Thanks Charles,I'm working on something on this now so give me a couple weeks and I'll post something to the list. Peace, Matt
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 8:58 AM, c b <cb31...@gmail.com> wrote: > On 10/13/09, Matthew Birkhold > > The question, that strikes me about this particular development, and its > > obvious consequences for the Leninist mode of organizing workers is, > given > > the increase in surplus value created by automation and decentralization > and > > the contradictory process of industrial working class formation > nationally > > yet decrease in major industrial cities, how do we understand Marx's > general > > law of capital accumulation while taking into account the centrality of > US > > geography which made expansion possible in ways that only could be > dreamed > > of in the US? I think this aspect of 20th century capitalism forces us > to > > rethink some of chapter 32 of Capital, "Historical Tendencies of > Capitalist > > Accumulation," but I'm not sure what it mean for Marx's general law. > > ^^^^^^^ > CB: Matthew it would be interesting to hear more of your thinking on > the relationship between Marx's general law of capital accumulation , > the historical tendencies chapter and the dispersal of the points of > production in the current period. I gotta admit , that chapter 32 is > always fun to read, so, I'll be glad to respond to your ideas. > > > > > Thanks for the engagement. Hope all is well. > > > > Peace, matt > > > > > > On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 10:37 AM, c b <cb31...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Thanks for your note, Matt, > > > > > > It means the negation of some aspects of Leninism. Not to be cute, but > > > I'd say approach it dialectically as a supercession or sublation, > > > overcoming and preservation of the Leninist phase of Marxism. > > > > > > What is preserved ? first, I'd say the Leninist concept of finance > > > capitalism from the imperialist thesis is "truer" today than even in > > > Lenin's day. Look at how Wallstreet was able to just demand $11 > > > trillion plus from the US state to basically not go bankrupt. _All_ of > > > the finance sector was broke by its own admission that the several > > > individual bankruptcies posed a _systemic_ threat. "Too big to fail" > > > means the whole finance sector was broke. My point here is that as > > > they were able to avoid that by just getting an $11 trillion gift > > > proves that they are the ruling sector. Even GM had to go through > > > bankruptcy. The Detroit papers had headlines contrasting the treatment > > > of the Wallstreet firms and GM. So, the Leninist concept of finance > > > capital dominating industrial capital has reached an extreme that > > > wasn't even true in his day. > > > > > > The current situation is best understood as a dialectical > > > transformation of the imperialism outlined in Lenin's thesis, based on > > > the changes , in the first place, by the existence of the Soviet Union > > > for 75 years, and its struggle with imperialism. Inter-imperialist > > > rivalry was negated because imperialism had to unite against the SU > > > and socialist countries. Imperialist countries still export capital, > > > including to other imperialist countries. As I said finance capital > > > is still the dominant sector. It is no accident the central organs of > > > transnational capital are hedge funds, the US treasury, IMF and World > > > Bank etc. , in other words finance capital institutions. Colonialism > > > has been through an overthrow of the old system , especially bulwarked > > > by the existence of the SU, institution of a neo-colonialist system, > > > and now a "neo-liberal" colonialist system after the fall of the SU. > > > > > > Also, that industry is scattered and not concentrated > > > geographically/in space , does not mean that industry is not still an > > > important part of capitalism technologically, and that industrial > > > workers are not an important part of the working class. So, Marxists > > > should not fail to pay attention to industrial workers. Leninist's > > > thesis on opportunism based on imperialist booty corrupting the US and > > > other imperialist countries' working classes and trade union leaders > > > is pretty much the story " of our lives" , no ? So, that aspect of > > > Leninism is unfortunately quite valid today. > > > > > > The Leninist party model from _What is to be done ?_ was largely > > > specific to Russia with its lack of experience with democracy relative > > > to countries like the US even in 1905 -1917. Add to that the US > > > party going through McCarthyism, requiring strict participation in the > > > US traditions of electoral politics all along and certainly for 60 > > > years, not to mention the whole Cold War intense brainwashing of the > > > American population in anti-Communism, anti-Sovietism, and that's > > > substantially or completely negated. Having said all that, the US > > > Democratic and Republican parties, and unions operate on the principle > > > of democratic centralism, but just don't call it that. So, in a > > > certain sense, democratic centralism is as American as apple pie. It > > > 's basically the represtentative or republican principle. Also, the > > > two-party system is something of a fraud and a one-party system > > > operating as a phony two-party system. Effectively, on this issue the > > > main thing is not to be quoting Lenin, but a lot of his ideas are > > > still pertinent. > > > > > > The principles in _Materialism and Empirio-Criticism_, the critique of > > > Kantian dualism and subjective idealism is very fresh in critiquing > > > post-modernism. The heart of post-modernism is neo-Kantianism , I'd > > > say. > > > > > > There may be some other aspects that are preserved. > > > > > > I appreciate your pushing me to articulate this > > > > > > I see you quote James Boggs. Are you in the Detroit area ? > > > > > > What say you ? > > > > > > Charles > > > > > > On 10/11/09, Matthew Birkhold <birkh...