"The more the division of labor and the application of machinery extend, the more does competition extend among the workers, the more do their wages shrink together"

Karl Marx's quote talks to the effects of industrialization on the working class. As the division of labor and using machinery become more widespread, competitors amongst employees increases. This competition causes a decline in incomes, as employers can pay less for the very same amount of work. This is a result of the increased performance of machines, which can produce more products in less time than manual labor. The quote likewise implies that the working class is at a drawback in this circumstance, as they are not able to compete with the makers and are forced to accept lower earnings. This is a crucial principle in Marx's theory of alienation, which mentions that the working class is pushed away from the products of their labor due to the capitalist system. The quote acts as a suggestion of the power imbalance between the working class and the capitalists, and the requirement for a more equitable system.