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Anti-capitalism

 

 

 

 

 

Anti-capitalism


 
 




Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalismCapitalism

Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are owned mostly privately, and capital is invested in t...
. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system; however, there are also ideas which can be characterized as partially anti-capitalist in the sense that they only wish to replace or abolish certain aspects of capitalism rather than the entire system.

Notable ideologies, viewpoints, and trends


Anarchism

AnarchistAnarchism Overview

Anarchism is the name of a political philosophy or a group of doctrines and attitudes that are centered on rejection of gove...
 philosophies argue for a total abolition of the stateState

A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern the people in one or more societie...
, with many anarchists opposing capitalism on the grounds that it entails social domination (through inequalities of wealth), involuntary relations and coercive hierarchyHierarchy

A hierarchy is a system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system is subordinate to a s...
 (through the perceived pressure on individuals to engage in wage labourFacts About Wage labour

Wage labour is the socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer in which the worker sells their labour under ...
). Some forms of anarchism oppose capitalism as a whole while supporting some particular aspects of capitalism, such as marketMarket

A market is, as defined in economics, a social arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to discover information and carry ...
s (supported by some mutualistsMutualism (economic theory)

Mutualism is an economic theory or system based on the labor theory of value which states that equal amounts of labor should...
) and private property (supported by some individualist anarchistsIndividualist anarchism

Individualist anarchism is an anarchist philosophical tradition that has a strong emphasis on equality of liberty and indiv...
). There is a current trend within anarchism, known as free market anarchism, which embraces radical laissez-faire capitalism; philosophies covered by this description include anarcho-capitalismAnarcho-capitalism

Anarcho-capitalism is an individualist political philosophy that advocates the provision of all goods and servicesincluding...
, agorismAgorism

|||}Agorism is a radical left-libertarian political philosophy popularized by Samuel Edward Konkin III, who defined an ag...
 and crypto-anarchismCrypto-anarchism

Crypto-anarchism is a philosophy that expounds the use of strong public-key cryptography to enforce privacy and individual f...
.

Ecofeminism


EcofeministsEcofeminism

Ecofeminism is a social and political movement which unites environmentalism and feminism, with some currents linking deep e...
 criticise capitalism for defining the natural world as simply a body of resources to be exploited and reshaped to serve human purposes and interests. They also see it as inherently sapping the relationship between humans to one another and to the natural world. Ecofeminists see capitalism as a patriarchal construction "based on the colonization of women, nature, and other peoples."

Fascism


According to Stanley Payne, one of the world's leading experts on Fascism, the common aim of all fascist movements is elimination of the autonomy or in some cases complete existence of large-scale capitalism. This view is supported by right-wing libertarians who argue that fascism is a form of anti-capitalism because fascist governments made private corporations and other private individuals who owned the means of production to work to serve national interests, thus undermining property rights, and to employ more labor on the workers than is profitable for the employer. Italian Fascism is marked for anti-capitalism the law of "socializationFascist socialization

Economic Socialization is a fascist economic doctrine promoted as a "third way" between capitalism and orthodox socialism....
". Fascism protected the land owning elites and is regarded as a reaction against the rising power of the working class. The Nazis, due to a belief in a Jewish conspiracy, were particularly vocal in their opposition to finance capitalismFinance capitalism

Finance capitalism is a term from Marxian political economics for the pursuit of profit from the purchase and sale of, or in...
, interest charging, and "profiteering." Some writers argue that fascism represented a "third wayThird way

Third way is a common denominator for schools of thought that purport to present an alternative to a traditional political d...
" between Marxian socialismMarxism

Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marx's work on one hand, and to the political practice base...
 and capitalism. Fascists upheld the ownership aspect of private property - including private property over productive capital and the means of production - but said that property was to be regulated to ensure that "benefit to the community precedes benefit to the individual." Hitler stated in Mein Kampf that "the attitude of the State towards capital would be comparatively simple and clear. Its only object would be to make sure that capital remained subservient to the State" and also made a clear distinction between "capital which is purely the product of creative labour and ... capital which is exclusively the result of financial speculation" .

The quote famously attributed to Bennito Mussolini "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power" is probably apocryphal.

