Neue Debatte - Special Edition - Long Essay on Left Strategy #002 - 04/2017 | Page 57

10 We need a strategy on realistic grounds
Nobody is obviously able to stop the process of running down the
natural resources and the social cohesion of mankind as long as he
complies with these prevailing norms. Capitalism is not slowly declin-
ing but suffocating on its own dynamics. It resembles a dying star
running out of hydrogen, which expands to a red giant before finally
degenerating into a white dwarf.
The capitalist system pushed itself forward through history by inher-
ent economic dynamics. It opened the hunting season with the In-
dustrial Revolution during the 19 th century. It made use of the nation
states. At the end of that century we notice intensified competition
on growing world markets between the imperialist superpowers Eng-
land, USA and Germany. They brought forth own national monopolis-
tic industrial complexes financially cross-linked with major banks.
They were under systemic constraint to constantly maximize their
cumulating funds. They were cursed to challenge each other in
worldwide violent clashes the worst being known as World Wars I
and II. Both wars have to be interpreted as dead ends of capitalism.
Continentally partitioned economic blocks could not balance in
peaceful cooperation but had to set upon each other in redividing
wars. Perversely capitalism survived by devastation and only by so
doing they were able to restart at zero the same race of uncondition-
al growth on enlarging scales.
The post-war development of worldwide monopolistic capitalism un-
der US-hegemony has bred a global network of finance capitalism
and transnationally operating industrial corporations. This was aug-
mented by most influential, world-spanning, all-pervasive corpora-
tions of the information and internet technology in the last quarter-
century. The turnovers of these economic heavyweights surmount
the budgets of smaller states. They leave behind their former nation-
al affiliations and come out with globalized corporate identities.
Unique in history whole states can be driven into crisis and bankrupt-
cy by speculating supermen. Nation states are losing more and more
decision-making authority. They have outlived their historical time
and are going to be superseded by new global centres of power. Even
still a century ago, such dimensions of human social development
had lain beyond the horizon of the imaginable. Mankind will have to
adapt to new forms of peaceful, non-national interaction. Their con-
temporary major enemies are a worldwide linked-up, coalising and
intriguing finance capitalist gang of top managers, bankers, financial
jugglers, multi-billion dollar oil sheiks or Russian oligarchs and their
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