Uneven development-Sebastian

Uneven development

Surplus value was incidental in feudalism which was more concerned with maintenance of hierarchy and privilege., but became the central motor driving capitalism. Mercantilism was a transition from feudal to capitalist mode of production.
In primitive accumulation under capitalism surplus extraction was done in the process of exchange from handicraft man to the merchant. The latter gathered a large number of craftsmen in a factory and reorganized production and introduced division of labor.
Under capitalism surplus value is extracted in the production process by reducing the necessary labor time. In order to accumulate capitalists improved technology and to reduce turn over time improved transport. Advanced capitalism has been able to shift surplus creation to low wage area. workers in developed countries are beguiled into believing that capitalism is good for them by giving them social security measures.
There are differences between accumulation in mercantilist period and that by MNCs. Under the earlier system knowledge was free. Under globalization knowledge is the most important item of production. Small scale producer enjoys no autonomy. Toyota developed "Just in time" concept. Intermediate suppliers parts. Assembler assemble on order. with low demand intermediates reduce production and fire workers in the informal sector which does not have any protection thus transferring crisis of over production to intermediate to worker. Further surplus value produced by intermediate will be realized in the "host" country. Wealth is concentrated in a few hands, socially and geographically where knowledge is produced. Globalization is a search for solution to relative surplus, reduce turnover time and to reduce resistance to imperialist exploitation.
The success of globalization depends upon the cooperation of ruling elite of neocolonies to suppress people's movements, by promoting religious fanaticism and racial/caste sect divides by compromising with feudals, the clergy and armed forces and promoting the new religion of consumerism.

TRANSITION FROM FEUDALISM TO CAPITALISM

Feudalism arose as it was more efficient production force than slavery. Peasants worked better when given land. It also gave incentive to colonized new lands and develop technology like water mills. The clergy were the only literate ones and spread new technology. Feudals were wasteful, only 4-5% went into investments but the mode of production helped recovery from Roman collapse and to outstrip China and Muslim empires.
Feudalism is hegemony of small scale production and seigneurial rights.Trade created wage laborers , primitive accumulation and separation of peasants from land which led to decline of feudalism and rise of capitalism. The process started in 14th century.

TRANSITION FROM LABOR RENT TO RENT IN KIND TO MONEY RENT

Malthusian crises of shortage of food occurred once every century and in the 14th and 15th centuries loosened feudal ties.
Rent in kind was more productive as peasants took more int erst in land. Next was money rent; producer pays not the produce but its value. Money presuppose considerable development of commerce, urban industry and money circulation.Common law relationship between peasant and land owner is changed into cash contact based one. it also creates a class of landless day laborers for hire.

SEPARATION OF PEASANTS AND EMERGENCE OF WAGE LABOR

The enclosure movement in England proceeded along with capitalist development. In 16Th and 17Th centuries kings in England and France passed laws to deprive people of land ( and turn them into wage laborers. Peasants were turned into vagabonds and then whipped, branded and tortured if they resorted to begging.
In England a combine of landlords, nascent capitalist farmers and state fought centuries long campaigns to force people off the land (commons which were open to all on cooperative basis for grazing).

TOWNS AND VILLAGES

With the establishment of towns new methods of of gaining control over surplus developed. Merchants became a class and skimmed off surplus. New technical advances like the lathe, spinning wheel, dye, printing, eye glasses and paper making were made.
The logic of town was commodity exchange. Craftsmen ceased to be additionally peasants. work shop owners used the guild system to restrict production. Journey men fought and free wage labor was produced. "Putting out" system known as proto-industrialization came into being.

MERCANTILISM-UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT-ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN PRIMITIVE ACCUMULATION.

