Chris Harman - The Crisis Now - Marxism 2009

[TerrySleeper]

Difficult ideas well explained.

His button-down collars are un-buttoned.

[MrVoulezvous]

For people who are interested, the videos for Marxism 2011 are up now too. Just search for Marxism 2011 and you'll find them on several channels.

Harman's book on the Eastern Europe revolutions and governments is excellent as well as Zombie Capitalism. And of course "A People's History of the World" is a classic.

[MrVoulezvous]

Nothing has essentially changed from when he gave this talk--the system is still frozen, zombified. The political crisis has deepened, and the crisis of legitimacy has not been resolved...but this is still the best video on here about the economic situation.

Harman's Zombie Capitalism is a great book, great analysis of the major crisis trends that are torturing people everywhere, except that they've been blunted somewhat in the South by populist-leftism. The US is in very deep trouble.

[rolgorevene]

stunning analysis. so capitalism has seen recurring crisis because it "ran out of stuff". wow. just wow. go read up on the austrian theory of the business cycle.

Also funny, i bet when these guys employ people they do not call it exploitation. its only slavery if a corporation hires people through a voluntary system which benefits both parties. if a communist hires someone its comradery. keep the revolution alive. you can still fool naive 19y/o students into bed =)

[tonyg0123]

@rolgorevene ya, I wish a senior Austrian economist was there to debate as well

[lauraluvspaul66]

Wow

[shockwaveization]

the nature of free market capitilism is decentralization of controls over means of production and distribution.the ultimate expression of an excersice of free will by the individual. monopolies are not results of free market capitilist principles since such monopolies can only exist through government protectionism by policy or law. furthermore under no other economic system is the individual more empowered to reach his/her productive value potential in society.

[bapyou]

@shockwaveization "under no other economic system is the individual more empowered to reach his/her productive value potential in society."

This is an old, bald lie. Under capitalism, those who do the least work (bankers, CEOs) reap the greatest reward, whereas those who work most, barely make a living. Socialism rewards hard work & the benefits are direct, not meted out second hand by some boss. The main incentive to work under capitalism is the fear of getting fired or starvation.

[shockwaveization]

says alot about an economic theory when the predominate argument is simply to attack the failings of the alternative rather than offer viable solutions to those failings that have "actually" been proven to work rather than just theory.marxist centrally planned economies have "always" failed whenever and wherever peoples have been foolish enough to implement it.this is the fundamental reality that ultimately deligitimizes these self indulgent, holier than thou, sycophants to dead ideas.

[bapyou]

@shockwaveization "marxist centrally planned economies have "always" failed whenever and wherever peoples have been foolish enough to implement it."

_____

"every socialist experiment of any significance in the 20th century - without exception - has either been crushed, overthrown, invaded, subverted, or destabilized by the U.S. Not one socialist government was left secure enough to drop its guard against the all-powerful enemy abroad & freely & fully relax control at home." - William Blum

[shockwaveization]

@bapyou so as a practice of deductive reasoning, what does that tell you about the marxist system and its ability to facilitate and implement effective social interactions? "its the damn capitilists right?" people conform and will conform to social modes that benefit them. this should be a viable explanative to a marxist since most report to be dialectic materialists/ proletariat moralists. perhaps an example of social adaptation, to appeal to your darwinian sediments.

[bapyou]

@shockwaveization Your comment is general & non-specific. I don't know to which of my comments you're replying.

Also, use some goddamned punctuation and captalization, would you please? What kind of fucking moron are you?

Is it necessary for everyone reading your drivel to struggle interpreting your lazy personal brand of the English language?

Make the effort to write readable prose or get the fuck off of the internet. Fucking idiot.

[shockwaveization]

@bapyou F****** idiot? little emotional there arent you? try looking to the comment of which it is attached. seriously? whats with the expletives? de-evolution in the works people:)

[bapyou]

@shockwaveization

Yes, I called you a fucking idiot: unlike the drivel you've written here, it's good use of the English language.

Is the upper case key on your keyboard broken? Or are you too goddamned lazy to push it down?

My guess is the latter.

Cheers, dimwit.

[shockwaveization]

@bapyou lol, well you demonstrate the marxian method beautifully. attack criticism with playschool vitriol.god bless:)

[bapyou]

@shockwaveization

And you remain a lower-case fucking idiot.

[shockwaveization]

@bapyou better lower-case than low class

[TheArsenalfc101]

@shockwaveization Haha nice! way to own that Marxist! Let him believe in unicorns and santa clause, we wouldn't want to show him what being useful and hardworking is all about would we? It really amazes me how foolish Marxists are, this speaker says "Capitalism's history is about crises", well Marxism's history is about shit countries who never ever really end up doing well, but go into the history books as failures.

