Here's the most serious problem (IM not so HO) --- whereas the "breakdown controversy" that was rampant from the time Capital Vol I was published with that stirring passage that ended "the expropriators are expropriated" through the Great Depression was based on the idea that the capitalist recurrences of CRISES (depressions in more modern lingo) would convince the workers (already gathered together in factories where their power could be felt and they could organize as a class) that there was no future in capitalism -=--- the "breakdown" of world capitalism today will occur --- if it occurs --- in the context of environmental catastrophes (as predicted in the Oreskes - Conway book THE COLLAPSE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION and the Kim S. Robinson book THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE) --- those global warming induced catastrophes are unfortunately (and BOY do I wish I will be proven wrong) going to privilege authoritarian states which will have the ability to ride roughshod over capitalist and popular desires to make the changes necessary to preserve a modicum of coherence to societies in the wake of the climate induced disasters. If I am right about this, the working class will be hard pressed to do anything positive to change society and will be faced with more defensive activity if they don't actively support the authoritarian governments.
NOW --- the fight in the current situation (pre-disaster) can make changes to the hegemony of fossil-fuel capitalism --- that is the hope of those of us who believe structural reforms are possible even under capitalism --- but I admit it's a long shot --- to the extent that Capitalism can adjust sufficiently to ward off the worst effects of global warming, the fight to convince the working class that there is a better way to organize society can go on --- as it has since the rise of neoliberalism destroyed the social democratic version of postwar capitalism. On Fri, Feb 23, 2024 at 4:03 PM hari kumar <hari6.ku...@gmail.com> wrote: > Marv wrote: > "3. It's at its lowest ebb not because we don't follow the advice you and > others freely dispense about how to resurrect it but because of the effects > of automation, globalization, atomization, and the fragmentation of work in > a service economy which has sharply reduced the size, confidence, > bargaining power and political influence of the organized working class." > #29071 > > Marv - Could it be that perhaps you have subsumed your estimation of the > down-turn of our movement into more recent events? By recent - perhaps I > really mean just over the last 30 years or so since the 'neo-liberal' > swing? I equate the more rapid swings of 'globalisation' to the development > of new financial instruments and the web with huge fluxes of wealth at an > eye-blink across the world. Maybe I am wrong here, as in so much else. > > > However what I am getting at, is that "historically capitalism was far > from dead - it had not played outs its part on the world stage. At an > earlier stage of the Bolshevik revolution, many had expectations - more > than just *hoping for* - but really *expected - *that revolution would > come world-wide. Poland and the drive to Warsaw for example was an event > where a lot of those hopes/expectations were played out. Yes - there were > subjective problems and some frank errors with some of the words and > actions taken. In fact Lenin acknowledged that, but also - drew the > 'post-mortem' of what had happened to a halt within the party. But beyond > those subjective issues, there was also an increasing reality - that the > 'historical space' for capitalism had not been lost. It was still > expansive. > > I believe that became even more evident after WW2. Again - subjective > issues aside, including leaving aside potential subjective errors. [I am > *not* trying to exculpate errors - they must be weighed]. But something > more objective was going on, as seems to be evident now - in hindsight. Of > course it is always 20/20 in the rear view mirror. Nevertheless, maybe... > that 'life' motor for capitalism is 'diminished' - to put it mildly. > > Of course I am aware that that is exactly what was being said at the > Foundation of the Comintern. Personally I prefer to believe that the > objective conditions have 'ripened', and the 'subjective factors lag way > behind now. > > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#29093): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/29093 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/104479559/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: marxmail+ow...@groups.io Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [arch...@mail-archive.com] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
