ABSTRACT

This title was first published in 1977. Fundamentals of Political Economy is a popular introductory economics text published in the People's Republic of China in 1974 as a part of the Youth Self-Education series designed particularly for individual or group study. The primary purpose of this series, according to the preface, is to elevate the cultural level of the youths going down to the countryside, to advance their knowledge of the social and natural sciences, as well as to arouse their class consciousness. It was originally published in two volumes. The first volume (11 chapters) is a critical review of the historical development of capitalism. The second volume (12 chapters) deals with Marxist economic principles and the manner in which they are applied in China.

chapter 1|13 pages

Learn Some Political Economy

The Object of Political Economy*

chapter 2|21 pages

Social and Economic Systems Preceding Capitalism

Production Relations in the Primitive, Slave, and Feudal Societies*

chapter 3|21 pages

The Analysis of Capitalist Society Must Start from Commodities

Commodities, Money, and the Law of Value*

chapter 4|18 pages

How the Capitalists Exploit and Oppress the Workers

Capital and Surplus Value*

chapter 5|22 pages

The Widening Gap between the Rich and the Poor in Capitalist Society

Capital Accumulation and the Impoverishment of the Working Class*

chapter 6|20 pages

The Process of the Movement of Capital Is the Process of Exploiting and Realizing Surplus Value

The Circular Flow of Capital, the Turnover of Capital, and the Reproduction of Social Capital*

chapter 7|20 pages

The Entire Bourgeoisie Exploits and Oppresses the Workers

The Division of Surplus Value*

chapter 8|17 pages

The Incurable Disease of Capitalism

Economic Crises*

chapter 9|25 pages

The Unchanging Nature of Imperialism

Imperialism Is Monopoly Capitalism*

chapter 10|19 pages

Imperialism Is the Eve of Proletarian Socialist Revolution

Imperialism Is Decaying and Moribund Capitalism*

chapter 11|25 pages

Soviet Revisionist Social Imperialism Joins the Ranks of World Imperialism

Social Imperialism Is Socialism in Name But Imperialism in Substance*

chapter 12|27 pages

Socialist Society Ushers in a New Era in Human History

Socialist Society and Proletarian Dictatorship*

chapter 13|32 pages

The Socialist System of Public Ownership Is the Basis of Socialist Production Relations

The System of Socialist State Ownership and Collective Ownership by the Laboring Masses*

chapter 14|28 pages

Establish Interpersonal Relations according to Socialist Principles

People’s Status and Their Interrelations in Socialist Production*

chapter 15|30 pages

Develop Socialist Production with Greater, Faster, and Better Results at Lower Costs

The Nature and Goal of Socialist Production and the Means of Achieving This Goal*

chapter 16|25 pages

The Socialist Economy Is a Planned Economy

Planned and Proportional Development of the National Economy*

chapter 17|26 pages

We Must Rely on Agriculture as the Foundation and Industry as the Leading Factor in Developing the National Economy

The Relations among Socialist Agriculture, Light Industry, and Heavy Industry*

chapter 18|22 pages

Frugality Is an Important Principle in the Socialist Economy

Practice Frugality and Economic Accounting*

chapter 19|23 pages

Exchange Is an Economic Form That Relates Production to Consumption

Socialist Exchange and Currency Circulation*

chapter 20|17 pages

Correctly Handle the Relations among the State, the Collective, and the Individual

The Distribution and Redistribution of the Socialist National Income*

chapter 21|19 pages

How Are Personal Consumer Goods Distributed in Socialist Society?

The Socialist Principle of “From Each according to His Ability, to Each according to His Labor”*

chapter 22|19 pages

Mutual Aid and Exchange

The External Economic Relations of the Socialist State*

chapter 23|14 pages

Communism Must Be Realized

From the Socialist Society to the Communist Society*