[BlueFrog83]

@TheArsenalfc101 So your argument is that because so called marxistisk countries where shit, we should then take every shity thing about capitalism with a smile?

[TheArsenalfc101]

@BlueFrog83 That doesn't encompass all my reasoning for being against Marxism. However it is really amusing the level of inefficiency Marxism has produced throughout history. It's also really comical how idiots on the Huffington Post say "well China's economy is doing splendidly" when clearly free enterprise is what has allowed such expansive growth.

[BlueFrog83]

@TheArsenalfc101 Well chinas economy his growing in Gdp and it has done so in the past through communism also, but you have a point that chinas resent increase is to do with letting in big companies to expand. But "free enterpise" is pretty complicated, the partystate their has still great controll over the economy (witch i think they eventually will lose). Their is alot of problems in your argument this is something i want to know more about.

[BlueFrog83]

1) You cant really say "marxist countries" marx dident live when sovjet was built, and he dident leave any blueprint how to do it. 2) Is the goal in a society to simple produce more stuff? is this what you mean by the word "efficient"? 3) You seem to be critical to so called "communist" states, And I am to. But that doesent mean that this society we live in today dosent have problems. Even if communsim and marxism let us just say for the argument sake that its all bullshit. What then?

[BlueFrog83]

@BlueFrog83 Should we just worship capitalism blindly? Not trying to come up with a better economic and social system to live with? Shouldent people aim further to new horizons in human creativity?

How do you think we should solve problems of 1) starvation 2) economic crisis 3) unemployment 4) good education for everyone 5) happiness to human kind 6) ecological devastation 7) antagonism between citizens in private life 8) undemocratic ruled companies. What is your solution?

[TheArsenalfc101]

@BlueFrog83 Gdp is such a bullshit tool in analyzing true increase in productive capacity, I mean, USA's gdp has increased but it has increased because we have borrowed so much money, we didn't increase our productive capacity. Gdp can be completely artificial at times there are a lot of factors.

[cris750]

I propose my new idea: Market Foundationalism. Embracing natural rights within the U.S. Constitution and embracing Karl Marx economic observations minus his philosophy which goes into religion. Example: Ezekiel chapter 18 would unite christians,jews and others with socialists because it is against USURY! It is economic EVOLUTIONARY and not Revolutionary.

[cris750]

Economic crisis is a natural occurrence within capitalism. Karl Marx mention "overproduction" and his proposal was to end the cycle of economic crisis on moral grounds. Karl Marx presented a moral philosophy to economics(scarcity). Karl Marx saw that it will be a natural outcome through time(evolution) for people to later embrace communism. Why? because through time new technologies are introduced into society and the knowledge of people increases.

[kskshghg]

Really the corporation is no longer just a competitive and production machine. It has mutated into a hard-line ideology, and this is quite apart from any particular crisis, it is a line of development that has traversed the last several crises. M. Friedman would be a good example of a "true believer" of this ideology, and he is a sociopath. This is a sociopathic system, no longer subject to reasonable interjection, and not only because it's deafened by profit-motive. It's insane--really.

[regresseur]

Without government involvement there's no such thing as too big to fail. The companies that the US just bailed out would've failed had the government not forced the people to do so.

[buddacafe]

@regresseur True but the government can remain small.

[BucksSpur]

RIP

[SuperGuitarman69]

You need to look into Milton Friedman. If you want truth and real common sense by Nobel Prize winning economist he'll be the guy you should listen to. I used to be a Democrat until I heard him

[myinfamy]

What a brilliant man he was, and one of the best Marxist we ever had on this planet. Farewell comrade, rest in peace.

[ymp5000]

what a load of shit.

[ray25620]

I disagree strongly, it is not a load of shit, it is a pile of vomit.

[laskji]

Let us be clear though: Capitalism is not the free market, and vice versa. Capitalism is based on primitive accumulation and propped up by continual privilege based on forced extortion of the working class.

[AmadeusStatisitician]

@laskji This argument of the rich exploting workers is so tired and transparent. To try to argue that capitalism is "Evil" use something with a bit more basis.

[laskji]

Are you arguing that capitalism does not exploit workers? I think a look around at the recent bailouts tells a different story. Read "The triumph of Conservatism" by Gabriel Kolko for a well documented account of the ways in which American corporations colluded with government to obtain privilege which hurt the working poor

[Northwind47]

In order to believe workers are being exploited you would have to subscribe to Marx's theory of surplus value, a theory that was based on the labor theory of value which is a 200 year old economic theory that has been largely disproven by modern economic theories such as the theory of marginal utility.

