The Formation of the Economic Thought of Karl Marx: 1843 to Capital

by Ernest Mandel

Ernest Mandel traces the development of Marx’s economic ideas from the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 to the completion of the Grundrisse. In a series of focused chapters he provides an overview of the debates and discussions central to Marxist economic theory.

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, History, Theory, Philosophy, Sociology, Politics

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Ernest Ezra Mandel was a German born Belgian-Jewish Marxian economist and a Trotskyist activist and theorist. He fought in the underground resistance against the Nazis during the occupation of Belgium and he became a member of the Fourth International during his youth in Antwerp. Mandel is considered to be populariser of marxism.

Reviews

[Peter Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful introduction to the development of Marx's economic thinking. It is particularly focused on the debate - prevalent since the publication of Marx's early writings, and particularly the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts - about whether there is a break in the development of Marx's thought between the youthful writings and the mature economic work of Capital.

In the earlier chapters, Mandel provides a useful outline of the development of the key concepts of Marx's economic thought. It does not however seek to explain those key concepts, and is best read with a fair grasp of Marx's economics. Mandel attempts to show how Marx's thinking developed from the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts through Grundisse and eventually to Capital.

This description of growth and development is important, because it allows Mandel in the final chapters to refute the idea that the 'real' Marx resides either in some philosophical, humanistic, early Marx or in a mechanistic and determinist late Marx. Mandel's analysis is persuasive in arguing that both of these approaches are underpinned by assumptions about the unchangeability of economics, and therefore the impossibility of moving away from capitalism.

In fact these later chapters prefigure later work by Paul Mason, Nick Srnicek, and Alex Williams in books such as "Inventing the Future" and "Postcapitalism" by identifying increasing automation and abundance as the opportunity to remove alienation in the future and create a society where everyone is truly able to realise their potential.

Despite being written in the 1960s this book still therefore feels very relevant to the debates going on in the modern left today.

[Feargal McGovern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this has made me want to read the Gundrisse and convinced me of just how important the concept of alienation is in marx's thought. he also explains really well how his conception of alienation developed from his first articulation of it in the economic and philospohic manuscripts of 1844 up til the Gundrisse and Capital.

Also, his stuff on commodity production is utterly brilliant, especially his explanation of why commodity production must be abolished (along with the state) in order for communist society to emerge.


There is a reason why Mandel is the classic go to for so many trotskyist groups - he explains marxist concepts that at first seem quite complex in simple and easy to understand language, and plenty of quotes and sources demonstrating the basis of his explanations.

[Constantinos Kalogeropoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about the evolution of Marx's critique of political economy.

[Justin Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, though perhaps a bit of a slog for people who don't have a good handle on the subject already.

[Augusto Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had the opportunity of reading this gem 40 years ago, but it's never too late.

The author takes to a road trip on how our hero evolved through times, publications and struggles to reach the scientific heights of "Capital".

Mandel shows how Marx moves "from criticism of religion to criticism of philosophy; from criticism of philosophy to criticism of the state: from criticism of the state to criticism of society -that is, from criticism of politics to criticism political economy, which led to criticism of private property."

Thus, under the influence of Engels in Manchester, and after visiting that blue City, Marx departs from Hegel's idealism and Feuerbach's humanism to commence the long and tortuous construction of his scientific approach to the Capitalist mode of production. He left in his wake several important opuses that, certainly, were works in progress, among others: the Manuscripts of 1844, the Holy Family, the German Ideology, the Poverty of Philosophy, Wage Labour and Capital, the Communist Manifesto and the Grundrisse. All of them were shaping the theories of wages, money, surplus value and the decoding of Capitalism as a mode of production, and in its rotten entrails, the alienation of labour as an historic phenomenon. Mandel guides us through them in each chapter of the book, though justifiably he spends a bit more on the Grundrisse and the Asiatic mode of production; as well as on the alienation of labour and Marx's possibility of transcending it by transforming the society structure while eliminating commodity production.

Indispensable read; utterly recommendable mostly to our new comrades in formative schools; and for the older ones to enlighten and fine tune what we've known through all this years.