Pre-capitalist communities were driven by direct satisfaction of wants met by production at home. Luxury goods and spices were brought from out side. But communities were aware of long distance trade. Chinese porcelain, ostrich feathers and spices in Africa and Europe are examples.
In pre-capitalist stage middlemen made the profit. In the middle ages Muslim countries in middle East controlled trade. European merchants had to pay in gold (which Africa provided) as India and China did not care for any thing the former Europeans thus net contributors to Muslim wealth
Portuguese made the first effort to go beyond the boundaries of Europe to secure control of trans-Saharan gold routes. They did not get it, but probably gave them the idea of outflanking the overland network of Arab traders
While Portuguese tried the eastern route, Columbus went west and landed in the Caribbean in 1492. Vasco de Gama reached Kozhikode in 1498. Sea voyages were common place for Asians but were a discovery for Europeans. ( My note. In the seventies an Indian American went to Rome, planted a flag in front of the airport and declared that he had discovered Italy). Pope ruled Europe and gave Papal bull to the King of Portugal to conquer, kill, subdue and reduce to slavery Saracens and all non-believers in Christ.

The earliest demand for slaves came from Spanish colonies, but the trade was conducted by Portuguese, dutch, French and the British, the last after gaining naval supremacy became the leading slaver.
Ships from Europe were loaded with trade goods, exchanged for slaves in Africa and for sugar and other products in the Caribbean and Americas.Ten million slaves were taken across the Atlantic between 1451 and 1807;1.6 for Spanish America, 3.6 for Brazil, 2 for British colonies including the USA and 1.6 for French Caribbean.
The first trading post was established in Kozhikode, India in 1500. By 1509 Portuguese had captured Malacca, Goa in 1511 by Albuquerque. thus by 1510 spices and other goods flowed into Europe by 1510, bypassing Arab traders and drying up revenue of the Ottomans as well.
The Portuguese with better ships using bases in India captured cities in Oman and Iran and collected tributes from local rulers.Abbas 1 of the Safavid dynasty sought the help of the British and the Dutch, got the Portuguese out only to lose control to the British who defeated the Dutch.
Indonesia was one of the most important sources of spices (the fixation of the Europeans to spices can be easily explained. Out of season they did not produce enough to eat With out refrigeration the stored food went bad. Spices were needed to suppress the smell of rotting meat) Portuguese controlled the spice trade in the 16Th century but lost it to the Dutch in 17Th century. the latter subjugated most of the islands by early 18Th century. Once coffee became popular in Europe they forced Indonesians to grow it and paid them little.They did not establish direct rule, but exercised complete control.During Napoleonic wars the British occupied Indonesia, but the Ditch got it back in 1816. In the 19Th century sugar replaced coffee as major Indonesian export. Before the dutch arrival the main export was textiles. By the end of 18th century that had been eliminated.
Robert Clive defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal in 1757 and started the subjugation of India.Between 1757 and 1813 when the monopoly was abolished India was exploited through the East India company legal monopoly of trade between Europe and the East.Between 1813 and 1834 was the transitory free trade exploitation phase. The trade was in cotton, handicraft, agricultural goods, indigo and opium.
During 15 hundreds Western Europeans took control of international trade and three centuries of mercantilist stage of capital accumulation paved the conditions of industrial capitalism.
While the West Europeans progressed to capitalist mode rest of the world was pushed into miserable poverty.For three centuries black Africa's sole function was to supply slaves.
American Indians had been killed in large numbers. By the first quarter of 19th century they, led by landowners and merchants and supported by the British were able to overthrow Spaniards weakened by Napoleonic wars. the leaders shifted their loyalty to the British whose manufactured goods destroyed native handicraft.

COLONIALISM-INSTITUTION OF UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT.

During the industrial revolution capitalist countries matured and transformed themselves into imperialist countries. Adam Smith, David Ricardo, J.S mill, J.B Say and Thomas Malthus were the leading theoreticians of the era. Market theory if left to it self the world economy would grow. Free tradesupplanted slave trade and plunder of the new world.
Marx pointed out that the market was not a liberating process, but only a cover over the real exploitative relations between owners of the means of production and workers who create surplus value and accumulation of wealth and that the new relations of production were more unjust and exploitative than the ones they had replaced.