Before capitalism, people like farmers and artisans would sell something they made, like vegetables or cloth, to get money, and then use that money to buy something they needed. This was called C-M-C, which means commodity to money to commodity. They were just trying to survive and trade what they had. But when capitalism started, rich people with money didn’t sell to buy—they bought things just to sell them again and make more money. This new cycle is called M-C-M’, which means they use money to buy something and then sell it to get even more money. The extra money they make is called surplus value, which is basically their profit. At first, capitalists just traded stuff, but then they realized they could make more money if they owned the buildings, machines, materials, and paid workers to make the products for them. Then they sell those products for more than what they spent. This keeps going every day as a way to grow their wealth. The big difference is that regular workers are working to survive, while capitalists are investing to make more money off what other people do.