Wow, Steven -- very interesting. I wonder if I am convinced?? --- I mean, when you have a political superstructure -- even one as varied as the United states --- cannot we argue that there clearly is a dominant mode of production that emerged over the course of the 19th century which sure as Hell looks like what Marx described in Capital (especially Vols. I and II)??
I mean even today there are worker owned businesses --- and (illegal) slave operations --- but we (at least to me) seem to be a CAPITALIST COUNTRY. And the laws of motion of capitalism are at work here --- and certainly have been for over 150 years --- if not more --- (I see the recurrent business cycle as a macro-economic phenomenon that is surface evidence of the prevalence of a capitalist mode of production). I don't know enough about China to say anything about a dominant mode of productiion but it seems to me that's where the investigation has to start -- and contrary to what you said, I think the legal superstructure of a country does permit us to at least attempt to argue that a particular COUNTRY is "capitalist" or some other mode of production .. ???? (all of the above should come with the usual uncertainties attached!!!) On Tue, Mar 26, 2024 at 5:04 AM <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks for this post Marv Gandall. I think it is always a mistake to > conflate two things: countries, which are complex, concrete existing > historical entities in constant development and evolution- primarily due to > class struggle internal and external- and systems, which are abstract > concepts intended to enable us to understand the underlying tendencies and > dynamics at work in a given historical context, and which may or may not > actually win out depending on the outcomes of the real social struggles. > > ;...... > > So China, the US, Russia, etc. are NOT Capitalist or any other system per > se > The real question for Marxists is to show the relationships between > classes and systems and the forces in struggle, and how the dynamics of > any given system, usually Capitalism, are at work and what forces are > thwarting, slowing, or at times defeating those tendencies. > > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#29679): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/29679 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/105142448/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
