第53章

wouldhavetobeturnedinto"productive"ones。

Takingthemasawhole，thegeneralmovementsofwagesareexclusivelyregulatedbytheexpansionandcontractionoftheindustrialreservearmy，andtheseagaincorrespondtotheperiodicchangesoftheindustrialcycle。

Theyare，therefore，notdeterminedbythevariationsoftheabsolutenumberoftheworkingpopulation，butbythevaryingproportionsinwhichtheworking—classisdividedintoactiveandreservearmy，bytheincreaseordiminutionintherelativeamountofthesurplus—population，bytheextenttowhichitisnowabsorbed，nowsetfree。ForModernIndustrywithitsdecennialcyclesandperiodicphases，which，moreover，asaccumulationadvances，arecomplicatedbyirregularoscillationsfollowingeachothermoreandmorequickly。thatwouldindeedbeabeautifullaw，whichpretendstomaketheactionofcapitaldependentontheabsolutevariationofthepopulation，insteadofregulatingthedemandandsupplyoflabourbythealternateexpansionandcontractionofcapital，thelabour—marketnowappearingrelativelyunder—full，becausecapitalisexpanding，nowagainover—full，becauseitiscontracting。Yetthisisthedogmaoftheeconomists。Accordingtothem，wagesriseinconsequenceofaccumulationofcapital。Thehigherwagesstimulatetheworkingpopulationtomorerapidmultiplication，andthisgoesonuntilthelabour—marketbecomestoofull，andthereforecapital，relativelytothesupplyoflabour，becomesinsufficient。

Wagesfall，andnowwehavethereverseofthemedal。Theworkingpopulationislittlebylittledecimatedastheresultofthefallinwages，sothatcapitalisagaininexcessrelativelytothem，or，asothersexplainit，fallingwagesandthecorrespondingincreaseintheexploitationofthelaboureragainacceleratesaccumulation，whilst，atthesametime，thelowerwagesholdtheincreaseoftheworking—classincheck。Thencomesagainthetime，whenthesupplyoflabourislessthanthedemand，wagesrise，andsoon。Abeautifulmodeofmotionthisfordevelopedcapitalistproduction！Before，inconsequenceoftheriseofwages，anypositiveincreaseofthepopulationreallyfitforworkcouldoccur，thetimewouldhavebeenpassedagainandagain，duringwhichtheindustrialcampaignmusthavebeencarriedthrough，thebattlefoughtandwon。

Between1849and1859，ariseofwagespracticallyinsignificant，thoughaccompaniedbyfallingpricesofcorn，tookplaceintheEnglishagriculturaldistricts。InWiltshire，e。g。，theweeklywagesrosefrom7s。to8s。;inDorsetshirefrom7s。or8s。，to9s。，&c。Thiswastheresultofanunusualexodusoftheagriculturalsurplus—populationcausedbythedemandsofwar，thevastextensionofrailroads，factories，mines，&c。

Thelowerthewages，thehigheristheproportioninwhicheversoinsignificantariseofthemexpressesitself。Iftheweeklywage，e。g。，is20s。

anditrisesto22s。，thatisariseof10percent。;butifitisonly7s。anditrisesto9s。，thatisariseof284/7percent。，whichsoundsveryfine。Everywherethefarmerswerehowling，andtheLondonEconomist，withreferencetothesestarvation—wages，prattledquiteseriouslyof"ageneralandsubstantialadvance。"[20]Whatdidthefarmersdonow？Didtheywaituntil，inconsequenceofthisbrilliantremuneration，theagriculturallabourershadsoincreasedandmultipliedthattheirwagesmustfallagain，asprescribedbythedogmaticeconomicbrain？Theyintroducedmoremachinery，andinamomentthelabourerswereredundantagaininaproportionsatisfactoryeventothefarmers。Therewasnow"morecapital"laidoutinagriculturethanbefore，andinamoreproductiveform。Withthisthedemandforlabourfell，notonlyrelatively，butabsolutely。

Theaboveeconomicfictionconfusesthelawsthatregulatethegeneralmovementofwages，ortheratiobetweentheworking—class？i。e。，thetotallabour—power？andthetotalsocialcapital，withthelawsthatdistributetheworkingpopulationoverthedifferentspheresofproduction。

If，e。g。，inconsequenceoffavourablecircumstances，accumulationinaparticularsphereofproductionbecomesespeciallyactive，andprofitsinit，beinggreaterthantheaverageprofits，attractadditionalcapital，ofcoursethedemandforlabourrisesandwagesalsorise。Thehigherwagesdrawalargerpartoftheworkingpopulationintothemorefavouredsphere，untilitisgluttedwithlabour—power，andwagesatlengthfallagaintotheiraveragelevelorbelowit，ifthepressureistoogreat。Then，notonlydoestheimmigrationoflabourersintothebranchofindustryinquestioncease;itgivesplacetotheiremigration。Herethepoliticaleconomistthinksheseesthewhyandwhereforeofanabsoluteincreaseofworkersaccompanyinganincreaseofwages，andofadiminutionofwagesaccompanyinganabsoluteincreaseoflabourers。Butheseesreallyonlythelocaloscillationofthelabour—marketinaparticularsphereofproduction？heseesonlythephenomenaaccompanyingthedistributionoftheworkingpopulationintothedifferentspheresofoutlayofcapital，accordingtoitsvaryingneeds。

Theindustrialreservearmy，duringtheperiodsofstagnationandaverageprosperity，weighsdowntheactivelabour—army;duringtheperiodsofover—productionandparoxysm，itholdsitspretensionsincheck。Relativesurplus—populationisthereforethepivotuponwhichthelawofdemandandsupplyoflabourworks。Itconfinesthefieldofactionofthislawwithinthelimitsabsolutelyconvenienttotheactivityofexploitationandtothedominationofcapital。

