Meaning & use
primitive accumulation
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Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
In Marxist theory, the early, often forceful gathering of land, wealth and resources that creates the conditions for capitalism by separating workers from the means to earn a living.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun, often with the: the theory of primitive accumulation.
Patterns
- primitive accumulation of something
Marx argued that primitive accumulation, such as enclosing common land, forced peasants to work for wages.
Historians still debate whether colonial plunder was a central part of primitive accumulation.
In the lecture, primitive accumulation was described as the starting point for industrial capital.
Common combinations
- theory of primitive accumulation
- The seminar began with the theory of primitive accumulation.
- period of primitive accumulation
- The period of primitive accumulation in England lasted centuries.
- process of primitive accumulation
- Critics describe privatization as a modern process of primitive accumulation.
- so-called primitive accumulation
- The so-called primitive accumulation involved violence and legal changes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- original accumulation
- It is another translation of the same German term and is more common in older English editions.
- capital formation
- It is a neutral economic term for building capital and does not carry Marx's emphasis on force.
Word family
- accumulate verb
- to gather together over time
- accumulation noun
- the build-up of something
- capital noun
- wealth used to produce more wealth
- primitive adjective
- here, belonging to the earliest stage
Commonly confused: primitive accumulation or capital accumulation?
primitive accumulation vs capital accumulation
Capital accumulation is the ongoing reinvestment of profit within an economy, whereas primitive accumulation describes the initial stage that makes it possible.
Practice
In Marx's account, the enclosure of common land is a key example of ___.
Choose one answer.
The forced separation of peasants from land is the classic example of primitive accumulation. Wage negotiation only exists after workers are already wage earners.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “primitive accumulation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.