Refers to the attribute of a commodity that can satisfy certain needs of people, that is, the usefulness of the commodity. It reflects the material relationship between man and nature, the natural attributes of commodities, and the attributes common to all labor products.

It constitutes the material content of social wealth

Value is the undifferentiated general human labor condensed in commodities, that is, the expenditure of human brain and physical strength (abstract labor)

Value is the unique social attribute of commodities

Value is the basis of exchange value, and exchange value is the expression of value.

Value essentially embodies the social relationship between producers

Opposition

unity

Concrete labor, that is, useful labor

Abstract labor, that is, human physical and mental exertion

Average proficiency level of workers

The degree of development of science and technology and its application in production

Automatic integration during production

The scale and efficiency of the means of production and their natural conditions

①The amount of value produced per unit time

②The amount of use value produced per unit time (i.e. the quantity of goods)

③The amount of value contained in a single commodity

④The labor time consumed by a single product

Conceptual currency eg. You only need to write numbers on the price tags at the counter, no need to put the equivalent amount in RMB

Real currency, pay with one hand and deliver with the other hand

To withdraw from circulation, it must be a metal currency of sufficient value

Purchase and sell on credit, pay off debts, pay rent (Note: If it is "pay the money with one hand and deliver the goods with the other hand", it is a means of circulation)

Applications within the various monetary functions mentioned above

①The value of a commodity is determined by the socially necessary labor time to produce the commodity. Commodity exchange is based on the value and is conducted in accordance with the principle of equal exchange.

②The law of value is a general law that runs through the entire commodity economy. It governs both commodity production and commodity circulation.

① Before the average profit appears, the price fluctuates around the value of the commodity.

② After the average profit appears, the price fluctuates around the production value.

③After the monopoly appears, prices fluctuate around the monopoly price.

(Note on the above three points: The different manifestations of the law of value do not negate the role of the law of value)

① Spontaneously adjust the distribution ratio of production means and labor among various production departments of society

② Spontaneously stimulate the development of social productivity

③Spontaneously adjust the distribution of social income

However, when the law of value spontaneously regulates economic activities, it will inevitably produce some negative consequences.

(The three effects of the law of value can be remembered one-to-one with the three negative consequences it produces)

Those producers who have higher labor productivity and whose individual labor time is lower than the socially necessary labor time, so that the individual value of the commodity is lower than the social value, can obtain more income (the individual value of the commodity is lower than the social value but according to the social value sell), it will be in an advantageous position in the competition.

social labor of a social nature

private labor of a private nature

①Determines the nature and development process of commodity economy

②The basis of all other contradictions in the commodity economy

③Determines the fate of commodity producers

①Divided from small commodity economy

② Converted from merchants and loan sharks

That is, the historical process in which producers are separated from the means of production and monetary capital is rapidly concentrated in the hands of a few people.

① Use violent means to deprive farmers of their land (this is the basis of the primitive accumulation process of capital)

② Use violent means to plunder monetary wealth and colonial plunder

remaining value

①The value of the means of living necessary to maintain the worker’s own survival

②The value of the means of living necessary to maintain the survival of the workers’ families

③Expenses for workers to receive education and training

Is due

The labor power purchased by the owner of money can bring surplus value (Surplus value is the source of capital accumulation)

Two characteristics of the capitalist labor process

The so-called value-added process is a value formation process that is extended beyond a certain point of compensation for the value of labor force. (The "certain point" here refers to the time during which hired workers reproduce the value of their own labor power)

The labor force purchased by the capitalist creates value in excess of the compensated labor force during the production process, thus forming surplus value.

Its essence is the part of the value that exceeds the value of labor force that is created by wage workers and occupied by capitalists for free. It is the condensation of surplus labor of wage workers and embodies the relationship of exploitation and exploitation between capitalists and wage workers.

necessary labor

surplus labor

According to the different roles played by these two parts in the production of surplus value

Constant capital is capital that exists in the form of means of production

The value of the means of production is transferred to new products through the specific labor of workers, and the value transferred will not be greater than its original value

Variable capital is that part of capital used to purchase labor power

The value of variable capital is reproduced by the labor of workers during the production process and is not transferred to new products.

Further reveals the source of surplus value

Refers to the surplus value produced due to the extension of the length of the working day under the condition that the necessary labor time remains unchanged.

