Capitalism: The Compulsion of Accumulation vs. Conventional Freedom
Capitalism is not just a free market, but a recurring structure of economic power reproduction. Contrary to common associations with greed, this system is based on an objective logic of accumulation that forces profit maximization under conditions of ruthless competition. This article analyzes how this mechanism shapes institutions, technologies, and social relations, and why contemporary discontent is a symptom of deeper structural conflicts. You will learn what physical and social barriers the ideology of growth encounters and how European politics attempts to "civilize" this system.
Marx: Power Asymmetry in the Accumulation Process
The foundation of capitalism is the asymmetry of necessity. According to Marx, the worker, deprived of the means of production, must sell their labor power to survive, while capital can wait for better conditions. This imbalance allows wages to be kept at the level of biological reproduction and disciplines employees through a "reserve army" of the unemployed. Even keynesizm, which attempts to stabilize the system through state demand stimulation, faces a political barrier: full employment weakens the power of employers, which—as Michał Kalecki noted—prompts elites to sabotage lasting stabilization in favor of the disciplining influence of crises.