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Charles said, > > > > "The end of Fordism is the end of the big plant. The > > > > capitalist can move parts etc around so fast that they do not need > the > > > > efficiency of concentrating workers in big plants, in ghettoes in the > > > > city, the whole ball of wax that gave rise to Leninist tactics in the > > > > class struggle by which workers got a sense of their power by their > > > > great numbers etc." > > > > I agree with this analysis of this shift completely. Does it mean > that > > > the > > > > end of Leninism has been reached in the US? > > > > > > > > Hope all is well. > > > > Peace, Matt > > > > > > > > On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 11:52 PM, c b <cb31...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > post-Fordism and geographical scattering of > > > > > Charles Brown charlesb at CNCL.ci.detroit.mi.us > > > > > Tue Apr 28 19:52:54 MDT 1998 > > > > > > > > > > Previous message: M-TH: Bouncing around socalled globalization > > > > > Next message: M-TH: Re: Australian working class and > superimperialist > > > > > Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > > > To: Dave > > > > > From: Charles > > > > > > > > > > Here's some more on globalization as > > > > > a qualitative shift from what Lenin defined > > > > > as imperialism, monopoly capitalism; the > > > > > uniting of financial and industrial capital; > > > > > export of capital as a shift from export of > > > > > goods; the "advanced" European colonialist > > > > > countries dividing and redividing the world; > > > > > socalled world wars, meaning all European > > > > > wars.=20 > > > > > monopoly concentration; labour aristocracy > > > > > bought off with superprofits of booty from > > > > > colonialism; etc. etc.; electricity, trains, > > > > > assembly line as technological innovations > > > > > in the means of production. > > > > > =20 > > > > > Gramsciians would say the culture of this > > > > > was Fordism, as discussed below. > > > > > =20 > > > > > >>> "Charles Brown" <charlesb at CNCL.ci.detroit.mi.us> 03/29 > 4:16 > > > PM > > > > > = > > > > > >>> > > > > > > > > > > From ground zero of Fordism here in Detroit, we experienced the > last > > > 45 = > > > > > years of change from the classic big industrial plant (such as Ford > = > > > > > Dearborn with 100,000 workers)concentration to scattering of the > points > > > of > > > > > = > > > > > production as plantclosings, runaway shops, and white flight to the > = > > > > > suburbs. So the transition to socalled post-Fordism got our > attention > > > real > > > > > = > > > > > good and we've been trying to figure it in Marxist political > economic = > > > > > terms. > > > > > > > > > > It occurred to me that the "new global economy", > > > transnationalization= > > > > > of monopoly capital represents a dialectical qualitative change in > the > > > = > > > > > following sense. =20 > > > > > Marx in Capital defines two factors in the > > > > > qualitiative emergence of industrial capitalism over manufacture = > > > > > capitalism. They are the use of machinery=20 > > > > > and the concentration of workers in one big factory. > > > > > Thus, the graphic locus of the classic Leninist agitation and > = > > > > > propaganda the giant industrial plant. > > > > > The qualitative change of today is the the revolution in science > and = > > > > > technology which has begotten a revolution=20 > > > > > in transportation and communication, creating such things as just > in > > > time = > > > > > delivery, containerization . Thus a revolution in machinery, one of > the > > > = > > > > > original two breakthroughs in Marx's analysis of industrialization, > has > > > = > > > > > made it possible for the capitalists to decentralize and scatter > the = > > > > > points of production. The end of Fordism is the end of the big > plant. > > > The = > > > > > capitalist can move parts etc around so fast that they do not need > > > the = > > > > > efficiency of concentrating workers in big plants, in ghettoes in > the = > > > > > city, the whole ball of wax that gave rise to Leninist tactics in > the = > > > > > class struggle by which workers got a sense of their power by their > > > > > great numbers etc. > > > > > I suggest the above infrastructural sketch as=20 > > > > > corresponding to the cultural change now > > > > > named post-Fordism. > > > > > But don't count the proletariat out. The slogan=20 > > > > > workers of the world unite , is more true today > > > > > than when Marx and Engels coined it. And the > > > > > proletariat is fresher than post-Fordist theory might > > > > > know. In other words, the proletariat knows how to > > > > > go with the new. Detroiters probably could show > > > > > post-ologists a thing or two about what is new. > > > > > > > > > > from Proletarian Central, Detroit > > > > > Charles > > > > > =20 > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > > > > > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > > > > > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > > > > > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > If one needs a community to resist interdependence must be seen as a > > > moral > > > > obligation. > > > > > > > > "Men don't need to show our manhood, we need to show our humanity" -- > > > James > > > > Boggs, 1990 > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > > > > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > > > > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > > > > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > > > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > > > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > > > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > If one needs a community to resist interdependence must be seen as a > moral > > obligation. > > > > "Men don't need to show our manhood, we need to show our humanity" -- > James > > Boggs, 1990 > > _______________________________________________ > > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > > > > _______________________________________________ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > -- If one needs a community to resist interdependence must be seen as a moral obligation. "Men don't need to show our manhood, we need to show our humanity" -- James Boggs, 1990 _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
