# Industrial Capitalism and Labor in The Absolute at Large

> Theme guide for The Absolute at Large by Karel Čapek.

The Karburator disrupts traditional labor and capitalism, making workers redundant and factories uncontrollable, while the Absolute's 'divine communism' forces a reevaluation of ownership, value, and work.

## Where it surfaces

- [I: The Advertisement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/i-the-advertisement): Bondy's reflections on the M.E.C.'s vast holdings and the economic crisis highlight the pressures of industrial capitalism.
- [II: The Karburator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/ii-the-karburator): The invention is framed as a solution to industrial inefficiency, with Bondy's business instincts clashing with Marek's visionary zeal, highlighting tensions between capital and innovation.
- [IV: God in the Cellar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/iv-god-in-the-cellar): Bondy immediately focuses on mass-producing Karburators for profit, treating the Absolute as a manageable commodity.
- [VI: The Board-Meeting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/vi-the-board-meeting): The board meeting revolves around production, investment, and control of the Karburator factory.
- [VII: Developments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/vii-developments): The board's religious fervor leads to proposals to hand over establishments to workers, while the manager dismisses it as 'religious Bolshevism,' highlighting tensions between capital and labor.
- [IX: The Ceremony](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/ix-the-ceremony): The ceremony showcases the alliance between industrialists (Bondy), the state, and the military, while workers are heard cursing behind the scenes.
- [XI: The First Blow Struck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xi-the-first-blow-struck): The Karburator is a product of industrial engineering, and its theft and repurposing highlight tensions between labor, ownership, and the new economy.
- [XIII: The Chronicler’s Apology](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xiii-the-chronicler-s-apology): The mass production of Karburators by Ford and Stinnes illustrates the scale of industrial capitalism and its global reach.
- [XIV: The Land of Plenty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xiv-the-land-of-plenty): The Absolute's takeover of factories makes human labor superfluous, yet workers are consoled by religious illumination, highlighting tensions between capital, labor, and divine intervention.
- [XVI: In the Mountains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xvi-in-the-mountains): Bondy claims the Absolute controls both industry and the masses, aiming for world supremacy through economic and labor power.
- [XVII: The Hammer and Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xvii-the-hammer-and-star): The Industrial Federation elects the Absolute as honorary President, and Absolute Stock rises, linking spiritual phenomena to economic interests.
- [XX: St. Kilda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xx-st-kilda): The Karburator shipments and colonial exploitation are discussed, linking religion to economic and industrial interests.
- [XXIV: The Napoleon of the Mountain Brigade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xxiv-the-napoleon-of-the-mountain-brigade): The destruction of Karburators represents a rejection of industrial capitalism's core technology, though the chapter focuses more on military and political upheaval.
- [The Battle of Hradec Králové](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/chapters/xxvi-the-battle-of-hradec-kr-lov): Hampl, a poor tailor, leads a social-revolutionary movement against the clerical and bourgeois city council, highlighting class tensions.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/themes/industrial_capitalism_and_labor
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_absolute_at_large_se/themes