Commodity owners and their commodities My commodity should be a a general equivalent for all others so that I can exchange it for everything. But my commodity should also be a general equivalent of all others. use value commodity value = commodity

The commodity owner’s ponder … But it is not possible for all commodities to be the general equivalent at the same time. There can only be one. What should I do? … and me? use value commodity value = commodity

… and find a solution Hey, great; there’s already a solution! Yay! Without even thinking. Great, money! It is directly exchangeable; I can exchange every- thing for it. «In their difficulties our commodity-owners think like Faust: ‹In the beginning was the deed.› They have therefore already acted before thinking». (p. 180) money Commodity general equivalent

The money fetish Look, because we have money, we can relate all of our commo- dities to it as values. Practical, no? Man, you’ve totally succumbed to the money fetish. The reverse is the case: Because we represent the value of all our commodities in an exclusive commodity, that commodity becomes money. money Commodity

Historical process: the development of money The historical broadening and deepening of the phenomenon of exchange develops the opposition between use- value and value which is latent in the nature of the commodity. [ … ] At the same rate, then, as the transformation of the products of labour into commodities is accomplished, one particular commodity is transformed into money. (p. 181)