There are several rather clear-cut signs of a non-capitalist (though not socialist) social structure: the absence of anything like the "reserve army of labor," guaranteed minimum living conditions (e.g., the "iron rice bowl), and housing for all. No capitalist regime will exhibit these features. Such regimes may _still_ be in marginal ways exploitive, but no one wants to claim that the _only_ exploitive regime is capitalism.
"Capitalism" and "Capitalist Society," incidentally, are not the same. By 1900 the U.S. was certainly an overwhelmingly capitalist society, but much of the population (e.g., small farmers, independent professionals, school teachers) were not part or wholly part of the core capitalist economy. The elimination of tenant-farming in the south poured large numbers (mostly African American) in to the reserve army of labor. Carrol -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Maxim Linchits Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2015 7:44 AM To: 'Progressive Economics' Subject: Re: [Pen-l] Radical takes on World War Two | Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant One of the bigger Soviet Tycoons was the singer Vladimir Vysotsky, who took frequent trips to France, made "loads" of money from concerts, and drove a Mercedes Benz! A freaking Mercedes Benz ... However he is not known to have exploited the Eastern European working class. -----Original Message----- From: Maxim Linchits [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2015 4:30 PM To: 'Progressive Economics' <[email protected]> Subject: RE: [Pen-l] Radical takes on World War Two | Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant But you know back in the day, if your dad had a Volga and you had a pair of wranglers you were a golden boy. Corruption and inequality were so tiny in the USSR, it was positively positively adorable. For all its immense problems and outright crimes, it was a profoundly egalitarian society with no exploitation. And this also characterized its foreign relations. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Louis Proyect Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2015 4:20 PM To: Progressive Economics <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Pen-l] Radical takes on World War Two | Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant On 12/19/15 8:12 AM, Maxim Linchits wrote: > It meant that they could purchase fancy clothing while on > komandirovkas to the Warsaw Pact countries. It's also how the Soviet > elite made their stupendous fortunes, enabling them to buy fancy > dachas and volgas. So funny to hear fancy clothing, dachas and volgas described as a stupendous fortune. Sounds more like the lifestyle of a NYC tax accountant or corporate lawyer. A stupendous fortune is more like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Abramovich In 1995, Abramovich and Berezovsky acquired a controlling interest in the giant Soviet oil company Sibneft. Affiliates of Abramovich, with affiliates of Boris Berezovsky, purchased Sibneft for US$100.3 million (the company was worth US$2.7 billion at that time). Sibneft produces around US$3 billion worth of oil annually.[22] Abramovich established several "fly-by-night" firms and together with his friend Boris Berezovsky used them to acquire the stock of Sibneft. As a result, the tycoon managed to pay for the company 25 times less than the market price.[22] Bought for a total of US$200 million, Sibneft is now worth seventy five times as much.[23] The Times claimed that he was assisted by Badri Patarkatsishvili.[24] This acquisition was under the controversial loans-for-shares programme initiated by President Boris Yeltsin.[25][26][27] After Sibneft, Abramovich's next target was the aluminium industry. After privatisation the 'aluminium wars' led to murders of smelting plant managers, metals traders and journalists as groups battled for control of the industry. Abramovich famously emerged as the winner of the aluminium wars.[24] The Times stated that in a BBC investigation into Abramovich's wealth, reporter John Sweeney noted that, after the oligarch (Abramovich) emerged at the top of the trade, the murders stopped.[28] _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
