References Chapter 6¶
Core Argument¶
This chapter digest is a reference list for Chapter 6, providing the bibliographic citations for the sources drawn upon in that chapter’s argument. The core narrative thrust of the chapter itself—which this list serves—can be inferred from the works cited: it is a sustained exposition and defence of Marx’s theory of value, surplus value, and capital accumulation, set against contemporary reformulations, particularly those associated with Heinz Dieterich and the “Socialism of the 21st Century” project.
The key claims of the chapter are anchored in Marx’s own writings. The references point to a systematic treatment of the labour theory of value, beginning with Trotsky’s popularisation of Marx’s method (reference 1) and moving through the foundational texts: Capital Volumes 1 and 3, Wage Labour and Capital, and Theories of Surplus Value. The chapter draws heavily on Marx’s distinction between labour and labour-power, the generation of surplus value, and the transformation of values into prices of production. Specific citations, such as those to Capital Volume 1 pages 272, 305, 509, and 395, indicate that the chapter engages with Marx’s analysis of the working day, absolute and relative surplus value, and the fetishism of commodities. The inclusion of Engels’ Anti-Dühring (reference 30) and Rosdolsky’s The Making of Marx’s ‘Capital’ (reference 31) suggests the chapter also situates Marx’s economics within the broader Marxist tradition and its subsequent scholarly development.
The most notable polemical thrust is directed against the theoretical work of Heinz Dieterich, specifically his book Hugo Chávez y el Socialismo del Siglo XXI. References 22 through 28 are all to Dieterich’s text, and the chapter’s argument is clearly structured to refute his claims. The repeated emphasis on Dieterich’s own wording (“my emphasis, AW” in references 24, 26, and 28) indicates that the chapter subjects Dieterich’s formulations to close critical scrutiny, arguing that they misrepresent or depart from Marx’s own categories. The chapter likely contends that Dieterich’s “Socialism of the 21st Century” is not a development of Marxism but a revision that abandons its core economic logic, particularly the theory of value and the law of value under capitalism. The final reference to Marx’s The Civil War in France (reference 32) suggests the chapter concludes by contrasting Dieterich’s abstract schemes with the concrete historical experience of the Paris Commune, the classic Marxist model of proletarian state power. The chapter thus functions as a theoretical intervention, using Marx’s own texts to police the boundaries of orthodox Marxist political economy against a prominent contemporary rival.