me:
> In line with Baran's Frankfurt-school view, Baran & Sweezy's MC is
> monolithic. (This is really clear in Baran's POLITICAL ECONOMY OF
> GROWTH.) MC has won the battle, beating the working class. All
> problems come from the edges, from non-mainstream forces like the
> African-American people of the time or the alienated youth. (There
> were no Barach Obama (mainstream) figures back then.)
Charles:
> Not disagreeing with you about the content of their thesis, but
> late 40's , 50's was the high point in membership and influence of
> organized labor, so, I'm wondering how that was a point in time that the
> working class was beaten in comparison with other times.
the Baran view was that the labor movement had been co-opted. The
1950s/60s labor stasis was seen in comparison to the militancy of much
of the labor movement in the 1930s and 1940s, along with the context
of the revolution that many expected after WW2.
Charles:
> > If it is not monopoly capitalism , does that mean that there is free
> > market capitalism today ? with no entities having significant economic
> > advantages or significantly more wealth than most others ? What is the
> > nature of non-monopoly/non-oligopoly capitalism ?
me:
> I don't really care about what it's called. Free market capitalism is
> just as bad for working people as is monopoly or oligopoly capitalism.
Charles:
> I was trying to recognize that in the past you have preferred the
> term "oligopoly". I believe because there usually is not just one
> ("mono") dominant company in what is referred to as "monopoly" ( like
> the old Big Three in auto).
oligopoly is the preferred economic term, yes. Nowadays, auto is even
more competitive, I think.
> I'm trying to think what is the significance of monopolization for the
> working class if free market capitalism is the same in effect.
in terms of auto, the oligopolization of the product market and the
domination by GM meant that if the UAW raised wages, the bosses could
more easily raise prices, which made them (the bosses) more amenable
to wage increases.
--
Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own
way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
