Review: Capital

Capital by Karl Marx
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From my Outsight column published in Jam Rag Vol. IX, No. 1 Jan. 19, 1994

Das KapitaI. Well, I finally read it. Marx’s tome on economic theory that is the basis for communism Karl focused on the burgeoning industries of England at the time of the time of his writing, since he was living there then. Anyone would have felt something was wrong: children labored for over 14 hours, five or six days a week and many women pined away at relentless cottage industries.

The factories were unsafe and exploitative and all was upheld with legislation from Parliament Marx accurately saw European history as a cycle of revolution and oppression culminating the government-sanctioned wage indenture of his day, a pattern that needed to be broken, and by radical means if necessary. Marx missed the advent of international unions, paid retirement, health benefits, declining resources, vast service industries, environmental impact and even the creative investment banking that many families have access to.

While I do not intend to say that we live in some sort of Utopia – far from that – but Marx’s philosophies were meant to redress much that is nonexistent today while ignorant of many ills that exist now, and paved a path toward restrictive oligarchies/dictatorships. I do, However, feel we are at some loss for not having Marx alive now to use his brilliant mind to shed some light on our present condition.

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