Forwarded from Anthony (primitive accumulation)

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Re: Primitve accumulation, plunder and the accumulation of capital in the
21st century.

Although I haven't been able to follow every post on the current thread
about 'primitive accumulation', I would like to make one important point.

Although 'primitive accumulation' of capital in the sense of 'original
accumulation' ended once capitalism - the employment of wage labor as the
dominant means of production - became the dominant mode of production
worldwide, plunder, the main component int he actual process of primitive
accumulation, continues as an important method of accumulating capital.

By plunder I mean theft in all of its forms from Wall Street swindles, to
bank robberies, to warfare.

Iraq is a good example of what I am writing about, and the Halliburton
company is a good example of how this modern day plunder takes place.

Of course there will be accountants who can show you that the USA lost tons
of money in its altruistic invasion of Iraq - but the fact  remains that
plunder, was and remains one of the key objectives of modern warfare. Even
if it is disguised through real - world oil prices on the 'market' - and
imaginary - contract bidding on the 'reconstruction of Iraq - market forces.

Plunder becomes important when capital accumulation through the market
begins to become difficult. It is a solution for some capitalists - often
at the expense of other capitalists (and of course the rest of us) - for
the natural crises produced by the market, overproduction, oversupply of
capital, etc.

This is, at this moment in history, the most important aspect of 'primitive
accumulation' to keep in mind.

Thanks for the fish, Anthony



Louis Proyect, Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org