Thisistheplacetoreturntooneofthegrandexploitsofeconomicapologetics。Itwillberememberedthatifthroughtheintroductionofnew，ortheextensionofold，machinery，aportionofvariablecapitalistransformedintoconstant，theeconomicapologistinterpretsthisoperationwhich"fixes"capitalandbythatveryactsetslabourers"free，"inexactlytheoppositeway，pretendingthatitsetsfreecapitalforthelabourers。

Onlynowcanonefullyunderstandtheeffronteryoftheseapologists。Whataresetfreearenotonlythelabourersimmediatelyturnedoutbythemachines，butalsotheirfuturesubstitutesintherisinggeneration，andtheadditionalcontingent，thatwiththeusualextensionoftradeontheoldbasiswouldberegularlyabsorbed。Theyarenowall"setfree，"andeverynewbitofcapitallookingoutforemploymentcandisposeofthem。Whetheritattractsthemorothers，theeffectonthegenerallabourdemandwillbenil，ifthiscapitalisjustsufficienttotakeoutofthemarketasmanylabourersasthemachinesthrewuponit。Ifitemploysasmallernumber，thatofthesupernumerariesincreases;ifitemploysagreater，thegeneraldemandforlabouronlyincreasestotheextentoftheexcessoftheemployedoverthose"setfree。"Theimpulsethatadditionalcapital，seekinganoutlet，wouldotherwisehavegiventothegeneraldemandforlabour，isthereforeineverycaseneutralisedtotheextentofthelabourersthrownoutofemploymentbythemachine。Thatistosay，themechanismofcapitalisticproductionsomanagesmattersthattheabsoluteincreaseofcapitalisaccompaniedbynocorrespondingriseinthegeneraldemandforlabour。Andthistheapologistcallsacompensationforthemisery，thesufferings，thepossibledeathofthedisplacedlabourersduringthetransitionperiodthatbanishesthemintotheindustrialreservearmy！

Thedemandforlabourisnotidenticalwithincreaseofcapital，norsupplyoflabourwithincreaseoftheworking—class。Itisnotacaseoftwoindependentforcesworkingononeanother。Lesdéssontpipés。Capitalworksonbothsidesatthesametime。Ifitsaccumulation，ontheonehand，increasesthedemandforlabour，itincreasesontheotherthesupplyoflabourersbythe"settingfree"ofthem，whilstatthesametimethepressureoftheunemployedcompelsthosethatareemployedtofurnishmorelabour，andthereforemakesthesupplyoflabour，toacertainextent，independentofthesupplyoflabourers。Theactionofthelawofsupplyanddemandoflabouronthisbasiscompletesthedespotismofcapital。Assoon，therefore，asthelabourerslearnthesecret，howitcomestopassthatinthesamemeasureastheyworkmore，astheyproducemorewealthforothers，andastheproductivepoweroftheirlabourincreases，sointhesamemeasureeventheirfunctionasameansoftheself—expansionofcapitalbecomesmoreandmoreprecariousforthem;assoonastheydiscoverthatthedegreeofintensityofthecompetitionamongthemselvesdependswhollyonthepressureoftherelativesurplus—population;assoonas，byTrades’Unions，&c。，theytrytoorganisearegularco—operationbetweenemployedandunemployedinordertodestroyortoweakentheruinouseffectsofthisnaturallawofcapitalisticproductionontheirclass，sosooncapitalanditssycophant，PoliticalEconomy，cryoutattheinfringementofthe"eternal"andsotosay"sacred"lawofsupplyanddemand。Everycombinationofemployedandunemployeddisturbsthe"harmonious"actionofthislaw。

But，ontheotherhand，assoonas（inthecolonies，e。g。）adversecircumstancespreventthecreationofanindustrialreservearmyand，withit，theabsolutedependenceoftheworking—classuponthecapitalistclass，capital，alongwithitscommonplaceSanchoPanza，rebelsagainstthe"sacred"lawofsupplyanddemand，andtriestocheckitsinconvenientactionbyforciblemeansandStateinterference。

SECTION4。DIFFERENTFORMSOFTHERELATIVESURPLUS—POPULATION。THEGENERALLAWOFCAPITALISTIC

ACCUMULATION

Therelativesurplus—populationexistsineverypossibleform。Everylabourerbelongstoitduringthetimewhenheisonlypartiallyemployedorwhollyunemployed。Nottakingintoaccountthegreatperiodicallyrecurringformsthatthechangingphasesoftheindustrialcycleimpressonit，nowanacuteformduringthecrisis，thenagainachronicformduringdulltimes？ithasalwaysthreeforms，thefloating，thelatent，thestagnant。

Inthecentresofmodernindustry？factories，manufactures，ironworks，mines，&c。？thelabourersaresometimesrepelled，sometimesattractedagainingreatermasses，thenumberofthoseemployedincreasingonthewhole，althoughinaconstantlydecreasingproportiontothescaleofproduction。

Herethesurplus—populationexistsinthefloatingforp;

Intheautomaticfactories，asinallthegreatworkshops，wheremachineryentersasafactor，orwhereonlythemoderndivisionoflabouriscarriedout，largenumbersofboysareemployeduptotheageofmaturity。Whenthistermisoncereached，onlyaverysmallnumbercontinuetofindemploymentinthesamebranchesofindustry，whilstthemajorityareregularlydischarged。

Thismajorityformsanelementofthefloatingsurplus—population，growingwithth