Capitalism, Alienation, and the Proletariat: A Marxist Analysis
Capitalism, Alienation, and the Proletariat
Capital and Money
Capital is money used to multiply money; money begets money. This is the foundation of the capitalist system. Capital is a different kind of money than the wage a proletarian worker receives in return for their labor. Capital allows capitalists to meet their needs and replenish their forces to continue working. The capitalist uses money to sell what they produce; the proletarian’s money is impotent. The difference between income and capital is the basis of exploitation. Capitalism is an economic system where wealth is money, but money is not the only measure of a person’s worth. For Marx, money as god is a concept explored by Feuerbach. In capitalism, money and capital exist above and before the individual; the individual is secondary.
Alienation
Alienation occurs when a person is estranged from themselves and their life. According to Feuerbach and Marx, religion and private property are causes of alienation. Both the bourgeoisie and the proletariat experience alienation. The capitalist manages money, and their life becomes identified with the accumulation of money. The capitalist is alienated because they do not use money to live; instead, they put their life in the service of money. The proletariat is alienated by their work, which does not belong to them. Their work schedule leaves little time for anything else. Religion is used to numb the desire for freedom, making it the “opium of the people.”
Value in Capitalism
In capitalism, things have exchange value over use-value. Use-value means something is useful to satisfy a need. Exchange value means something’s worth in money. The exchange value of an object depends on two variables: the human effort applied to produce it and the working time required. Things produced with little labor and in a short time are cheaper. Capitalism favors exchange value. Consequently, workers are not seen as people but as labor. They work not to meet needs but to multiply money, producing many useless objects that serve only to keep selling.
Infrastructure and Superstructure
The economy (infrastructure) is the basis of all social relations. It is responsible for the equality or inequality of individuals. The superstructure is the set of social and political institutions, as well as religious beliefs. Marx believed in a cause-and-effect relationship between infrastructure and superstructure. To change society, one must transform its economy. Abolishing private property would create a society of free and equal individuals. Religion is an effect of the economy, serving to justify inequality and resignation. The road to freedom and equality is transforming the economy and overthrowing the capitalist mode of production based on private property. This would change society, and other social relations and superstructures would follow.
Surplus Labor and Exploitation
Workers produce goods that are exchanged for money. The capitalist pays the proletariat wages and sells the goods. The capitalist appropriates the goods produced by the worker. The capitalist sells the goods for a price higher than the wages paid to the worker. This surplus is the origin of the capitalist’s gain and the exploitation of workers. The capitalist can enrich themselves while the worker’s money remains impotent. Capital is powerful currency that multiplies.
Alienated Labor
The workforce is a human being applied to production. The working class provides the workforce, while the middle class owns the means of production (land, etc.). In the capitalist mode of production, labor is alienated. The proletariat is not considered a person but a workforce bought and sold. The worker produces things that are not theirs. They are only interested in wages. Workers work long hours, leaving little time for anything beyond eating and sleeping to replenish their strength to continue working and producing children to replenish the workforce. In this system, the proletariat cannot relate to others. The middle class identifies with money. The liberation of society must be led by the proletariat. The path to liberation is a social revolution after which the capitalist economy is replaced by a communist economy based on common ownership of the means of production. In this economy, labor contributes to meeting real needs, not producing goods with exchange value over use-value.