Read up on the "economic calculations problem." It proved that marx's theories didn't just fail in practice, but they also were a failed theory from the very start.

[AmadeusStatisitician]

@Northwind47 I've read part's of that book. However

[Northwind47]

It should be further noted that all corporations that have gained an unfair advantage in the marketplace have gained that advantage because of government intervention in the economy that favored them. In a free market they would have received no government support whatsoever. It's because of economic protectionism and the desire to protect domestic industry and keep down unemployment that government intervention creates an unfair marketplace.

[AmadeusStatisitician]

@laskji I have read a few chapters from that book . However, helping corporations through bailouts and helping generate monopolies by regulation is precisely what conservatism is NOT. As he even states the Progressive policies are what enabled monopolies and such to happen in the first place.

[laskji]

AmadeusStatisitician: Exactly right... But this is why capitalism must be distinguished from the free market in no uncertain terms! ... This is why it is consistent to be for a free market - but anti-capitalist. Modern capitalism is so badly corrupted by government favoritism and pull-peddling that to defend capitalism these days is to defend a statist regime.

[laskji]

AmadeusStatisitician2: We are not dealing here with progressive vs conservative policy - each is as corrupting of the free market as the other - both are controlled by rich capitalists that pull the government strings in order to obtain regulations and favors which oust small proprietors in favor of corporate giants. The real struggle is the honest working man/small proprietor vs. the ruling (big gov/big corp) elite.

[Antiks72]

Leave it the Brits to show us a little class consciousness.

[eros1057]

RIP comrade. Continuaramos la lucha hasta la victoria siempre!

[Kinyua8395]

R.I.P

[Spamhero]

As usual clear and incisive analysis. A

brilliant mind.RIP Chris harman.

[Audiocodes]

Thanks Chris.

[bronxred]

OMG he didn't look like this when I met him at the University of Rochester in the late 80s. How old does that mean I look? (Don't answer that...) Go, Chris, and thanks for all the fish. R.I.P.

[jumpnjza2]

R.I.P.

[palkom13]

R.I.P:

I was at this meeting, it's good to hear it again.

[AMRPK]

R.I.P. Comrade

[orrsy]

RIP Chris, you were an inspiration!

[adycousins]

If you have problems watching this video please use the download link in the video information section

[anagnostic]

It seems to me that "The Poor" are quite justified to rebel. Sadly, as David Harvey points out in his talk, the poor are more likely to blame themselves rather than point their fingers at the greed and mendacity of the elite who despite years of preaching the evils of the state have been bailed out by the state at the expense of the poorest working people.

[ButherLi55ett]

I don't think more likely, perhaps as likely but you're missing out a turn to reactionary politics altogether! Concretely we have seen positive class action in Britain with occupation and strikes which are growing as I type. But also the chuvinistic EDL nationalist street goons wrongly being termed fascist, and opposition is using wrong tactics and strategy but that's another story! SWP are widely known for their reactionary alliances and CC 'democratic' decision making.

[BlueFrog83]

@anagnostic I think you are right, but I think "blaming yourself" as you describe it are the first stadium. Then people start getting more and more angry. We see this now all over the world, in America, England, France, Greece and russia. Things are on the move!

[paulstroie]

@BlueFrog83 you have no idea what is in America... we here in USA protest against socialism not for it... know your stuff.. FUCK SOCIALISM FUCK ALL YOU MARXISTS FUCKS...

[BlueFrog83]

@paulstroie Your a perfect example of a brainwashed american. But their is a way out: Read, think and think some more!

[paulstroie]

@paulstroie I'm not interested in debating your primitive ideology , I just want you to recognize that the american people is revolting against socialism not for it...

It's funny how Swedes see American as ignorant, when we have the best Universities of the world, most of them are in US and none in Sweden.. Don't you think your kind of stuck in your own farts of self-importance???

If you really want to challenge yourself and your ideas read Freedom to Choose by Milton Friedman..

[undercoverbrother67]

@paulstroie I notice how you sent that reply to yourself, your opening line being "I'm not interested in debating your primitive ideology".

Freudian Slip, eh? You should listen to your own advice.

[anagnostic]

True many features of capitalism existed in the Roman empire. But Capitalism as an all embracing system was not consolidated untill the 19th Century. At any rate that is my understanding.

[anagnostic]

I'm half way through Chris Harmans latest book "zombie Capitalism" . It is brilliant, and the first two chapters are, in my opinion one of the best primer's on Marx's capital and subsequent tendancies in Marxism. I would love to see a review of Harman's book by David Harvey.