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| Sunday, 12 September 2004 |
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Features |  |
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Marx, globalization and the struggle for a better world by Jayatilleke de Silva "The need for a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, establish connections everywhere.
"The bourgeoisie has, through its exploitation of the world market, given a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country....It has drawn from under the feet of industry the national ground on which it stood. All old-established national industries have been destroyed or are daily being destroyed. They are dislodged by new industries, whose introduction becomes a life and death question for all civilized nations, by industries that no longer work up indigenous raw material, but raw material drawn from the remotest zones; industries whose products are consumed, not only at home, but in every quarter of the globe. ...In place of the old local and national seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have intercourse in every direction, universal inter-dependence of nations.... "The bourgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all, even the most barbarian nations into civilization." With clarity and brilliance of a genius the authors of the above extract vividly describe the present phenomenon of globalization. Yet it was published in a small book written 166 years ago - the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Fedrick Engels. That is why even the World Bank in its 1996 World Development Report quoted from the Communist Manifesto in its opening pages. Not a case of the devil quoting scriptures but God quoting Satan. Of course, the World Bank had another objective in quoting from the Manifesto. It wanted to portray the capitalist system as the ultimate in historical development. That is why it did not refer to the conclusions in the Manifesto concerning the inevitable replacement of capitalism by socialism. As Marx pointed out in his celebrated work Capital production of commodities for the market is the prevailing feature of capitalism. In its thrust for profit the bourgeoisie is driven to improve and perfect development of the productive forces of society. The development of the latter made room for the concentration and centralization of production in the hands of a few while drawing ever and ever increasing numbers into the production process. Thus internationalization of production is a congenital feature of capitalism. In the history of capitalism several phases of internationalization could be seen. The earliest stage followed the discovery of America and the opening of sea routes round the Cape of Good Hope consequent to the revolutionary transformations in transportation and communications. The next phase was recorded in the first few decades of the 20th Century, once again following technological development. The present phase of internationalization is a sequel to the tremendous Scientific and Technological Revolution that proceeded from the middle of the 20th Century. The latest in this revolution is the Information and Communication Technology Revolution. Globalization, viewed in this light is a natural and objective historical process. It is an inherent feature of capitalist relations of production. By now "the entanglement of all peoples in the net of the world-market" (Marx: Capital. Vol. I. p. 763) is complete. It has, however, not been able to solve the contradictions of capitalism. On the contrary, it has only intensified them. Poverty, unemployment and hunger have increased. A handful of corporations with assets worth more than the GDP of several dozen states are controlling the world economy. The salient features of global capitalism at present include (1) a high degree of global economic integration, especially in trade, production and finance (2) de-regulation and privatization of large transnational corporations and banks (3) the guarantee of rights of large transnational corporations as against people's or nation states' rights (4) the reduction in the power of trade unions and the working people and (5) the reduction or elimination of social welfare programs. As a result the life of ordinary people have worsened and inequalities within countries as well as between countries have grown. Besides the economic and financial system has become less stable. The environment has become less sustainable. In spite of the end of the cold war the threat of war has not receded due to the new aggressive policy conducted by the USA and its allies. The administration of this global economy is in the hands of multilateral institutions like the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO. Inside each of these institutions a fierce struggle is waged between the majority of their members and a handful of rich nations that control them. The people of the world are not giving up their rights without a struggle. Despite the collapse of the world socialist system in the last decade of the last century, a major period of struggle is emerging after a period of relative quiescence. Spearheading the movement for a Better World is the World Social Forum, a heterogeneous mix of diverse political and ideological groupings. Though still not crystalised into a solid force with a definite class basis it has become a rallying point for social reform. The exacerbation of contradictions among developed capitalist states, the development of a multi-polar world and the intensifying general crisis of capitalism are certain to give new insight and new blood to the ranks of the popular struggle. A better world is possible. |
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