On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 11:53, David B. Shemano <[email protected]> wrote:
> Therefore, the fact that Germany maintained private property relations as the > dominant form of the economy does not mean, ipso facto, Germany was > "capitalist." National Socialism was not an ideology that the goal of the > German people should be to accumulate bigger and better SUV's and big-screen > TVs as an end in itself -- National Socialism treated the economy/private > property relations as instrumental to other "loftier" goals > So I guess Weber was wrong about the "spirit of capitalism" which was to work hard, save money, put off unnecessary purchases and the like. It would also seem that Adam Smith wasn't all that interested in capitalism since he basically believed that luxury expenditures were a waste and should instead be ploughed back into profitable production. What you've just cited is the obverse of the post-war, cultural marxist understanding of what is significant about capitalism. I'd also argue that there is almost never an ideology like that which isn't proffered by people selling big screen TVs and the like: the kind of demand management strategies that were part and parcel of what Baran and Sweezy called "monopoly capitalism." It is true that most of the charismatic resources of fascism are directed towards love of the state and its power, but that hardly seems to be what is important in the distinction between socialism and capitalism. In practice it may manifest itself in this distinction, but in terms of the "ideology" of capitalism, this is just superstructural or, as the Regulationist economists would say, it is just a historically specific mode of regulation, not the regime of accumulation itself. It is perhaps the conflation of right wing, conservative elements with this regime that is confusing as an absolute frame of reference, but in terms of its historical conjuncture, hanging on to capitalism as it already exists (and the power relations it engenders) is basically conservative. s _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
