Das Kapital

[Storebought]

If you haven't found this site before, here is the complete text to Karl Marx's Das Kapital.

From the chapter on British landlord's "primitive accumulations" of the yeoman's land in Scotland:

As an example of the method [29] obtaining in the 19th century, the “clearing” made by the Duchess of Sutherland will suffice here. This person, well instructed in economy, resolved, on entering upon her government, to effect a radical cure, and to turn the whole country, whose population had already been, by earlier processes of the like kind, reduced to 15,000, into a sheep-walk. From 1814 to 1820 these 15,000 inhabitants, about 3,000 families, were systematically hunted and rooted out. All their villages were destroyed and burnt, all their fields turned into pasturage. British soldiers enforced this eviction, and came to blows with the inhabitants. One old woman was burnt to death in the flames of the hut, which she refused to leave. Thus this fine lady appropriated 794,000 acres of land that had from time immemorial belonged to the clan. She assigned to the expelled inhabitants about 6,000 acres on the sea-shore — 2 acres per family. The 6,000 acres had until this time lain waste, and brought in no income to their owners. The Duchess, in the nobility of her heart, actually went so far as to let these at an average rent of 2s. 6d. per acre to the clansmen, who for centuries had shed their blood for her family. The whole of the stolen clanland she divided into 29 great sheep farms, each inhabited by a single family, for the most part imported English farm-servants. In the year 1835 the 15,000 Gaels were already replaced by 131,000 sheep. The remnant of the aborigines flung on the sea-shore tried to live by catching fish. They became amphibious and lived, as an English author says, half on land and half on water, and withal only half on both. [30]

You never need trouble yourself to read any of opebo's posts again!

[Storebought]

Not that I expect many responses to this thread, but I will say that, on the purely historical narratives, Marx is actually engaging to read. He knows how to work his theme through even 16th century primary sources.

The only problem starts when attempts to use these sources as evidence of economic trends that simply did not occur. The wealth the landlords amassed through the 17th century wool trade did not go into urban manufactures! He's confusing two seperate developments.

[Ghyl Tarvoke]

If you haven't found this site before, here is the complete text to Karl Marx's Das Kapital.

From the chapter on British landlord's "primitive accumulations" of the yeoman's land in Scotland:

As an example of the method [29] obtaining in the 19th century, the “clearing” made by the Duchess of Sutherland will suffice here. This person, well instructed in economy, resolved, on entering upon her government, to effect a radical cure, and to turn the whole country, whose population had already been, by earlier processes of the like kind, reduced to 15,000, into a sheep-walk. From 1814 to 1820 these 15,000 inhabitants, about 3,000 families, were systematically hunted and rooted out. All their villages were destroyed and burnt, all their fields turned into pasturage. British soldiers enforced this eviction, and came to blows with the inhabitants. One old woman was burnt to death in the flames of the hut, which she refused to leave. Thus this fine lady appropriated 794,000 acres of land that had from time immemorial belonged to the clan. She assigned to the expelled inhabitants about 6,000 acres on the sea-shore — 2 acres per family. The 6,000 acres had until this time lain waste, and brought in no income to their owners. The Duchess, in the nobility of her heart, actually went so far as to let these at an average rent of 2s. 6d. per acre to the clansmen, who for centuries had shed their blood for her family. The whole of the stolen clanland she divided into 29 great sheep farms, each inhabited by a single family, for the most part imported English farm-servants. In the year 1835 the 15,000 Gaels were already replaced by 131,000 sheep. The remnant of the aborigines flung on the sea-shore tried to live by catching fish. They became amphibious and lived, as an English author says, half on land and half on water, and withal only half on both. [30]

You never need trouble yourself to read any of opebo's posts again!

That's OK, I don't anyway.

[theman9235]

are u kidding..
please tell me how germane this piece of two bits will have any impact on anything?
Im not trying to be a toad, i have tried reading "des capital" which is actually easy to read. But there is nothing anyone could get anything relevent from it.

[Beet]

You never need trouble yourself to read any of opebo's posts again!

We read him purely for entertainment.

[Gustaf]

are u kidding..
please tell me how germane this piece of two bits will have any impact on anything?
Im not trying to be a toad, i have tried reading "des capital" which is actually easy to read. But there is nothing anyone could get anything relevent from it.

If you're gonna criticize one of modern history's most influential thinkers for not being relevant I would suggest you learn to spell words like relevant and the title of his book correctly first.

[Vasall des Midas]

If you're gonna criticize one of modern history's most influential thinkers for not being relevant I would suggest you learn to spell words like relevant and the title of his book correctly first.

I'm surprised to hear anyone still thinks Marx "influential".

Nice passage, Store. Probably completely true, too. Doesn't change the fact Marx didn't understand Economics, no more than Milton Friedman did.

[theman9235]

are u kidding..
please tell me how germane this piece of two bits will have any impact on anything?
Im not trying to be a toad, i have tried reading "des capital" which is actually easy to read. But there is nothing anyone could get anything relevant from it.

If you're gonna criticize one of modern history's most influential thinkers for not being relevant I would suggest you learn to spell words like relevant and the title of his book correctly first.

alright i get your point--but how is it relevant in modern times???

[opebo]

What does Marx have to do with my posts, Storebought?

Nice passage, Store. Probably completely true, too. Doesn't change the fact Marx didn't understand Economics, no more than Milton Friedman did.

In your opinion, who does 'understand economics', Lewis Trondheim?

[Vasall des Midas]

What does Marx have to do with my posts, Storebought?

Nice passage, Store. Probably completely true, too. Doesn't change the fact Marx didn't understand Economics, no more than Milton Friedman did.

In your opinion, who does 'understand economics', Lewis Trondheim?

No one who thinks it can be easily fitted into mathematical or otherwise schematical models, or in fact meaningfully divorced from sociology (which cannot be meaningfully divorced from economics, either).

[opebo]

In your opinion, who does 'understand economics', Lewis Trondheim?

No one who thinks it can be easily fitted into mathematical or otherwise schematical models, or in fact meaningfully divorced from sociology (which cannot be meaningfully divorced from economics, either).

Excellent answer Lewis Tranheim.  I would also throw politics in there as inextricable.

[Vasall des Midas]

In your opinion, who does 'understand economics', Lewis Trondheim?

No one who thinks it can be easily fitted into mathematical or otherwise schematical models, or in fact meaningfully divorced from sociology (which cannot be meaningfully divorced from economics, either).

Excellent answer Lewis Tranheim.  I would also throw politics in there as inextricable.

Obviously.

[Gustaf]

are u kidding..
please tell me how germane this piece of two bits will have any impact on anything?
Im not trying to be a toad, i have tried reading "des capital" which is actually easy to read. But there is nothing anyone could get anything relevant from it.

If you're gonna criticize one of modern history's most influential thinkers for not being relevant I would suggest you learn to spell words like relevant and the title of his book correctly first.

alright i get your point--but how is it relevant in modern times???

The materialistic view of history is still predominant, at least in Sweden. The whole concept of class struggle and the focus on class as an important factor for pretty much everything is largely thanks to Marx.