The Next Step.

         Sometimes somebody makes a calculated prediction and it seems to come true many years later. I'm no disciple that worships at the feet of Lenin, but I think, in this case, his prediction of capitalist development was spot on.

 

        Of course accepting his development of capitalism is just one step, the next step is how to stop that continuing power struggle between these financial and corporate competing imperial powers that continue to be responsible for countless millions of lives lost unnecessarily, devastation and misery for millions more and vast swaths of poverty and deprivation, not to mention the destruction of the planet's ecosystem. They won't be beaten by smart phones, but by ordinary people on the streets of every country in the world, all with the one aim, to take back control of our own lives by mutual aid, co-operation, sustainability, respect for all humanity, the planet and all its varied life forms.

The following is an extract from an article by By Pål Steigan

The imperialist powers divide the world according to the power relations between them

      Lenin gave the best and most durable explanation for this, in his essay «Imperialism – the highest stage of capitalism«. There, he explained five basic features of the era of imperialism:

1. The concentration of production and capital has developed to such a high stage that it has created monopolies which play a decisive role in economic life;
2. The merging of bank capital with industrial capital, and the creation, on the basis of this “finance capital”, of a financial oligarchy;
3. The export of capital as distinguished from the export of commodities acquires exceptional importance;
4. The formation of international monopolist capitalist associations which share the world among themselves; and
5. The territorial division of the whole world among the biggest capitalist powers is completed.
   

       But Lenin also pointed out that capitalist countries are developing unevenly, not least because of the uneven development of productive forces in the various capitalist countries. After a while, there arises a discrepancy between how the world is divided and the relative strength of the imperialist powers. This disparity will eventually force through a redistribution, a new division of the world based on the new relationship of strength. And, as Lenin states:

“The question is: what means other than war could there be under capitalism to overcome the disparity between the development of productive forces and the accumulation of capital on the one side, and the division of colonies and spheres of influence for finance capital on the other?“

       The two world wars were wars that arose because of unevenness in the power relationships between the imperialist powers. The British Empire was past its heyday and British capitalism lagged behind in the competition. The United States and Germany were the great powers that had the largest industrial and technological growth, and eventually this misalignment exploded. Not once, but twice.-------

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