Why did Karl Marx’s predicted revolution fail to materialise? He was thwarted, among other things, by the welfare state, says Esther-Mirjam Sent. She is a professor of economic theory and economic policy and also chairperson of the PVDA – the perfect candidate, therefore, for an episode about Karl Marx.
For this episode, we read Das Kapital, Marx’s groundbreaking analysis of the capitalist mode of production that emerged with the industrial revolution. The book was published in 1867, but in the current age of neoliberalism and increasing divisions in society, it is perhaps more topical than ever. To read Das Kapital you have to persevere. But when you do, you find a book that is sometimes very well written and still contains very relevant lessons – such as why people can’t seem to understand money.
The book inspired a century and a half of resistance to what Marx called the “capitalist monster.” Millions followed Marx’s analysis, although he would not have called himself a Marxist. Is the book still relevant today? What is the use of reading Das Kapital today?
This is the fourth installment of a nine-part series on books that changed the world.
- Presentation:
- Michel Krielaars
- Guests:
- Bernard Hulsman & Esther-Mirjam Sent
- Editing and editing:
- Jeanne Gerken
- Photo:
- Mary Evans Picture Library