Immiseration thesis
Encyclopedia
In Marxist theory, the immiseration thesis (also referred to as emiseration thesis) refers to the view that the nature of capitalist
production logically requires an ever greater reduction in real wage
s and worsening of working conditions for the proletariat
.
argued that:
The fact that Marx subscribed to such an immiseration thesis (even though he never used the term immiseration himself) would explain why he was never concerned by the problem that capitalist owners could potentially reduce working hours, increase wages and concede other benefits in order to "appease" the workforce. Instead, Marx was convinced that the very nature of capitalism would render a proletarian revolution inevitable.
Lenin's answer was the creation of a party of full-time professional revolutionaries who would constitute a kind of political elite
. This elite would then possess a "correct" knowledge of revolutionary theory and act as a revolutionary vanguard
.
. For Adorno and Horkheimer
, state intervention
in the economy had effectively abolished the tension in capitalism between the "relations of production
" and "material productive forces
of society"—a tension which, according to traditional Marxist theory, constituted the primary contradiction within capitalism. The previously "free" market (as an "unconscious" mechanism for the distribution of goods) and "irrevocable" private property
of Marx's epoch have gradually been replaced by the centralized state planning
and socialized ownership of the means of production
in contemporary Western societies. The dialectic through which Marx predicted the emancipation of modern society is thus suppressed, effectively being subjugated to a positivist rationality of domination:
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
production logically requires an ever greater reduction in real wage
Real wage
The term real wages refers to wages that have been adjusted for inflation. This term is used in contrast to nominal wages or unadjusted wages. Real wages provide a clearer representation of an individual's wages....
s and worsening of working conditions for the proletariat
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
.
Marx
Concerning the evolution of the worker's living conditions, MarxKarl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
argued that:
The fact that Marx subscribed to such an immiseration thesis (even though he never used the term immiseration himself) would explain why he was never concerned by the problem that capitalist owners could potentially reduce working hours, increase wages and concede other benefits in order to "appease" the workforce. Instead, Marx was convinced that the very nature of capitalism would render a proletarian revolution inevitable.
Leninism
Later communist revolutionaries, such as Lenin, seem to have been motivated by the fear that the immiseration thesis was not true:Lenin's answer was the creation of a party of full-time professional revolutionaries who would constitute a kind of political elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
. This elite would then possess a "correct" knowledge of revolutionary theory and act as a revolutionary vanguard
Vanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
.
Frankfurt School
The immiseration thesis was equally questioned by contemporary theorists, notably by early members of the Frankfurt SchoolFrankfurt School
The Frankfurt School refers to a school of neo-Marxist interdisciplinary social theory, particularly associated with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt am Main...
. For Adorno and Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer was a German-Jewish philosopher-sociologist, famous for his work in critical theory as a member of the 'Frankfurt School' of social research. His most important works include The Eclipse of Reason and, in collaboration with Theodor Adorno, The Dialectic of Enlightenment...
, state intervention
Economic interventionism
Economic interventionism is an action taken by a government in a market economy or market-oriented mixed economy, beyond the basic regulation of fraud and enforcement of contracts, in an effort to affect its own economy...
in the economy had effectively abolished the tension in capitalism between the "relations of production
Relations of production
Relations of production is a concept frequently used by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their theory of historical materialism, and in Das Kapital...
" and "material productive forces
Productive forces
Productive forces, "productive powers" or "forces of production" [in German, Produktivkräfte] is a central idea in Marxism and historical materialism....
of society"—a tension which, according to traditional Marxist theory, constituted the primary contradiction within capitalism. The previously "free" market (as an "unconscious" mechanism for the distribution of goods) and "irrevocable" private property
Private property
Private property is the right of persons and firms to obtain, own, control, employ, dispose of, and bequeath land, capital, and other forms of property. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which refers to assets owned by a state, community or government rather than by...
of Marx's epoch have gradually been replaced by the centralized state planning
Planned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...
and socialized ownership of the means of production
Means of production
Means of production refers to physical, non-human inputs used in production—the factories, machines, and tools used to produce wealth — along with both infrastructural capital and natural capital. This includes the classical factors of production minus financial capital and minus human capital...
in contemporary Western societies. The dialectic through which Marx predicted the emancipation of modern society is thus suppressed, effectively being subjugated to a positivist rationality of domination:
See also
- Capitalist mode of productionCapitalist mode of productionIn Marx's critique of political economy, the capitalist mode of production is the production system of capitalist societies, which began in Europe in the 16th century, grew rapidly in Western Europe from the end of the 18th century, and later extended to most of the world...
- Rate of exploitation
- Unfree labourUnfree labourUnfree labour includes all forms of slavery as well as all other related institutions .-Payment for unfree labour:If payment occurs, it may be in one or more of the following forms:...
- Wage labourWage labourWage labour is the socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer, where the worker sells their labour under a formal or informal employment contract. These transactions usually occur in a labour market where wages are market determined...
- Wage slaveryWage slaveryWage slavery refers to a situation where a person's livelihood depends on wages, especially when the dependence is total and immediate. It is a negatively connoted term used to draw an analogy between slavery and wage labor, and to highlight similarities between owning and employing a person...