[33]Itisoneofthechieffailingsofclassicaleconomythatithasneversucceeded，bymeansofitsanalysisofcommodities，and，inparticular，oftheirvalue，indiscoveringthatformunderwhichvaluebecomesexchange—value。
EvenAdamSmithandRicardo，thebestrepresentativesoftheschool，treattheformofvalueasathingofnoimportance，ashavingnoconnexionwiththeinherentnatureofcommodities。Thereasonforthisisnotsolelybecausetheirattentionisentirelyabsorbedintheanalysisofthemagnitudeofvalue。Itliesdeeper。Thevalue—formoftheproductoflabourisnotonlythemostabstract，butisalsothemostuniversalform，takenbytheproductinbourgeoisproductionandstampsthatproductionasaparticularspeciesofsocialproduction，andtherebygivesititsspecialhistoricalcharacter。
IfthenwetreatthismodeofproductionasoneeternallyfixedbyNatureforeverystateofsociety，wenecessarilyoverlookthatwhichisthedifferentiaspecificaofthevalue—form，andconsequentlyofthecommodity—form，andofitsfurtherdevelopments，money—form，capital—form，&c。Weconsequentlyfindthateconomists，whoarethoroughlyagreedastolabour—timebeingthemeasureofthemagnitudeofvalue，havethemoststrangeandcontradictoryideasofmoney，theperfectedformofthegeneralequivalent。Thisisseeninastrikingmannerwhentheytreatofbanking，wherethecommonplacedefinitionsofmoneywillnolongerholdwater。Thisledtotheriseofarestoredmercantilesystem（Ganilh，&c。），whichseesinvaluenothingbutasocialform，orrathertheunsubstantialghostofthatform。OnceforallImayherestate，thatbyclassicalPoliticalEconomy，Iunderstandthateconomywhich，sincethetimeofW。Petty，hasinvestigatedtherealrelationsofproductioninbourgeoissocietyincontradistinctiontovulgareconomy，whichdealswithappearancesonly，ruminateswithoutceasingonthematerialslongsinceprovidedbyscientificeconomy，andthereseeksplausibleexplanationsofthemostobtrusivephenomena，forbourgeoisdailyuse，butfortherest，confinesitselftosystematisinginapedanticway，andproclaimingforeverlastingtruths，thetriteideasheldbytheself—complacentbourgeoisiewithregardtotheirownworld，tothemthebestofallpossibleworlds。
[34]\"Leseconomistesontunesingulieremanieredeproceder。Iln’yapoureuxquedeuxsortesd’institutions，cellesdel’artetcellesdelanature。
Lesinstitutionsdelafeodalitesontdesinstitutionsartificiellescellesdelabourgeoisiesontdesinstitutionsnaturelles。Ilsressemblentenceciauxtheologiens，quieuxaussietablissentdeuxsortesdereligions。