登陆注册
5186300000048

第48章 MONEY OR SIMPLE CIRCULATION(29)

We have seen that the circulation of money is merely a manifestation of the metamorphosis of commodities,or of the transformation which accompanies the social metabolism.The total quantity of gold in circulation must therefore perpetually increase or decrease in accordance with the varying aggregate price of the commodities in circulation,that is in accordance,on the one hand,with the volume of their metamorphoses which take place simultaneously and,on the other hand,with the prevailing velocity of their transformation.

This is only possible provided that the proportion of money in circulation to the total amount of money in a given country varies continuously.Thanks to the formation of hoards this condition is fulfilled.If prices fall or the velocity of circulation increases,then the money ejected from the sphere of circulation is absorbed by the reservoirs of hoarders;if prices rise or the velocity of circulation decreases,then these hoards open and a part of them streams back into circulation.The solidification of circulating money into hoards and the flowing of the hoards into circulation is a continuously changing and oscillating movement,and the prevalence of the one or the other trend is solely determined by variations in the circulation of commodities.

The hoards thus act as channels for the supply or withdrawal of circulating money,so that the amount of money circulating as coin is always just adequate to the immediate requirements of circulation.If the total volume of circulation suddenly expands and the fluid unity of sale and purchase predominates,so that the total amount of prices to be realised grows even faster than does the velocity of circulation of money,then the hoards dwindle visibly;whenever an abnormal stagnation prevails in the movement as a whole,that is when the separation of sale from purchase predominates,then the medium of circulation solidifies into money to a remarkable extent and the reservoirs of the hoarders are filled far above their average level.

In countries which have purely metallic currency or are at an early stage of development of production,hoards are extremely fragmented and scattered throughout the country,whereas in advanced bourgeois countries they are concentrated in the reservoirs of banks.Hoards must not be confused with reserve funds of coin,which form a constituent element of the total amount of money always in circulation,whereas the active relation of hoard and medium of circulation presupposes that the total amount of money decreases or increases.As we have seen,gold and silver articles also act both as channels for the withdrawal of precious metals and latent sources of supply.

Under ordinary circumstances only the former function plays an important role in the economy of metallic currency.[17]

FOOTNOTES

[1.]"Not only are precious metals tokens of things ...but alternatively things ...are also tokens of gold and silver."A.Genovesi,Lezioni di Economia Civile ,1765,in Custodi,Parte Moderna,t.VIII,p.281

[2.]Gold and silver are "universal wealth".Petty,Political Arithmetick ,p.242

[3.]E.Misselden,Free Trade,or the Means to Make Trade Florish ,London,1622."The natural matter of Commerce is Merchandize,which Merchants from the end of Trade have stiled Commodities.The Artificiall matter of Commerce is Money,which hath obtained thc title of sinewes of Warre and of State....

Money,though it be in nature and time after Merchandize,yet forasmuch as it is now in use become the chiefe"(p.7).He compares the position of commodity and money with that of the descendents of "Old Jacob",who "blessing his Grandchildren,crost his hands,and laide his right hand on the yonger,and his left hand on the elder"(I.c.).Boisguillebert,Dissertation sur ia nature des richesses ."Thus the slave of commerce has become its master....The misery of the peoples is due to the fact that the slave has been turned into a master or rather into a tyrant"(pp.395,399).

[4.]"These metals (gold and silver)have been turned into idols,and disregarding the goal and purpose they were intended to fulfil in commerce,i.e.,to serve as tokens in exchange and reciprocal transfer,they were allowed to abandon this service almost entirely in order to be transformed into divinities to whom more goods,important needs and even human beings were sacrificed and continue to be sacrificed,than were ever sacrificed to the false divinities even in blind antiquity..:'(Boisguillebcrt,o.p.cit..p.395)

[5.]Boisguillebert suspects that the first immobilisation of the perpetuum mobile ,i.e.,the negation of its function as the medium of circulation,will immediately render it independent in relation to commodities.Money,he says,must be "in constant motion,which is only the case so long as it moves,but as soon as it becomes immobile all is lost"(Boisguillebert,Le détail de la France ,p.213).What he overlooks is that this inactivity is the prerequisite of its movement.What he actually wants is that the value form of commodities should be a quite insignificant aspect of their metabolism,but should never become an end in itself.

