A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy

A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy is a foundational work by Karl Marx, published in 1859. It lays out the core principles of his theory of historical materialism.

Marx argued that the economic structure of society, based on its forces and relations of production, forms the real foundation upon which legal and political systems, as well as social consciousness, are built. He posited that social existence determines consciousness, not the other way around.

In his analysis of the economy, particularly in Das Kapital, Marx examined the capitalist system. He contended that all economic value originates from human labor and introduced the concept of "surplus value," which he defined as the excess value created by workers beyond their wages, appropriated by capitalists. Marx believed that inherent contradictions within capitalism, such as a declining profit rate and increasing unemployment, would ultimately lead to its downfall and replacement by a new system.12