Divided Capitalism and Marx's Concept of Politics

Abstract

Scholars argue that Marx explicitly states that financial and industrial capitalists do form distinct classes. Relations between industrial and financial capital were broadly discussed not only by Marx but also by Marxists after Marx. However, the question of the practical significance of Marx's distinction between industrial and financial capitalists does not seem to be properly answered. This paper tries to show that this distinction always had a political significance. It discusses the changes made by Marx during his lifetime, and attempts to explain those changes by connecting them to historical events on the one hand and to Marx's concept of politics on the other.