[A YOGAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Ernest Mandels Werk erleben wir die intellektuelle „Origin Story“ von Karl Marx – so lebendig erzählt, dass man fast vergisst, es gehe um Manuskripte, Kategorien und Mehrwertgleichungen. Mandel begleitet den jungen Marx vom philosophischen Weltschmerz der 1840er Jahre bis zum monumentalen Entwurf des Kapitals und verfolgt dabei das Motiv der Entfremdung wie einen roten Faden durch Jahrzehnte theoretischer Verdichtung. Während sich andere Biografen an Anekdoten abarbeiten könnten, konzentriert sich Mandel auf die wirklich spannenden Schauplätze: die Debatten um die „asiatische Produktionsweise“, die Fallstricke der Arbeitswerttheorie und die tektonische Logik periodischer Krisen. Es ist ein wenig wie Batman Begins – nur sitzt der Held im Lesesaal des British Museum und kämpft nicht gegen Superschurken, sondern gegen die systematische Polarisierung von Reichtum und Armut.
Mandel begnügt sich jedoch nicht mit historischer Rekonstruktion, sondern konfrontiert Marx’ Theorie mit den ideologischen Kraftfeldern des 20. Jahrhunderts und den Konflikten zwischen Ost und West. Besonders charakteristisch ist sein optimistischer Zugriff: Die Überwindung der Entfremdung erscheint bei ihm nicht als fernes Ideal, sondern als notwendige Konsequenz einer sozialistischen Gesellschaftsentwicklung – weniger Utopie als Endgegner eines globalisierten Kapitalismus. Während Jon Elster Marx mit analytischem Skalpell seziert, behandelt Mandel ihn als lebendiges, sich entwickelndes System. Wer also wissen will, wie aus Hegel-Lektüre, politischer Ökonomie und Exilerfahrung eine Theorie von weltgeschichtlicher Sprengkraft wurde – und warum der eigene Lohnzettel dabei trotzdem immer ein wenig beleidigend wirkt –, findet hier eine ebenso kenntnisreiche wie engagierte Gebrauchsanweisung.

[Mariam Rawwas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the historical development of Marx's economic thinking. Something rather insightful in the chapter on how Marx came around to the labour theory of value: by realizing that reality and abstraction are not set off against each other, but rather comes to recognize "abstract law" as "a moment of the real movement," thereby completely re-articulating the question of representation (Darstellung) which is so central to Marx's theoretical contribution to philosophy. Even the chapter which defends the concept of the Asiatic mode of production, which I usually bristle at, is not particularly aggravating, for Mandel critiques its over-extended application to African and Latin American societies, which I agree would be even more Orientalist. He finds the crux of what differentiates its structure in the reliance on agriculture due to the absence of private ownership of land leading to large-scale irrigation works systems that increasingly centralize power, thus giving rise to despotism. If anything, this is more a geographical than a culturalist analysis, even if its Orientalism still largely lies in the notion of its stasis.

[Eurethius Péllitièr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is really good at explaining the various situations that Marx came across. It is not a book that will be simple for people that do not have an understanding of Marx's theories (like me) although there is a decent attempt at explaining them (might've been useful to display a lot of these in equations). In general, the book covers various arguments to make its point and hence is able to provide pros and cons of their interpretations

[Kyle van Oosterum · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re interested in the context of Marx’s views and how they develop across his economic and philosophical works, then this book is for you. Unfortunately, I came in with very little knowledge of Marx’s views and was hoping to learn more about the “the economic thought of Karl Marx” and less so about the “the formation” of that thought. I’ll probably re-read this when I learn a bit more about Marx.

[Jordan Ecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good as an introduction to the thought of Marx in all the ways that contemporary adherents of Michael Heinrich will appreciate. Clear-eyed perspective on Marxism as both a critique of political economy and a critical political economy. Maybe a bit lacking on the *politics* of the revolution and the final chapters fall flat.

[Soph Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really good nuggets in here, but also some really in the weeds theory. I was especially confused on some of the arguments and responses to theories of alienation. Still got enough out of the book though to recommend it.

[Martin Hare Michno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting and convincing academic research on Marx's development

[Mimosa Effe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Les passages les plus importants sont à la fin, certains éléments viennent de se débloquer pour moi en lisant les passages de critique à Godelier sur la lecture du capital comme seule l’appropriation de la plus-value mais au contraire de voir ça comme l’ensemble des rapports de fetichisation

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on Marx early thought up through Capital. Marxism is often clumped together in one totality, when the contrary is the case. While this lens is appropriate in a certain respect...Marx's thought underwent a developmental change from the 1840s through Capital. The young Marx was a revolutionary thinker and the mature Marx was an economist and diagnostician - two very different thinkers. However, both young and mature Marx have the same revolutionary geist and the same pulse of suspicion. An essential note is that the Marx of communism was not the Marx of Capital; but like all thinkers - the latter inherits the former.

My only criticism of this book - and so far, I've felt the same way about all of Mandel's works - is it was incredibly boring.