[6.]"The more the stock ...is ...encreased in wares,the more it decreaseth in treasure."E.Misselden,op.cit.,p.23

[7.]E.Misselden,op.cit.,pp.11-13passim .

同类推荐
  • 续齐谐记

    续齐谐记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 正学隅见述

    正学隅见述

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 灵宝六丁秘法

    灵宝六丁秘法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 花间集新注

    花间集新注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 厘正按摩要术

    厘正按摩要术

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 与鬼同眠

    与鬼同眠

    没事儿的时候,不要把雨伞撑开了放在家里,因为小伙伴们很喜欢躲在里面。还有,什么风铃啊,铃铛啊之类的玩意也是小伙伴的最爱。不信?哎,看看我的经历吧……
  • 位面人生

    位面人生

    朴实平坦的路,毫无动摇的信念勇于追求的心,丝毫不放的手张洋来自平凡,却不归平凡。
  • 我与超能地球的日常

    我与超能地球的日常

    (沙雕作者深夜改名,书名与封面不符,还请见谅。)一场人生的交易,一次等价的交换,一躺全新的人生,只存在于幻想的日常。
  • 心若没有栖息,到哪儿都是流浪

    心若没有栖息,到哪儿都是流浪

    这是一本让人重获归属感、安全感的心灵修炼手册。它从大多数年轻人的现状出发,介绍了静心安心之道,谈生活,论人生,话工作,说家庭,字句如珠,点醒了都市中迷茫不安的年轻人,教他们懂得:对于每个人来说,无论身处何地,处境如何,如果心不再漂泊,哪里都是我们的家。人生的终极目标就是为自己的心找到归宿,心安,到哪里都不再孤单。人生最好的状态,是永远心安地活着,不为名所累,不为利所驱,无忧无虑,无牵无挂,淡定从容,平安喜乐。
  • 御凤天女:公主要二嫁

    御凤天女:公主要二嫁

    亡国了,她死里逃生,变成了只能颠沛流离的亡国公主。她为复国愿意倾尽一切,那名美若天仙的男人说,嫁给我,我能实现你一个愿望。跟随这个男人来到了一个未知的世界,原来,她才是那个能够平复三界大乱的真命天女——(情节虚构,切勿模仿)
  • 月令

    月令

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 风月梦

    风月梦

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 生命密码

    生命密码

    掀开未曾展现的一面,挖掘隐藏在性格深处的东西。阿拉伯数字在我们的日常生活中有着重要的沟通交流作用,其实每个稀松平常的数字背后都有什么特殊的意义?不同的人看来,大不相同。这本书通过一组生日数字分析人的个性、情感、工作、人际交往、沟通要领、情感派对、子女教育、健康状况等。通过分析了解自己,认识他人。旨在帮助你怎样与自己相处,如何与周围人和谐相处。对调整自我,调节与他人的关系提出很多指导性方法。
  • 想做先生的小尾巴

    想做先生的小尾巴

    第一次住进他家,他对她说的第一句话便是:“哪里来的丑丫头?”后来却是:“喵小七,我允许你喜欢我!”“喵小七,你亲我一下!”…“不管你是什么妖魔鬼怪,鬼魅魍魉,喵小七,我都喜欢你!”在喵小七还没有出现之前,慕熙南认为他喜欢的人应该是有淑女的气质,飘逸的长发,好听的声音,娴雅的性格。但当喵小七出现之后,慕熙南才发现他真正喜欢的人是,会撒娇,会卖萌,不温柔,不优雅,除了可爱一无是处。【甜宠/软萌小甜心vs腹黑大恶魔】
  • 离婚,绝不

    离婚,绝不

    夜,更深露重。习习凉风撩起紫罗兰色的轻纱帐幔,如同少女的曼妙舞姿,婉约动人。窗纱背后,是一个穿着珍珠白的蕾丝睡裙的少女,光着脚丫,矗立在窗前,即使一动不动,犹如一座冰冷而美丽的雕像,但还是抵挡不住那与生俱来的古典优雅的气质。记不清有多久没有像现在这样肆无忌惮地去回忆往事了。牧少臻打电话说要回来的时候,我就会变的忙碌,等李嫂烧饭、做菜的时候,我就得进厨房炖粥。也就是简单地把五谷杂粮、核桃……