The Great Money Trick
Socialist Organiser1983 1983-08-18Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 10 →
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How Robert Tressell explains exploitation Owen, playing the part of the capitalist, starts with three pieces of bread, representing raw materials; three knives, representing machinery and equipment; and three coins representing money capital.
Three workmates play the part of the workers. They start with nothing. The 'capitalist offers them work at a wage of one coin. The workers set to it. The job is to cut one piece of bread into three pieces. At the end the capitalist has nine pieces of bread, representing inputs for the next round of production and consumer goods.
The workers want food and clothing. the capitalist is willing to sell them. The price is one coin for one piece of bread. The coins return to the capitalist.
The capitalist himself consumes two pieces of bread. So at the end of the cycle the capitalist has four pieces of bread left, plus three coins. The workers still have... nothing.
The cycle repeats itself. Next time the capitalist ends up with five pieces of bread and three coins, and the workers once again with nothing.
So it goes on. At each stage there is 'fair exchange' - but the capitalist gets richer and richer, the workers remain as poor as they started.
Then Owen, the 'capitalist' suddenly lays the workers off. The workers complain.. The capitalist explains that he can't employ them because his warehoures are glutted.
The workers beg for charity. The capitalist gives them a coin, and promptly recoups it by selling goods from his stock. The workers applaud the capitalist's generosity — but at the end of it they are still equally poor, the capitalist is still rich.
The workers organise an unemployed protest. Owen calls in another workmate to play the part of the policeman, who chases the workers away and receives a bribe from the capitalist in return.
The policeman is, after all, only defending Liberty, Equality, Justice, Property - the right of every citizen to protection and free disposal of his property...
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