Karl Marx’s Capital: Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1, as presented in this significant new edition, is a monumental work that has transformed our understanding of capitalism and its pervasive influence on human history, politics, and society.
This new translation of Capital, the first in fifty years, is grounded in the last German edition revised by Marx himself, which gives it a particular authenticity and authority that no previous English version possesses. The translation, executed by Paul Reitter with extensive commentary from Paul North, reflects an unprecedented fidelity to Marx’s original prose, preserving the nuanced style, wit, and complexity that have often been diminished in past editions. It is designed for a twenty-first-century readership, making the text not only more accessible but more relevant to our contemporary world.
Marx’s Capital is far more than a critique of an economic system—it is a profound philosophical investigation into the mechanisms of human exploitation and the historical forces that have shaped the modern world. At its heart, Capital reveals the brutal logic of value that governs the capitalist system, a logic that propels the relentless pursuit of profit through the exploitation of labor and the extraction of surplus value. Marx’s theoretical framework unravels the illusion that the economy operates on the basis of free competition and voluntary exchange, showing instead how these surface appearances mask a deeper, systemic coercion that forces the working class to sell their labor under conditions of domination and alienation.
The central concept of Capital is the commodity. Marx begins his analysis by dissecting the commodity form, a seemingly simple object that holds within it the entirety of capitalist social relations. By interrogating the nature of the commodity, Marx lays bare the process by which human labor is abstracted, quantified, and turned into exchangeable units of value. This reduction of human activity to the production of value is what drives the entire system of capitalism, and it is this that Marx seeks to expose and critique. For Marx, the history of capitalism is a history of bloodshed, colonization, and enslavement—a history where the exploitation of labor and the extraction of natural resources fuel endless cycles of production and destruction, all in the service of capital’s insatiable hunger for more value.
This edition of Capital is particularly notable for the critical apparatus that surrounds the main text. Wendy Brown’s foreword situates Marx’s work within the contemporary political and ecological crises that define the Anthropocene. She argues that Marx’s insights are more relevant than ever as we face the global consequences of a system driven by the imperative to accumulate at any cost, an imperative that has accelerated environmental degradation and deepened social inequalities across the globe. Brown highlights the ways in which capitalism has not only reshaped economies but has also reconfigured human subjectivity, culture, and even the rhythms of everyday life. Her introduction calls for a re-engagement with Marx’s critique as we confront the existential threats posed by climate change, rising authoritarianism, and increasing inequality.
In the afterword, William Clare Roberts offers a powerful reflection on the continuing relevance of Marx’s critique of capitalism. Roberts emphasizes that Marx did not see capitalism as a stable or permanent system but as one that is inherently self-destructive. He explores the dialectical nature of Marx’s thought, showing how capitalism’s drive to expand and accumulate leads to contradictions that ultimately threaten its own survival. These contradictions, Roberts argues, are visible in the recurring crises that have plagued global capitalism, from financial collapses to environmental disasters. In this way, *Capital* serves not only as a critique of the past but as a guide for understanding the crises of the present and for imagining a future beyond capitalism.
One of the key strengths of this translation is its attention to the subtleties of Marx’s language. Reitter has managed to capture the tone and rhythm of Marx’s original German, which is by turns analytical, satirical, and polemical. Marx’s use of irony and his biting critiques of classical political economy are preserved, bringing out the intellectual rigor and moral urgency of his project. This fidelity to the original text allows readers to appreciate the depth of Marx’s critique and to see how his analysis operates on multiple levels—philosophical, economic, historical, and literary.
Moreover, the annotations provided by Reitter and North are invaluable for both new readers and seasoned scholars. These notes clarify Marx’s references to classical economics, his allusions to historical events, and his engagement with philosophical debates. They also offer insights into the text’s complex legacy, tracing how Capital has been interpreted, misinterpreted, and reinterpreted over the last century and a half. This contextualization is crucial for understanding the continued relevance of Marx’s work in a world that has changed dramatically since the book was first published, yet remains fundamentally shaped by the same dynamics of capital accumulation and exploitation.
Marx’s critique of political economy in Capital is not confined to the economic sphere alone; it extends to every aspect of human life. He demonstrates how capitalism structures social relations, reshapes human subjectivity, and transforms the very nature of labor, leisure, and life itself. The division between the capitalist class and the working class, the alienation of workers from the products of their labor, and the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few—all of these dynamics are meticulously analyzed in Marx’s text. He shows how capitalism produces not only goods and commodities but also new forms of inequality, domination, and alienation.
For Marx, capitalism is a totalizing system that penetrates every aspect of life. It creates new forms of social relations, redefines the nature of work, and even shapes the way we understand time and space. Under capitalism, time is no longer simply a measure of life’s passing but becomes a commodity in itself, something to be bought and sold, something to be exploited in the pursuit of profit. Marx’s analysis of the working day reveals the extent to which capitalism seeks to extract as much labor as possible from workers, extending the working day, intensifying labor, and ultimately dehumanizing those who are caught in its grip.
At the core of Marx’s analysis is his theory of surplus value, which explains how capitalists extract value from the labor of workers. This surplus value is the source of profit, and it is this dynamic that drives the endless expansion of the capitalist system. Marx shows how this process leads to the concentration of wealth in the hands of the capitalist class while impoverishing the working class. He also reveals the contradictions inherent in this system—contradictions that lead to periodic crises of overproduction, where the system produces more goods than can be consumed, leading to economic downturns and widespread social suffering.
Yet, as Marx demonstrates, these crises are not anomalies but are fundamental to the functioning of capitalism itself. They are the result of the system’s internal contradictions, contradictions that arise from the very nature of capital. Capitalism is a system that constantly undermines its own foundations, creating the conditions for its eventual downfall even as it continues to expand and accumulate. Marx’s Capital is thus not only a critique of capitalism’s past and present but a guide to its possible future collapse.
This new edition of Capital, with its careful attention to Marx’s language, its comprehensive annotations, and its incisive commentary, offers readers a powerful tool for understanding the world we live in today. It is a text that challenges us to think critically about the systems that shape our lives and to imagine new possibilities for the future. Capital remains as relevant as ever, offering a profound critique of the capitalist system and a vision of a world beyond exploitation and alienation.
Simon Gros 
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