Primitive Accumulation

1. Primitive Accumulation Capital, Volume I, Part VIII Chapters 26 - 33

2. Structure of the Part. VIII • Chapter 26 - Overview: Secret of Prim. Accum. • In Part VIII of Volume I of Capital, Marx shows us how capital originally imposed the commodity-form of the class relation. He shows how what he calls primitive accumulation was basically the original creation of the classes of capitalist society through the imposition of wage-work and commodity exchange.

3. Chapter 26: Secret of Primitive Accumulation • Origins of Capitalist Society, orginal creation of classes – working class and capitalist class • Myth: individual achievement vs failure • Marx: class formation via force • Expropriation = formation of working class • Concentration of wealth = formation of capitalist class • Imposition of commodity-relations over the bulk of the population.

4. Chapter 27: Commentary • Myth of Political Economy • Anyone can become a capitalist • Those who are lazy remain workers • Dickens ridicules in Hard Times • Capitalism can NOT eliminate the antagonisms and ever renewed alternatives

5. The Rise of the Working Class • Creation was forced, not spontaneous • Chapter 27: Forced from land, tools • Chapter 28: Forced into waged labor Marx shows that the secret of this original imposition of the commodity-form was exactly that: ‘historical process of divorcing the producer from the means of production’ (basically the land) which meant that workers would have to sell their labour-power to capitalists to obtain the means of subsistence, and that all the products of labour (food, shelter, clothing etc) would thus have to take the form of commodities.

6. Chap27: Expropriation (1st step) • Destruction of Autonomy – example the end of independent life of indigenous people • Expropriation of land, tools – means of producing wealth • people divorced from the means of production • forced to work in factories, farms in order to access social wealth (food, clothing etc) • Marx: examples from England, Scotland • Since: colonialism, on-going process

7. Primitive Accumulation (SA example) • The first form of struggle against capitalism was “refusal to work”: • First form of struggle: was the war of resistance – Shaka, Sekhukhune, Hintsa, it ended with 1902 with the defeat of Hinsta. • The second form of continuing securing independent means of producing wealth, wealth and old ways of living, All these was a struggle to refuse to become workers

8. British Socialist about SA in 1912 • “The native of South Africa, is still able to extract from the soil, and from his flocks and herds, sufficient for his simple demands on life – food, clothing and shelter in abundance – has the good sense not to love work for work’s sake; but enjoys basking in the sun, and taking life easily, when once his personal and communal needs have been satisfied. • The problem, therefore, for the exploiting white race was, “How to make the nigger work?” and a temporary solution was found in the hut tax, under which tax every native had to pay a certain sum annually to the Government for the privilege of being allowed to live in his own hut. • This tax has to be paid in gold (money), therefore the native cannot offer oxen or mealies in barter, but has to leave his kraal for some months and work in the service of the white man to earn the yellow gold (money) which the Union Government demands”

9. Primitive Accumulation in South Africa • Chairman’s speech at the annual meeting of the Chamber of Mines in 1911: “Some say it is no part of a Government’s duty to find labour. Quite so; but they can at least view with disquietude their country suffering from grave financial loss through industry being stifled in consequence of the absence of a complete and firm native policy. What is wanted is surely a policy that would establish once for all that, outside special reserves, the ownership of land must be in the hands of white races, and that the surplus of young men, instead of squatting on the land in idleness, and spreading out over unlimited areas, must earn their living by working for a wage, as every white man who is not a landowner has to do.”

10. Primitive Accumulation in South Africa • Chairman’s speech at the annual meeting of the Chamber of Mines in 1911: “No one would really believe that in this twentieth century……whether negroes are in the mood to seek work at remuneration higher than that paid in some European mining centres, or whether they prefer to enjoy idleness and the excess of foodstuffs produced on their estates. But so it is; and no remedy seems forthcoming.” Solution: The State must force hunger among the “negroes”, then they will be forced to work!.

