Labor in the Era of Globalization

[IndianaGreen]

Labor in the Era of Globalization

By Scott Marshall

Up until the early 1990’s the socialist camp including the Soviet Union acted somewhat as a brake on imperialism and on capitalist globalization. In addition to checking military domination and adventures, as trading partners the socialist bloc also provided the means for many developing countries to resist and/or minimize unfair trade and the penetration of foreign capital.

The collapse of socialism in Russia and Eastern European countries released a tremendous capital scramble and global competition for markets. Under a banner of capitalist triumph, deregulation, privatization and unfair, predatory trade agreements swept much of the planet.

To be sure, the technological and communication revolutions that feed and accelerate globalization were already well developed by the 1990’s. Capitalist globalization with its free flow of capital around the world began much earlier, but it took on new aggressiveness and clearly accelerated with the collapse of the socialist bloc. And without the socialist system acting as a brake, US capital became the undisputed top dog – protected and developed by the world’s single remaining military superpower.

Lenin made it clear in his Imperialism: the Highest Stage of Capitalism, that imperialism is not a policy. It is a stage of capitalist development, an objective process. The same is true of capitalist globalization. It is not a policy of this or that government. It is an objective process of transnational capitalist development. This distinction is important to understanding the class struggle today. While government policy can impact on how capitalist globalization proceeds, as long as capitalism is the dominant economic system, its globalization will continue.

The process of capitalist globalization is important context for understanding the labor movement in the US today. How did we get here? Why such a decline in union membership in the last 35 years? Why such a steep decline in industrial union membership with plant closings etc.? Why have so-called “free trade” agreements like the North America Free Trade Act (NAFTA) become such a big deal for labor? What is behind all these sharp debates within the labor movement?

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/1571/1/111/

[wurzel]

1. When "Capitalism" had to compete with "Communism" it couldn't do this.

Now "Communism" has collapsed, "Capitalism" can show its true face. And it ain't a pretty sight for workers.

[IndianaGreen]

2. When people talk about what they like about the free enterprise system

they are unknowingly referring to the socialist components of the system. Bush is giving us capitalism without the sugar water (socialism) that we used to take with it.

People are also beginning to see the brutal nature of capitalism. From Marshall's article:

Labor, War and Peace

War and militarization are integral parts of capitalist globalization. For example, the presence of US military force and large military investments in Colombia is not separate from the drive for the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). And, of course, the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and the thrust of military might into the Mideast serve the interests of US based transnational capital – oil in the first place. This reckless use of military power is not wasted on US trading partners and on those who fight against capitalist globalization around the world.

Larger and larger sections of labor are beginning to see the connections between war and capitalist globalization – making the world “safe” for global investment and exploitation. Others in labor are going a step further and demanding that labor adopt an independent foreign policy based on the interests of the working class, not based on the corporate agenda of the US government.

In the end, capitalist globalization, backed up by a single military superpower makes the world a very dangerous place. One big conclusion drawn from this situation has to be that labor and the peace and solidarity movements are the most natural of allies. Making this connection and working to build ties with the peace movement has to be one our most important tasks.

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/1571/1/111/

[wurzel]

3. Thanks for the article.