100 must-read books for college students

Chapter 47 The Wonders of the History of Economics
Chapter 46 A miracle in the history of economics: "Economic Table"

In Quesnay's Economic Tables, written during the infancy of political economy from the 18s to the 30s, the

Quesnay pair

The circulation and circulation of social capital have been analyzed systematically. There is no doubt that this is a very genius idea and a political
Important events in the history of economics.

The Physiocratic classic of "Economic Table"

Francois?Quesnay (1694-1774) was the founder of the Physiocratic School and an important representative of French classical economics. 1757
In [-], Quesnay wrote two economic papers, "On the Peasants" and "On the Grains", which were published in the "Encyclopedia".

Quesnay's third treatise was "An Essay on Anthropology".Around the same year, Quesnay wrote another "On Taxation" advocating the reform of the tax system.
Implement a single tax. In 1758, Quesnay published the famous "Economic Table", which is his most important work.

Since the second half of the 17th century, there has been a trend of thought in France that opposes mercantilism policies, advocates economic freedom and values ​​agriculture, and
Physiocratic economics gradually formed.The conclusion of the Physiocrats is: only the agricultural sector can really increase the wealth of society, land
The land is the only source of wealth.The increase of wealth ensures the increase of population; and the increase of population and wealth makes agriculture flourish

, the expansion of commerce, the prosperity of industry, and thus the continuous multiplication of wealth; therefore, the various administrative facilities of a country can

Its success depends on the agricultural sector.Quesnay, as an important representative of the French Physiocratic School, his "Economic Table"
"is the representative work of the Physiocratic School.

Quesnay's Economic Tables offer insights of original genius:

The starting point of the "Economic Table" is the annual production of the land
The total product, which begins the cycle at the end of the year's harvest.This means that Quesnay actually correctly analyzed the simple

basis for reproduction.As Marx pointed out: "W'...W' is the basis of Quesnay's Economic Table. He chose this form
, instead of choosing the form P...P as opposed to G...G' (the form that the mercantilist system insists on in isolation), shows that he
great correct insight. "

In the Economic List, Quesnay "represents the entire production process of capital as a process of reproduction, circulation as merely this
form of a reproduction process; the circulation of money appears as a mere element of the circulation of capital".

The reproduction process represented by this table includes the sources of income of all social classes, the exchange of capital and income, and the

consumption of production and individual consumption, and regards the circulation between the two branches of production, agriculture and industry, as reproduction
elements of the process.This kind of analysis is instructive for scientifically studying the reproduction of social capital.

However, Quesnay's "Economic Table" was published for a long time and was not understood by people.Nearly a century later,
The real meaning of "Economic Table" was discovered by Marx.Marx once gave a high evaluation to "Economic Table".mark

Si made a comprehensive analysis of the "Economic Table", not only pointed out its achievements, but also pointed out the shortcomings and mistakes of the "Economic Table"
profound criticism.

The great contribution of the genius of economic table analysis

Like all economic analysis, the Economic Table analyzes social production with certain theoretical premises, which are
: First, what is generally practiced in the society is a large-scale land lease agricultural economy.Second, society is divided into three main classes:

([-]) The productive class is the class engaged in agricultural production, including land-rent farmers and agricultural workers; ([-]) The landowner class
major of which

Including landlords and their subordinates, kings, officials, churches, etc.; ([-]) The non-productive class includes capitalists and
Worker.Third, simple reproduction takes place between the productive class and the non-productive class.Fourth, the three main classes interact with each other

The buying and selling price of the currency remains unchanged; the currency only circulates among the three major classes, and the circulation within each class is abstracted away.fifth, yes

Foreign trade relations aside.

Quesnay abstracted away the small-scale peasant economy and made his research object

It is determined within the scope of capitalist production, so that his research has a relatively lasting significance, and it also means that his
The research is in the face of capitalism rather than feudal society; Quesnay's premise is that prices remain unchanged, which is absolutely necessary in research.

Important, because adding market prices can only complicate the problem and not help the research and analysis of the problem.because analyzing social capital

It is precisely in simple reproduction that reproduction and circulation are difficult.Quesnay therefore focused economic analysis on the simple reproductive

production is quite correct, although, of course, according to Quesnay's view, it is impossible to analyze expanded reproduction, since all "pure production

"goods", that is, the surplus value is owned by the landowner, so that agricultural capitalists have no way to expand investment. Adding foreign trade
The analysis of trade will complicate the analysis. Therefore, Quesnay does not talk about foreign trade when analyzing the field of capital reproduction.

