Why Fighting Capitalism & What Alternative?

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1 Linkse Socialistische Partij LSP Leuven Maandag 20 oktober 2014 Why Fighting Capitalism & What Alternative

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Disclaimer: This presentation serves as a general introduction which implies that some simplifications where made.

Transcript of Why Fighting Capitalism & What Alternative?

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Linkse Socialistische Partij

LSP LeuvenMaandag 20 oktober 2014

Why Fighting Capitalism&

What Alternative

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DuckTalesUncle Scrooge Oom Dagobert

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Uncle Scrooge's money warehouse

Oom DagobertGeldpakhuis

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Uncle Scrooge's money warehouse

Oom Dagobertgeldpakhuis

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Some Questions...

● Where did the money come from?● Is it really Uncle Scrooge's money? ● Is the money used in the best possible way?● Is this money accumulation not dangerous?

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Capitalismin

Decay

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7McKinsey - Debt and deleveraging: The global credit bubble and its economic consequences (Updated analysis)http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/global_capital_markets/debt_and_deleveraging_the_global_credit_bubble_update

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8https://twitter.com/jamestplunkett/status/340409383047553025/photo/1

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The German Miracle

London School of Economicshttp://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2014/01/08/despite-high-employment-rates-germany-is-also-experiencing-increasing-poverty-among-its-citizens/

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Plenty of other graphs and numbers available...

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Enormous increase in debtsWe have to work harder, longer

Increased productivity, GDP

Exploding unemployment & povertyRetreating public services

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Where the f**k did the money go to?

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Uncle Scrooge's money warehouse

Oom DagobertGeldpakhuis

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Transfer $ 99% → 1%

Dow Jones since 1975

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Not only an economical meltdown...

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“Neoliberalism has brought out the worst in us”

“An economic system that rewards psychopathic personality traits has

changed our ethics and our personalities”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/29/neoliberalism-economic-system-ethics-personality-psychopathicsthic

Paul Verhaeghe,hoogleraar klinische

psychologie & psychoanalyseUgent

In The Guardian, 29/09/2014

Ethics

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People with Emotional problems (Belgian population 15+)

Wetenschappelijk instituut voor Volksgezondheidhttps://www.wiv-isp.be/News/Documents/Presentatie_web_NL.pdf

Psycho

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Suicides

“Austerity in Greece caused more than 500 male suicides, say researchers”

“[…] every 1% fall in government spending in Greece led to a 0.43% rise in suicides among men – after controlling for other characteristics that might lead to suicide, 551 men killed themselves "solely because of fiscal austerity" between 2009 and 2010. That is almost one person per day.”

Psycho

The Guardian, 21 April 2014http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/21/austerity-greece-male-suicides-spending-cuts

Historically the lowest suicide rate in Europe

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Environ-ment

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Environ-ment

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Environ-ment

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Environ-ment

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Environ-ment

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Hey, Stop!

It's not all the fault of capitalism...

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Question everything!(even capitalism)

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Ethical Justification The invisible hand

“By pursuing his own interest the individual frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it."

Adam Smith Wealth of Nations

1776

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The Religion of

The Invisible Hand(Re)defining the virtues:

Egoism, Greed, Competitionas the natural state of humans

Credibility by simplicityUse of metaphors

In conflict with & hostile to science

Don't question it It's eternal & untouchable

Resistance is futile

Intervention by (God's) hand

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The Religion of

The Invisible Hand(Re)defining the virtues:

Egoism, Greed, Competitionas the natural state of humans

Credibility by simplicityUse of metaphors

In conflict with & hostile to science

Don't question it It's eternal & untouchable

Resistance is futile

Intervention by (God's) hand

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Hostile Classes in SocietiesPrimitive Communism

Feudalism

Slave Society

- Lord possesses the land- Vasal works on land and ceds part of output

- Aristocrats possess the slaves- Slaves have to obey to survive

- No classes

Capitalism- Capitalists own means of production- Working class sells labour power

???

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Evolution of Societies

Growth Prosperity Decay time

CapitalismNo longer able pull humanity to a higher level

Note: Capitalism will not collapse automatically. A social revolution is required

Lie 1: Capitalism is eternal & untouchable

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The Religion of

The Invisible Hand(Re)defining the virtues:

Egoism, Greed, Competitionas the natural state of humans

Credibility by simplicityUse of metaphors

In conflict with & hostile to science

Don't question it It's eternal & untouchable

Resistance is futile

Intervention by (God's) hand

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Ethics in Societies

“The ideas of the ruling class are, in any age, the ruling ideas”

Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels The German Ideology

1845Stated otherwise

“The dominant ideology is the ideology of the dominant class”

Lie 2: Egoism, greed and competition are the natural state of mind of humans

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DuckTalesUncle Scrooge Oom Dagobert

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Capitalism is... ● NOT natural● NOT eternal● NOT untouchable

In summary

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Why is capitalism unstable?

