"The great mass of so-called 'higher grade' workers—such as state officials, military people, artists, doctors, priests, judges, lawyers, etc.—-some of whom are not only not productive but in essence destructive, but who know how to appropriate to themselves a very great part of the 'material' wealth partly through the sale of their 'immaterial' commodities and partly by forcibly imposing the latter on other people-—found it not at all pleasant to be relegated economically to the same class as clowns and menial servants and to appear merely as people partaking in the consumption, parasites on the actual producers (or rather agents of production). This was a peculiar profanation precisely of those functions which had hitherto been surrounded with a halo and had enjoyed superstitious veneration." ("Vulgarisation of Bourgeois Political Economy in the Definition of Productive Labor" ) [Next Marx describes how the bourgeoisie started revolutionary and went backwards once it established itself firmly in power, an excellent bit of foreshadowing Lenin's theory of imperialism, BTW:] "Bourgeois society reproduces in its own form everything against which it had fought in feudal or absolutist form. In the first place therefore it becomes a principal task for the sycophants of this society, and especially of the upper classes, to restore in theoretical terms even the purely parasitic section of these 'unproductive labourers,' or to justify the exaggerated claims of the section which is indispensable. The dependence of the ideological, etc., classes on the capitalists was in fact proclaimed." [This latter quote shows that Marx united with the bourgeois revolutionaries on the overall ideological orientation toward unproductive labor. Next, Marx describes the war among the hired hacks of the old ruling classes and the segments of the bourgeois classes. As the capitalists saw this discussion unfold in horror, they finally united on the following basis, of course:] "Both the do-nothings and their parasites had to be found a place in this best possible order of things." [This is directly foreshadowing Lenin who spoke alternately of an "alliance," "alignment" or even "amalgamation" of the labor aristocracy and the imperialists.] [Next, Marx noted that popular writers like RCP=U$A tried to come up with excuses for every sector of the economy and how it contributed to modern industrial production:] "they honoured everyone by making him a 'productive labourer' in the 'primary' sense, namely, a labourer who labours in the service of capital, is useful in one way or another to the enrichment of the capitalist, etc." [Finally, Marx noted with ultra-sarcasm that Malthus was better on this point than these scribblers, because at least Malthus did not try to say the parasites were making contributions to manufacturing:] "In this matter even such people as Malthus are to be preferred, who directly defend the necessity and usefulness of 'unproductive labourers' and pure parasites." [That is describing one chapter in Marx's work on surplus-value. There is more, including for example his denunciation of Say for thinking nothing of leaving open the possibility that unproductive sector labor could expand indefinitely. For Marx, it was obvious that such a notion was idiotic.] [Further foreshadowing of Lenin on how the bourgeoisie loses its revolutionary character over time after conquering feudalism is here:] "When on the other hand the bourgeoisie has won the battle, and has partly itself taken over the State, partly made a compromise with its former possessors; and has likewise given recognition to the ideological professions as flesh of its flesh and everywhere transformed them into its functionaries, of like nature to itself; when it itself no longer confronts these as the representative of productive labour, but when the real productive labourers rise against it and moreover tell it that it lives on other people’s industry; when it is enlightened enough not to be entirely absorbed in production, but to want also to consume 'in an enlightened way'; when the spiritual labours themselves are more and more performed in its service and enter into the service of capitalist production—then things take a new turn, and the bourgeoisie tries to justify 'economically,' from its own standpoint, what at an earlier stage it had criticised and fought against. Its spokesmen and conscience-salvers in this line are the Garniers, etc. In addition to this, these economists, who themselves are priests, professors, etc., are eager to prove their 'productive' usefulness, to justify their wages 'economically.'" Source: Theories of Surplus-Value