Marxists argued that fascism is a form of government control instituted to protect capitalism during a period of crisis or revolution. Fascists have operated from a Social DarwinistSocial Darwinism

Social Darwinism is a term used to describe a range of political ideologies which are held to be compatible with the concept...
 view of human relations. Their aim has been to promote "superior" individuals and weed out the weak. In terms of economic practice, this meant promoting the interests of successful businessmen while destroying trade unionTrade union

"A Trade Union , ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the condition...
s and other organizations of the working classWorking class

Working class is a term used both in academic sociology as well as in ordinary conversation....
. Lawrence Britt suggests that protection of corporate power is an essential part of fascism. Historian Gaetano SalveminiGaetano Salvemini

Gaetano Salvemini was an Italian anti-Fascist politician, historian and writer....
 argued in 1936 that fascism makes taxpayers responsible to private enterprise, because "the State pays for the blunders of private enterprise... Profit is private and individual. Loss is public and social." Economic liberals, such as Ludwig von MisesLudwig von Mises

Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was a notable economist and a major influence on the modern libertarian movement....
, contend that fascism, an offshoot of socialism, was collectivist and anti-capitalistic. According to Mises, fascism maintained an illusion of respecting private property, since individuals could not use their property how the wished because the government frequently enacted regulations (on behalf of government allies in the business sector) that were not in line with the functioning of a free marketFree market

A free market is a market where price is determined by unregulated supply and demand; the opposite is a controlled market'...
. Historian Robert PaxtonRobert Paxton Overview

Robert Paxton is an American historian specializing in Vichy France and Europe during the World War II era....
 contends that fascists' anti-capitalism was highly selective. Even at their most radical, the socialism that the fascists wanted was a "national socialism": one that denied only foreign or enemy property rights (including that of internal enemies). They did, however, cherish national producers.

Participatory Economics


Participatory economicsParticipatory economics

Participatory economics, often abbreviated parecon, is a proposed economic system that uses participatory decision mak...
, often abbreviated parecon, is a proposed economic system that uses participatory decision making as an economic mechanism to guide the production, consumption and allocation of resources in a given society. Proposed as an alternative to contemporary capitalist market economies and also an alternative to centrally planned socialism or coordinatorism, it is described as "an anarchistic economic vision", although it could be considered a form of socialism as under Parecon, the means of production are owned by the working class. It emerged from the work of activist and political theorist Michael Albert and that of radical economist Robin Hahnel, beginning in the 1980s and 1990s.

Inclusive DemocracyInclusive Democracy

Inclusive Democracy is a political project developed by Takis Fotopoulos....
 as envisaged by Takis Fotopolous, can be viewed as a form of participatory economics. Here, all decisions are taken by demos, and basic economic needs could be met for all based upon a certain amount of work. Additional non-necessary items could be earned by contributing above the minimum required to meet society's needs. This approach is markedly anti-capitalist as well as anti-market, including an absence of ability to accumulate wealth, where each person earns for himself only, thereby avoiding the imbalance of power inherent in a capitalist system.

Religious aspects


IslamIslam Summary

Islam is a monotheistic religion based upon the Qur'an, which adherents believe was sent by God through Muhammad....
 forbidsRiba Summary

Riba is the term for usury, the charging of which is forbidden by the Qur'an....
 lending money at interest, the mode of operation of capitalist financeFinance

Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses and organizations raise, allocate and use monetary r...
. However, Islamic bankingIslamic banking

Islamic banking refers to a system of banking or banking activity which is consistent with Islamic law principles and guided...
 has been developed to allow Muslims to avoid this problem.

ChristianityChristianity Overview

Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New...
 traditionally forbade usuryUsury

Usury?i}}/, from the Medieval Latin usuria, "interest" or "excessive interest", from Latin usura "interest") was def...
 but "Christian Europe", over time, abandoned identifying every form of lending at interest as usury. Traditionally, Christianity has been the source of many other criticisms of capitalism, particularly its materialistEconomic materialism

Materialism refers to how a person or group chooses to spend their resources, particularly money and time....
 aspects. Many early and pre-socialist moverments as well as later ones drew principles from Christianity (see Christian socialismChristian socialism

Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who ...
 and the Social Gospel movement) and against the "values" of profiteeringProfiteering

Profiteering may relate to:* Profiteering ...
, greed, selfishness and hoarding . Most Christians do not oppose capitalism entirely but support a mixed economyMixed economy

A mixed economy is an economy that has a mix of economic systems....
 in order to ensure "decent" labour standards and relations, as well as economic justice. Nevertheless, there are also many Protestant denominations (particularly in the United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
) who are reconciled or ardently in favour of capitalism, particularly in opposition to secular socialism.