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Crisis

Wage PressureAusterity

Automatisation

Competition

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Crisis

Wage PressureAusterity

Automatisation

Competition

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Crisis

AusterityWage pressure

Declining purchasing

power

WeakeningMarket

Competition

Wealth transferto the 1%

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Crisis

Wage PressureAusterity

Automatisation

Competition

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Tendency Declining Profit Rate

Fixed capitalMachines, buildings, commodities

Variable capitalLabour

No new value creationTransfer of value to output

Not a source of profit

New value creationSource of profit

An average investment Profit per invested $

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Tendency Declining Profit Rate

Fixed capitalMachines, buildings, commodities

Variable capitalLabour

No new value creationTransfer of value to output

Not a source of profit

New value creationSource of profit

An average investment

Recovery profit rate possible by making labour cheaper This wage pressure weakens the market

Profit per invested $

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Automatisation

Decreasinglabour

intensity

Decliningprofit rate

DecliningInvestments

in real economy

Financialspeculation

Bubbles

Crisis

(1)

(1) See previous slide

(1)

WeakenedMarket

(1)

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Illustration: Neoliberalism

Privatisation

Deregulation

Austerity

● '79-81' Fiscal policy of Volker (FED)● '81 Reagan broke air traffic controllers' strike● '83 Mitterand changes policy● '84-'85 Thatcher breaks miners' strike● '89 Collapse of Berlin wall

Restored profit rateTransfer of wealth from 99% to 1%

Possible after successful attack on working class

Crisis delayed by massive debt accumulation

Weakening market

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47McKinsey - Debt and deleveraging: The global credit bubble and its economic consequences (Updated analysis)http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/global_capital_markets/debt_and_deleveraging_the_global_credit_bubble_update

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Crisis

Wage pressureAusterity

Automatisation

Competition

Crisis delayed by massive debt accumulation

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The logic of

fascism

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Capitalists

Profit

CheapResources

CheapLabour

NationalismRacism

War

RepresssionViolence

Organised working class

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Capitalists

Profit

CheapResources

CheapLabour

Organisedworking class

NationalismRacism

War

RepresssionViolence

Capitalist class not strong enough to

atomize the working class

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Capitalists mobilize desparate, impoverished middle classes into violent physical attacks to break the organised working class.

Fascism

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The organised working class is the only force that can lift

society to a higher level.

The capitalist class will do everything to prevent this.

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Capitalism

Recurring & deepening

crises

Declining living conditions for the 99%

Rising tensions on all levels

Destruction of the planet

RepressionViolence

In summary

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Our alternative

Democratic Socialism

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Capitalism Dem. Socialism

Representation Can do whatever they want while earning shitloads of money

Permanent recall, average worker's wage.

On the political & economical level

Ownership of companies

private Key sectors in public hands

Organisation of society

Chaos of competition Planned according the the needs of the people

Organisation of companies & institutions

Top-downCauses growing

bureaucracy

Democratic,Bottom-up

In the interest of The 1% Society & planet

Comparison

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Historical examples

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Paris Commune, 1871

Bloodily suppressed by French state

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Petrograd, 1917Soviet Assembly meeting

Deformed by war tsarists and capitalist & isolation

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66Berlin, November 1918Revolutionary soldiers in front of Brandenburger Gate

Betrayed by leadership of social democracy

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67Barcelona, 1936Public transportation collectivised by CNT

Crushed by stalinists & bourgeois government

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Lessons learned

Democratic socialistsociety is possible

Capitalism will tryto destroy it

(with bloodshed if necessary)

Never trusta bureaucrat

An isolated revolution is a lost revolution

And fortunately, stalinism is dead

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The power of our class(or how we can win)

Lessons fromthe past

Class unity in action

Revolutionary PartySolidarity locally & internationally

More & better educated

We have the real economic power

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Unity in actionFreedom in debate

Uniting role of fighting together

Heterogeneity of working class

Sharpening of program & methods

Different programs tested in practice

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How Marxists deal with reformist demands

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“With the right hand, the capitalist takes back the double of what he has given with the left hand.”

Leon TrotskyThe Transitional Program

1938

Tax on energy from 21% to 6%

Rederegulationof banking sector

Right to strike Democratic &qualitativeeducation

Tax the rich ...

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“In theory we agree with revolutionary ideas such as nationalisation of the banking sector, but it is unrealistic now since people are not ready for it. Our demands should match with what people are thinking now.”

No link with socialist transition of societyCreation of illusions in capitalism

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An example: 15Now, SeattleCampaign for 15$/hour minimum wage in Seattle

In 2012 considered by many as unrealistic.

Victory in 2014!15now.org

100.000 out of poverty

Price for business: 3 bln $

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Need for audacious demandsthat can draw people into a mass movement

(Something worth fighting for)

Grassroots campaignActive involvement from many workers

No single dime from business

On the basis of collective struggleNo trust in negotiations alone

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Without creating illusions In capitalism (next slide)

Inspiring victoryNow everywhere in U.S. on the agenda

Victory after decades of setbacksConfidence to workers

Electoral mandate as toolKshama Sawant (CWI) elected

Position used to empower the movement

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“We’re very clear that winning this demand is not going to be enough. All of this inequality that you’re fighting against is at the root—the result of capitalism, and we will have to keep fighting against this and we need to build broader movements.“

Kshama SawantSeattle Councillor

CWI

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Transitional Program

● Formulate audacious, inspiring demands for better living conditions.

(or how marxists deal with reformist demands)

● But link this to the limits within capitalism and the necessity of socialism

● This will make the organised working class stronger & prepare them for future fights

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InternationalismCapitalism is a global system and should be fought globally.

LSP is part of the CWI (Committee for a Workers' International),

with section in over 40 countriesand several elected mandates

www.socialisme.bewww.socialistworld.net

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Fight with us fordemocratic socialism!

In summary

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Question everything!(even socialism)