Refers to the surplus value produced by shortening necessary labor time and relatively extending surplus labor time under the condition that the length of the working day remains unchanged.

The reduction of necessary labor time is achieved through the improvement of labor productivity of the whole society.

Both increase surplus labor time and increase the amount of surplus value that capitalists possess for free.

Note: In the early stages of capitalist development, capitalists mainly relied on absolute surplus value production to increase the level of exploitation; With the continuous improvement of production technology conditions and the strengthening of the working class's struggle against capitalists' extension of working days, the role of relative surplus value has become increasingly prominent.

expanded reproduction

Capital Accumulation

In essence, it is the unity of the reproduction of material means and the reproduction of capitalist production relations.

That is, capitalists continue to use the surplus value created by workers who occupy it for free to expand the scale of their own capital and further expand and strengthen the exploitation and domination of workers.

remaining value

The scale of capital accumulation depends on the degree of exploitation of workers (changes in the same direction), the level of labor productivity (changes in the same direction), the difference between capital used and capital spent (changes in the same direction), and the size of capital advanced by capitalists (Change in the same direction)

As capital accumulates, it will inevitably intensify social polarization, and it is also the root cause of unemployment in capitalist society.

Executive Functions: Monetary Functions

Executive Function: Produced Capital

Executive Function: Commodity Capital

Division results: constant capital, variable capital

Division results: money capital, productive capital, commodity capital

Division results: fixed capital, circulating capital

①Capital turnover time

②The composition of fixed capital and circulating capital in productive capital

Issues of value compensation and physical compensation of total social products

①The first category consists of departments that produce means of production, and their products enter the production field

②The second category is composed of departments that produce consumption materials, and its products enter the field of daily consumption.

It requires that the capital consumed in production be compensated in value, and that the means of production and consumption used in the actual production process be replaced in kind.

Only when the production of the two major categories maintains a certain proportion not only in scale but also in structure can the value compensation and physical replacement of the total social product be realized normally and social production proceed smoothly.

The occurrence of economic crisis is actually a forced way to solve the practical problems of social reproduction under capitalist conditions. Although this solution can eventually transform social reproduction from imbalance to balance, it is based on the social and economic life. at the cost of serious chaos and paralysis and a huge waste of social resources and wealth.

This is due to the inability of these companies to realize in their production processes: Value compensation

① The surplus value created by workers in a certain enterprise may be misappropriated by other capitalists

②Capitalists in various sectors share common class interests in strengthening the exploitation of the working class.

This is also a concrete manifestation of the contradiction between productive forces and production relations in capitalist society.

relative overproduction

The basic contradiction of capitalism

The characteristic of capitalist economic crisis is that it is cyclical, that is, it breaks out every few years and recurs periodically.

The characteristics of cyclical outbreaks of economic crises also make the reproduction of social capital also show cyclical characteristics, generally including four stages.

①The occurrence of economic crisis is related to the poverty of the masses and the restriction of their consumption ability

②The root cause of the economic crisis lies in the basic contradictions of capitalism

③Capital accumulation and unlimited expansion of reproduction are also causes of economic crises.

Implement internal political rule and social management

Carrying out international exchanges and safeguarding national security interests

The capitalist state is essentially a tool for class rule by the bourgeoisie

The principle of private ownership, the principle of "sovereignty lies with the people", the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances, and the principle of human rights

Separation of powers and checks and balances

From a formal point of view, the electoral system is an important form for citizens to participate in national affairs.

From the perspective of actual political role, the electoral system is an important measure to coordinate the interest relationships and contradictions within the ruling class.

Contemporary capitalist countries basically implement a party system

Refers to the process in which the production of production materials and labor commodities is increasingly concentrated in a few large enterprises. The result is that large enterprises account for an ever-increasing share of social production

Refers to the process of large companies annexing small companies, or the merger of many small capitals to form a large capital. The result is that more and more capital is at the disposal of a few large capitalists

Free competition leads to the concentration of production and capital. The objective law of capitalist development is that "when concentration develops to a certain stage, it can be said that it will naturally lead to monopoly."

Their essence is to manipulate and control commodity production and sales markets through alliances, manipulate monopoly prices, and seize high monopoly profits.

① Monopoly does not eliminate the economic conditions for competition

②Monopoly must be maintained through competition

③Social production is complex and diverse, and it is impossible for any monopoly organization to cover all aspects of social production.

