06/26/2026
What is capitalism? As socialists, we want to transform the world into one that is just, with freedom and equality for all. But rather than begin with the world as we want it to be, we must start with the world as it is, because the state of the world constrains our options and defines the means available to us to create a better world.
Most of us (indeed, the vast majority) are workers, and that means we already have first-hand experience of capitalism: the deprivations, the instability, the compulsion to sacrifice hours and hours every day to work for someone else. First, we must understand that these are not individual or unique problems, but problems shared by the whole working class.
Capitalism is a form of economic production based on social relations between capitalists, workers, and landlords. In England, the transition from feudalism to capitalism involved enclosures of the commons, privatizing the land and pushing former peasants toward the cities where manufacturers needed a growing labor market. This is a system that requires and perpetuates unequal ownership of property, and therefore class, such that most of us just get by while society's wealth is accumulated in the hands of the few (e.g., Elon Musk). When a capitalist enters the market, they have capital already in hand ready to purchase labor and productive equipment and materials with the goal of gaining more money. When a landlord enters the market, they have land already in hand ready to rent. When a wage-worker enters the market, they do so with their capacity to work. They sell their capacity in order to get what they need to survive.
However, capitalism cannot be fully understood just by looking at experiences that are common to all workers. This is because capitalists rely upon dividing the working class to maintain their control: while collectively we are powerful, divided we are weak.
Isabella County DSA Group
