There has never been a free people, a civilized nation, a real republic on this earth. Human society has always consisted of masters and slaves, and the slaves have always been and are today, the foundation stones of the social fabric. Wage-labor is but a name; wage-slavery is the fact.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- History shows society is built on masters and slaves, with wage labor being modern slavery.
- In plain terms
- Societies always have masters and slaves, and wage workers are the modern slaves.
- What can you take from it?
- Wage labor continues historical patterns of servitude.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is wage labor different from slavery?
- What is a free society?
Another view
The analogy ignores modern labor protections and mobility.
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