Bythesideofindependentproducerswhocarryontheirhandicraftsandagricultureinthetraditionalold—fashionedway，therestandstheusurerorthemerchant，withhisusurer’scapitalormerchant’scapital，feedingonthemlikeaparasite。Thepredominance，inasociety，ofthisformofexploitationexcludesthecapitalistmodeofproduction;towhichmode，however，thisformmayserveasatransition，asitdidtowardsthecloseoftheMiddleAges。Finally，asisshownbymodern\"domesticindustry，\"
someintermediateformsarehereandtherereproducedinthebackgroundofModernIndustry，thoughtheirphysiognomyistotallychanged。
If，ontheonehand，themereformalsubjectionoflabourtocapitalsufficesfortheproductionofabsolutesurplus—value，if，e。g。，itissufficientthathandicraftsmanwhopreviouslyworkedontheirownaccount，orasapprenticesofamaster，shouldbecomewagelabourersunderthedirectcontrolofacapitalist;so，ontheotherhand，wehaveseen，howthemethodsofproducingrelativesurplus—value，are，atthesametime，methodsofproducingabsolutesurplus—value。Nay，more，theexcessiveprolongationoftheworking—dayturnedouttobethepeculiarproductofModernIndustry。
Generallyspeaking，thespecificallycapitalistmodeofproductionceasestobeameremeansofproducingrelativesurplus—value，sosoonasthatmodehasconqueredanentirebranchofproduction;andstillmoreso，sosoonasithasconqueredalltheimportantbranches。Itthenbecomesthegeneral，sociallypredominantformofproduction。Asaspecialmethodofproducingrelativesurplus—value，itremainseffectiveonly，first，insofarasitseizesuponindustriesthatpreviouslywereonlyformallysubjecttocapital，thatis，sofarasitispropagandist;secondly，insofarastheindustriesthathavebeentakenoverbyit，continuetoberevolutionisedbychangesinthemethodsofproduction。
Fromonestandpoint，anydistinctionbetweenabsoluteandrelativesurplus—valueappearsillusory。Relativesurplus—valueisabsolute，sinceitcompelstheabsoluteprolongationoftheworking—daybeyondthelabour—timenecessarytotheexistenceofthelabourerhimself。Absolutesurplus—valueisrelative，sinceitmakesnecessarysuchadevelopmentoftheproductivenessoflabour，aswillallowofthenecessarylabour—timebeingconfinedtoaportionoftheworking—day。Butifwekeepinmindthebehaviourofsurplus—value，thisappearanceofidentityvanishes。Oncethecapitalistmodeofproductionisestablishedandbecomegeneral，thedifferencebetweenabsoluteandrelativesurplus—valuemakesitselffelt，wheneverthereisaquestionofraisingtherateofsurplus—value。Assumingthatlabour—powerispaidforatitsvalue，weareconfrontedbythisalternative:giventheproductivenessoflabouranditsnormalintensity，therateofsurplus—valuecanberaisedonlybytheactualprolongationoftheworking—day;ontheotherhand，giventhelengthoftheworking—day，thatrisecanbeeffectedonlybyachangeintherelativemagnitudesofthecomponentsoftheworking—day，viz。，necessarylabourandsurplus—labour;achangewhich，ifthewagesarenottofallbelowthevalueoflabour—power，presupposesachangeeitherintheproductivenessorintheintensityofthelabour。