Imperialism as the last stage of capitalism
Hence an essential contradiction arises which threatens the capitalist system with inevitable destruction.
The productive forces of the
world have reached such a high level that production can only exist in the form
of world production. A strict division of labor develops between the individual
countries of the world, which makes absolutely necessary the free exchange of
substances between them. Free international trade, free flow of capital and labor
from one country to another becomes a condition without which no country in the
world can exist.
The inviolability and continuity
of international relations is becoming a necessary condition for the
possibility of reproducing the world's productive forces.
A single world economy requires a single economic organization.
Meanwhile, the organization of
the economy under the system of finance capitalism and imperialism remains
inevitably fragmented. The world economy is divided into a number of state
associations, each of which, guided by the interests of competition, pursues a
protectionist policy, fences itself in with a customs wall, and in every
possible way hinders the free exchange of substances between individual states.
The world economy requires a unified organization. However, we have seen that capitalism is unable to create such a unified system by peaceful means. In the ruins of capitalist society, there is only one means by which it tries to create a single world economic organization. This tool is war.
From a certain point of view,
every imperialist war is an instrument of capitalist concentration. The goal
of any war is to eliminate one competitor or a number of competitors from
the world market. The war should reduce the number of states taking part in
the world competition and expand the limits of each of the lagging states.
As a result of wars, the number
of states dividing the world economy among themselves must decrease until,
finally, one state covers the whole world. Imperialist wars are thus an
attempt to create a single capitalist organization of the world economy, an
attempt to eliminate the basic contradiction between the level of the
productive forces of the world economy and its capitalist superstructure.
It is not difficult, however, to
see that all these attempts are doomed to failure in advance.
An attack on one major power or
another inevitably draws all the major powers of the world into the war. Under
such conditions, the destruction of one of the competitors by military means
becomes completely impossible. A war between two major competitors will
inevitably turn into a war between coalitions of the largest states in the
world.
If we take into account that each
of these powers has colossal economic and military power, it becomes quite
clear that such a war cannot be short-lived, it inevitably turns into a long, stubborn,
and fierce struggle.
This protracted nature of modern
imperialist war makes it completely unsuitable as an instrument of capitalist
concentration. War has been tearing the world economy apart for an extended period of
time, interrupting international relations for a number of years. Meanwhile, we
have seen that the continuity of international relations is an indispensable
condition for the existence and development of modern states.
By the mere fact that the war is
connected with the rupture of international relations, it leads the world
economy to ruin. Industrialized countries are deprived of sufficient quantities
of raw materials and foodstuffs and consequently reduce their production. The
agrarian countries are experiencing a shortage of agricultural machinery and
other industrial products.
This exhaustion is increased all
the more because war requires a colossal unproductive waste of valuables.
The industry of all countries of the world during the war expands the
production of items of military equipment at the expense of civilian
consumption items.
An increasing part of the labor
of the whole world is spent on the production of cannons, machine guns,
military airplanes and ships, poisonous gases, barbed wire, and other items
that perish irrevocably on the battlefield.
Enormous armies consume tens of
millions of poods of grain and meat, wear out an incalculable amount of
footwear uniforms, etc., while they themselves produce absolutely nothing.
The losses of the world economy
caused by a protracted war are seen in the example of the last imperialist war.
(Stats)
To this number must be added, of
course, the huge armies that had to be kept under arms, just in case, by the
neutral countries.
Further, here we must add tens of
millions of workers who during the war in all countries were employed in
enterprises working "for defense."
A good 90,100 million people were
thus cut off from peaceful production. Of the 63 million mobilized, mankind has
lost: 10.2 million killed and 21 million wounded.
However, this does not exhaust
the loss of humanity. The ebb of a huge number of men to the war led to a
colossal reduction in the birth rate. The malnutrition and disease that
accompanied the war caused a severe increase in mortality. The reduction in the
birth rate is determined by 21 million people, the increase in mortality by
6,000,000.
In total, mankind lost 37 in the
war. The war cost the Entente powers 510 billion gold marks (or about 350
billion gold rubles).
The war caused a reduction in all
major industries, as evidenced by the following table:
(Stats)
If we do not take into account
the accidental large wheat harvest in 1918, but judging by all the war years,
it will turn out that only steel production gives an increase during the war. This
increase is equal to 2.5 million tons.
If, however, we take into account
that tens of millions of tons of steel, cast iron, and coal were used for
military needs, it becomes clear that the peaceful consumption of these items
has been greatly reduced.
Production in Europe was
especially hard hit, as can be seen from the next plate.
(Stats)
The matter cannot, however, end
in war alone.
As we have already pointed out,
in the imperialist struggle, entire groups of states are fighting on both sides
of the trenches. Even if, as a result of a war, the capitalist world succeeded
in completely destroying one of the contending groups, then even in this case
the capitalist economy would not be concentrated in the hands of a single
subject and armed competition would
not cease.
In the course of the war, the
uneven development of capitalism is exacerbated.
Some countries suffer more from
war, others less. At the same time, countries that do not take part in the war
or participate in it only indirectly grow richer and begin to develop
intensively.
New competitors emerge from among
these countries. Individual members of the coalition must inevitably clash with
each other or with newly born competitors.
The first war must be followed by
a second, the second by a third, and so on. The power of the adversaries who
clash with each other in armed conflicts must increase from time to time, and
at the same time, wars must become increasingly destructive.
Entering the era of finance capital, humanity thus entered the
era of periodically recurring wars.
And the era of wars inevitably
leads to a halt in the process of development of the productive forces, for any
progress of the productive forces, any accumulation of the power of mankind in
relation to nature is brought to naught by the subsequent war.
From a progressive system
facilitating the constant development of the productive forces, capitalism in
the era of imperialism is transformed into a system that hinders the
development of the productive forces and retards the difference of mankind.
Monopoly capitalism is a class
system, a system built on the intensified exploitation of the proletariat and
the multimillion colonial peasantry. Arousing the hatred of the vast majority
of the population of the world, it is able to hold out only so long as all the
forces of powerful state apparatuses are concentrated on suppressing any
discontent on the part of the oppressed masses.
The era of war brings this system
out of balance. It increases the dissatisfaction of the working masses,
demanding from them, in addition to the usual hardships, colossal human
sacrifices and eliminating even the appearance of "concerns" of the
metropolises about the colonies. At the same time, wars divert the forces of the
capitalist states to interstate struggle and in every possible way undermine
the apparatuses of oppression of all the capitalist groupings participating in
the war.
Capitalism succumbs to the blows
of the proletarian revolution and national uprisings much earlier than it has
time to arrive at a single organization of the world economy.
It is not capitalism that is
destined to create this organization, but the social system that is coming to
replace it and whose ghost has long hovered not only over Europe, but over the
whole world.
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