Socialism


SocialismSocialism

Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which propert...
 argues for collective/communityFacts About Collectivism

Collectivism is a term used to describe any moral, political, or social outlook, that stresses human interdependence and the...
 or government control of the economy, which may or may not be associated with democratic control by the people over the state (there are both democratic and undemocratic philosophies which call themselves socialist). In addition, socialism advocates some degree (depending on the type of socialism) of economic equalityEconomic egalitarianism

Economic egalitarianism is a state of affairs in which the members of a society are of equal standing in terms of economic p...
 and the eradication of poverty and unemployment.
  • MarxismMarxism

    Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marx's work on one hand, and to the political practice base...
     argues for collective ownership of the means of productionMeans of production

    Means of production , also called means of labour are the materials, tools and other instruments used by workers to ma...
     and the eventual abolition of the stateState

    A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern the people in one or more societie...
    , with an intermediate stage, of indeterminate length, in which the state will be used to eliminate the vestiges of capitalism. Marxism is the foundation of several different ideologies, including many forms of communismCommunism

    Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a future classless, stateless social organization, based upon common owners...
     and certain types of socialism. Some states that identified themselves with MarxismCommunist state

    A Communist state is a state which declares its allegiance to the principles of Marxism-Leninism....
     claimed to have abolished capitalism, although some Marxist theorists describe them as state capitalistState capitalism

    State capitalism, in its classic meaning, is a private capitalist economy under state control....
    , rather than anti-capitalist.
  • Social democracySocial democracy

    ||-||}Social democracy is a political ideology that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century....
     is a partially anti-capitalist political view that has grown out of the reformistReformism

    Reformism is the belief that gradual changes in a society can ultimately change its fundamental structures....
     wing of the socialist movement. Moderate socialists known as Social democrats wish to mitigate what they see as capitalism's most negative effects through the creation of a mixed economyMixed economy

    A mixed economy is an economy that has a mix of economic systems....
     and a welfare stateWelfare State

    The Welfare State of the United Kingdom was the result of the William Beveridge Report in 1942, which identified five "Giant...
    .

Other aspects


There are also strands of conservatismConservatism

Conservatism is a political philosophy that necessitates a defense of established values or the status quo....
 that are uncomfortable with liberal capitalism. Particularly in continental Europe, many conservatives have been uncomfortable with the impact of capitalism on culture and traditions. The conservative opposition to the French revolution, the Enlightenment, and the development of individualistic liberalism as a political theory and as institutionalized social practices sought to retain traditional social hierarchies, practices and institutions. There is also a conservative protectionistProtectionism

Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between nations, through methods such as high tariffs on imported ...
 opposition to certain types of international capitalism.

See also

  • Anti-GlobalizationAnti-globalization

    Anti-globalization is a term most commonly ascribed to the political stance of people and groups who oppose certain aspects ...
  • CapitalismCapitalism

    Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are owned mostly privately, and capital is invested in t...
  • CorporatocracyCorporatocracy

    Corporatocracy is a neologism coined by proponents of the Global Justice Movement to describe a government bowing to pressu...
  • Critique of capitalism
  • Fascist socializationFascist socialization

    Economic Socialization is a fascist economic doctrine promoted as a "third way" between capitalism and orthodox socialism....
  • Post-capitalismPost-capitalism

    Post-capitalism or the post-corporate world are terms for the state of the international economy after a predicted evo...


External links

  • David E Lowes (2006) , Zed, London. Explains concepts and issues from an anti-capitalist perspective and shows how they have changed over time.
  • Summit Sieges and Social Forums; a Rough Guide to the Anticapitalist Movement, D., Stockton and R., Brenner, et al, London, 2004
  • - Anarchists opposed to capitalism.
  • - Archive of Marxist and anti-capitalist literature.
  • The Anti-Capitalistic MentalityThe Anti-Capitalistic Mentality

    The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality is a book written by Libertarian Ludwig von Mises....
    book by the economist Ludwig von MisesLudwig von Mises

    Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was a notable economist and a major influence on the modern libertarian movement....
  • Directory of Groups and Organisations, June 2001.