11. Primitive Accumulation in South Africa in the early 1900s • And what was the role of the media at that time? • Had to be used in the interests of mining and other capitalists interests. • The natives must be described as brutal and degraded, as stupid and filthy in their habits; they must be made to feel in every way that they are an inferior race, incapable of rising or of improving their condition. The expression constantly used is that “the native must be kept in his place.”

12. Primitive Accumulation • When refusal of work was defeated, the struggle of our people turned into “how much of our work will be forced”.

13. Chap27: Commentary • Transition from Feudalism • Tales of Resistance – Wars of resistance • Commodification of Water • Commodification in the South Africa • Commodification of the Female Body • Struggle for Cultural Diversity

14. Music of Resistance • Sisebenza Emgotini – Mine Workers Union • Masakeng – Pelo yaka e utla bohloko

15. Chapter 28: Bloody Legislation (2nd step) • Bloody Laws to impose work • Resistance: barbarity of laws result of degree of refusal • Anti-vagrancy laws, anti-migration laws (border controls) • Anti-direct appropriation laws • Spread with primitive accumulation (to US, colonies) • Reappear in response to uncontrolled mobility

16. Chap28: Commentary • Refusal of Factory • Street as an Alternative to Factory • The Nature of the State: • organ of class power • terrain of struggle • Working Class Struggles: Combinations/Unions • Vagrancy Laws During Reconstruction • The Wage, its absence &

17. A British Socialist wrote in 1912 aboutSA Capitalist, at its primitive accumulation stage • “When speaking to friends and comrades in England I find that but little is known of the actual conditions under which gold is obtained in South Africa, or of how labour is recruited, treated and rewarded by the close confederation of mine magnates, who extract such enormous profits from the exploitation, disease and death of millions of their fellow-men”.

18. A British Socialist wrote in 1912 aboutSA Capitalist, at its primitive accumulation stage • the present day (1912) cunningly enslaved and chained to their jobs by the fetters of economic compulsion;

19. The Rise of the Capitalist Class • Self-formation • Struggles to replace previous ruling class • Struggles to create working class

20. Overview of Material • Chap29: Rise of Agrarian Capitalists • Chap30: Creation of Home Market • Chap31: Rise of Industrial Capitalists

21. Chap29: Rise of Agrarian Capitalists • Trajectory of formation highly varied • Variation result of different starting points, forces along the way • Baileff, farmer, metayer, farmer proper • Key: rising control over land & labor

22. Chap29: Commentary • Control over land often sought for autonomy • Resistance of farmers to market in US • Third World Parallels • National Liberation Movements • Struggles for Land • Use of Inflation in Primitive & Mature Accumulation • rapid inflation to transfer wealth • marginal inflation to keep w = productivity

23. Chap30: Creation of Home Market • Expropriation means • people no longer meet their own needs • people must BUY what they need • To be able to buy they must sell themselves • So, expansion of home market result of creation of labor market • Resistance: value of homespun, gardening, subordination of market to other values • e.g., Brazilian herbal market

24. Chap30: Commentary • Imposition of Market • Agricultural industry

25. Chap31: Genesis of Industrial Capitalist • Annexation of labor through merchant capital • Concentration of Wealth through FORCE • colonialism: violence & plunder (business + state) • slavery & wage slavery • Monopolization of trade •  control over labor force, e.g., elimination of weavers • Imperialism reacges a monopoly stage • Public Debt - then and now • centralization of money • use of centralized money?

26. Chap31: Commentary • Myth of Entrepreneurship • Worker initiative + capital constraint • Capitalist Development & Role of State • From tool of capital to terrain of struggle • Colonialism & Accumulation of Capital • Raw materials, trade, outlet for capital, vs: • internationalization of labor control • Slavery & Child Labor

27. Chap33: Theory of Colonialism • Reading mainstream economics • Apology vs managerial guidelines • Wakefield = “development economist” • Problem: availability of land = worker power to refuse work • Solution: make land less available, make it harder for workers to escape wage slavery

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