ABSTRACT
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels argued that in the infancy of capitalism, when it is not fully understood, it is legitimate for the critics to depend on ethical considerations. Capitalism loses the advantage of the competitive economy, which weeds out inefficient producers. The prediction that capitalism will fail and be replaced by socialism obviously adds considerably to the persuasive power of the political program. The capitalists' drive for profits has some consequences. These include the immiseration of the worker, the falling rate of profit, the concentration of capital, more and more severe economic crises, a more united and better-organized proletariat, the final breakdown of capitalism, and the proletarian revolution. Capitalism brings a higher standard of living for some and poverty and misery for others. In the hope of alleviating the poverty of some, it is likely to aggravate environmental crises.