Large scale, long time, cruel means, more intense and more destructive

Financial capital is a kind of monopoly capital formed by the fusion of industrial monopoly capital and bank monopoly capital.

Main ways of forming financial capital

On the basis of the formation of financial capital, financial oligarchy emerged

That is, a small number of monopoly capitalists or monopoly capitalist groups that control the lifeline of the national economy and actually control the state power.

Economically, it is mainly achieved through the "participation system"

In politics, this is mainly achieved through "personal alliance" with the government, that is, personally holding or appointing agents to hold important government positions.

obtain monopoly profits

Monopoly profits are high profits that exceed average profits obtained by monopoly capitalists by virtue of their monopoly position in social production and circulation.

In the final analysis, it comes from the surplus value created by the proletariat and other working people.

Mainly achieved through monopoly prices set by monopoly organizations

The formula is: monopoly price = cost price ➕ average profit ➕ monopoly profit

Monopoly prices include two forms: monopoly high prices and monopoly low prices.

It is a concrete manifestation of the role of the law of value in monopoly capitalism

The formation of a monopoly cannot increase the total amount of value, the monopoly itself cannot create value or surplus value, and the setting of monopoly prices cannot be completely divorced from value.

First, the development of social productive forces requires capitalist means of production to be controlled on a larger scale, thus promoting the emergence of state monopoly capitalism.

Second, the deepening of economic fluctuations and economic crises requires the emergence of state capitalism

Third, easing social contradictions, coordinating interest relationships, and requiring the emergence of state monopoly capitalism

The first type is an enterprise owned and directly operated by the state

The second type is an enterprise owned or jointly owned by the state and private individuals.

The third is that the state participates in the reproduction process of private monopoly capital through various forms.

The fourth type, macro-adjustment

The fifth type, micro-regulation

State monopoly capitalism is a new development of capitalism, which has a positive effect on the economic development of capitalism

State monopoly capitalism is, in essence, monopoly capitalism that combines the power of the bourgeois state with the power of monopoly organizations. His emergence did not fundamentally change the nature of monopoly capitalism, nor did it fundamentally eliminate the basic contradictions of capitalism

Although state monopoly capitalism has various specific forms, its essence is that private monopoly capital uses state machinery to serve it. A form of monopoly capitalism in which private monopoly capital combines with state power in order to maintain monopoly rule and obtain high monopoly profits.

On the one hand, it promotes the development of capitalism

On the other hand, excessive virtualization of the economy has led to frequent financial crises, bringing disaster not only to the capitalist economy but also to the global economy.

There are three basic forms: loan capital export, production capital export, and commodity capital export.

From the perspective of the sources of exported capital, there are mainly two categories: private export of capital and state capital export.

Among the three forms of capital export, the export of commodity capital dominates the stage of free competition capitalism. The output of loan capital and production capital dominates the stage of monopoly capitalism.

First, the impact on capital-exporting countries

Second, for capital-importing countries, the main development is developing countries. The input of capital has both positive and negative effects on its economic and social development

(Early) International Cartel

(Contemporary) International Alliance of State Monopoly Capitalism

Various international economic organizations, international economic agreements, regional economic organizations and groups

Fundamentally speaking, they serve to safeguard the interests of the bourgeoisie and obtain high monopoly profits for them.

1. Monopoly organizations play a decisive role in economic life

2. Form the rule of financial oligarchy based on financial capital

3. Capital export has gained special significance

4. An international monopoly alliance of capitalists has been formed to carve up the world.

5. The largest capitalist powers have completely divided the world’s territories.

Signs of the rapid expansion of international trade: The growth rate of international trade is much higher than the growth rate of the world economy.

After World War II, corporate capitalism emerged and became the dominant form of capital ownership.

(1) State capital ownership

(2) Legal person capital ownership

Main systems: employee participation in decision-making, lifelong employment, employee stock ownership

First, the status and role of capitalists have undergone great changes - ownership capitalists generally no longer directly operate and manage enterprises, but mainly rely on the company stocks and other securities and interest income they own and control, and eventually become rentiers who make a living by clipping coupons

Second, senior professional managers have become the actual controllers of the business activities of large companies.

Third, the number of knowledge-based and service-based workers continues to increase, and new changes have taken place in labor methods.

(Note: There is no "employee shareholding and participation in decision-making, making workers an important force in the capitalist group", which is a interference item)