Quesnay believed that as the starting point of capital circulation and circulation, it is the total product produced by agriculture in a year.He is in the
According to the Economic Table, the total investment situation in the production process before circulation is as follows: First, the productive class starts farming

At the time of production, an "original advance" worth 100 billion livres is invested, which is fixed capital; secondly, 20 billion livres are invested every year

Faure's "annual advance", which is the circulating capital; in these investments Quesnay assumes a capital

The period of use is 10 years, and the average annual consumption of fixed capital is 10 livres.Concerning the outcome of the production process, Quesnay posits

fixed: the productive class invests these capitals annually, creating an annual gross product worth 50 livres;

In terms of material form, of the 50 billion annual total products, 40 billion are grains and 10 billion are industrial raw materials; from the perspective of the value composition of the annual total products

, the first is the "annual advance", i.e. the value of working capital of 20 billion livres, and the second is the depletion value of the "original advance" of 10 billion

Rifle, Quesnay called it "primary advance interest", that is, the depreciation of fixed capital, and the third is "pure product", that is, the surplus product.

Worth 20 billion livres.

The "Economic Table" also assumes that before the circulation begins, the non-producing class has industrial products of 20 billion livres.
produced in the previous year.In addition, in the process of circulation, commodity circulation requires a certain amount of money.Quesnay Assumed Land

In the hands of the proprietors, 20 livres of money, collected from the productive classes in the previous year as ground rent, are circulated.

After making such theoretical assumptions, Quesnay began to analyze the circulation and circulation of social capital.agricultural products as commodities
After production, it will enter the circulation process.According to Quesnay's "Economic Table", all circulation, including commodity circulation

and currency circulation, divided into the following acts:

(20) The class of landowners buys for a half of 10, or [-] livres
Agricultural products of the productive class.As a result, agricultural products worth 10 livres passed from the producing class to the landowner class.
Among them, the currency of 10 billion livres flowed from the hands of the landowner class to the hands of the productive class. ([-]) The class of landowners
Buy industrial products from the non-productive class for 10 billion livres.Through this transaction, 10 billion livres of money flowed to different countries.
In the hands of the productive class, a billion livres of manufactured goods pass into the hands of the landowner class. (10) 10 livres for the non-productive class

Currency to buy raw materials from the productive class.As a result of this sale, 10 livres flow into the hands of the productive class,

Agricultural products (raw materials) worth 10 livres are transferred to the non-productive class. (10) The productive class buys [-] billion from the non-productive class

Riffle industrial products (such as farm tools, etc.).Thus, 10 livres flow into the hands of the non-productive class, while manufactured goods go from the non-productive class.

From the hands of the productive class to the hands of the productive class. (five)
The non-productive class buys grain and other agricultural products from the productive class with 10 billion livres.Through this sale, a billion livres

The currency of the livre goes to the hands of the productive class, and the agricultural products of 10 billion livres go to the hands of the non-productive class.

"Economic Table" made a relatively systematic analysis of the circulation and circulation of social capital, allowing people to have a better understanding of this issue.

Clear understanding.However, Quesnay's point of view also contains many shortcomings and mistakes.First of all, one-sided view of agriculture as the only life

Departments, without a correct labor theory of value as a basis, regard land rent as the only form of surplus value.Second, Quesnay has not yet
There is a correct division of social production into two major parts, the part that produces the means of production and the part that produces the means of consumption, but
Divide social production into agricultural production and industrial production; coupled with his one-sided understanding of agriculture, this makes it impossible for him to
To truly understand the characteristics of social capital, it is impossible to finally solve the problem of reproduction and circulation of total social capital in theory.
program problem.Thirdly, Quesnay did not regard industry as a non-productive sector and industrial capitalists as a non-productive class, therefore,
Naturally, many errors and contradictions arise.First, there is no "original advance" in industrial production.Second, Quesnay did not

20 billion livres of the annual production of industry are included in the total product.According to the Economic Table, the total product is actually 70 billion livres
, and not five billion livres.Finally, the industrial capitalists sell their product for 50 livres to the landowners and the productive classes

class without leaving any manufactured product for consumption by industrial capitalists and workers.Here, as if the landowner class and the productive class

Only the productive class needs to consume industrial products, and the non-producing class does not need to consume industrial products.In fact it doesn't work.

Quesnay can be said to be a great miracle in the history of economic theory. After working as a doctor for decades, he began to conduct economics at the age of 60.
Economics research, and achieved world-renowned achievements, cannot but be breathtaking.Then, let Quesnay's name go down in history

It is his Economic Table.Quesnay's outstanding contribution to the history of political economy is precisely his first attempt in the "Economic Table"

Explain the reproduction and circulation process of social capital.In the "Economic Table", Quesnay singled out the number

Circulation behaviors, synthesized into their mass movements of social character, that is, several gigantic, functionally defined, economic
circulation among economical social classes, and thus provides the most scientific insights into the simple reproduction and circulation of total social capital.
initial description.

(End of this chapter)