This article examines a decisive moment in the critique of political economy developed by Marx, which is the somewhat abrupt choice of the concept of merchandise as a starting point for the book Contribution to a Critique of Political Economy, of 1859. It is known that up until a few months before he delivered his text to the publisher, Marx thought about beginning his book with a chapter on value, similar to what Ricardo had done in his Principles. The theoretical and methodological implications of this choice are well known today. This text seeks to situate the circumstances and meanings of the concept of merchandise in Marx's work.
Marxism; concept of merchandise; critique of political economy