ABSTRACT
Das Kapital, as a centenarian, still has astonishing vitality. Philosophers, economists, sociologists, political scientists, politicians expound upon it. As a result of the battle between the conscience of a would-be scientist and the vision of a prophet, Das Kapital is possessed by a contradiction between its empirical investigation and its foreknown conclusion. But substantial sections of Das Kapital derive from the reports on industry and recommendations for legislation of the Parliamentary Bluebooks, thereby testifying to the awakening conscience of British society and showing that the dark picture Marx was painting was of an age that was ending or had ended as he was beginning his work. The industrial society Marx studied was scarcely at the beginning of its development. The industrial revolution he knew was a change from man, animal, wind, and water power to steam, and from cottage handicraft to machino-facture.
