The Invention of Capitalism Quotes

“Indeed, the history of the recruitment of labor is an uninterrupted story of coercion either through the brute force of poverty or more direct regulation, which made a continuation of the old ways impossible”
― Michael Perelman, The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation

“In the wake of primitive accumulation, the wage relationship became a seemingly voluntary affair. Workers needed employment and employers wanted workers. In reality, of course, the underlying process was far from voluntary.”
― Michael Perelman, The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation

“Employers were quick to perceive the relationship between poverty and the chance to earn handsome profits.”
― Michael Perelman, The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation