WHATEVER THE SOCIAL FORMS OF PRODUCTION, WORKERS AND THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION ALWAYS REMAIN THE FACTORS, VIRTUAL FACTORS AS LONG AS THEY ARE SEPARATE, AND WHICH ONLY REALLY ACT WHEN THEY ARE UNITED WITH EACH OTHER. THE SPECIAL WAY IN WHICH THEY ARE COMBINED DISTINGUISHES THE DIFFERENT ECONOMIC PERIODS FROM THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE. THE CASE BEFORE US IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE DISSOCIATION OF THE FREE WORKER AND HIS MEANS OF PRODUCTION; WE HAVE SEEN HOW, AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS, THEY MEET IN THE HANDS OF THE CAPITALIST TO CONSTITUTE HIS PRODUCTIVE CAPITAL. THE PRODUCTION PROCESS BETWEEN THE MATERIAL AND PERSONAL CREATORS OF GOODS, BROUGHT TOGETHER IN THIS WAY, THUS BECOMES ITSELF A FUNCTION OF CAPITAL, THE NATURE OF WHICH HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN DETAIL IN THE FIRST VOLUME OF THIS BOOK. EACH PRODUCTION OF GOODS BECOMES AT THE SAME TIME AN EXPLOITATION OF THE LABOUR FORCE; BUT IT IS ONLY WITH THE CAPITALIST PRODUCTION OF GOODS THAT A NEW ERA OF EXPLOITATION BEGINS, WHICH, IN ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT, REVOLUTIONIZES THE WHOLE ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY AND INCOMPARABLY SURPASSES ALL PREVIOUS PERIODS BY THE ORGANIZATION OF THE LABOUR PROCESS AND BY THE GIGANTIC DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY.