunpaidlabourofothersoritsproduct，andtobetheimpossibility，onthepartofthelabourer，ofappropriatinghisownproduct。Theseparationofpropertyfromlabourhasbecomethenecessaryconsequenceofalawthatapparentlyoriginatedintheiridentity。[6]
Therefore，[7]howevermuchthecapitalistmodeofappropriationmayseemtoflyinthefaceoftheoriginallawsofcommodityproduction，itneverthelessarises，notfromaviolation，but，onthecontrary，fromtheapplicationoftheselaws。Letusmakethisclearoncemorebybrieflyreviewingtheconsecutivephasesofmotionwhoseculminatingpointiscapitalistaccumulation。
Wesaw，inthefirstplace，thattheoriginalconversionofasumofvaluesintocapitalwasachievedincompleteaccordancewiththelawsofexchange。Onepartytothecontractsellshislabour—power，theotherbuysit。Theformerreceivesthevalueofhiscommodity，whoseuse—value？labour？istherebyalienatedtothebuyer。Meansofproductionwhichalreadybelongtothelatterarethentransformedbyhim，withtheaidoflabourequallybelongingtohim，intoanewproductwhichislikewiselawfullyhis。
Thevalueofthisproductincludes:first，thevalueoftheused—upmeansofproduction。Usefullabourcannotconsumethesemeansofproductionwithouttransferringtheirvaluetothenewproduct，but，tobesaleable，labour—powermustbecapableofsupplyingusefullabourinthebranchofindustryinwhichitistobeemployed。