Communist capitalism
Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, December 15, 2020
The capitalism that is being consolidated on a global scale is not capitalism in its Western form, but, rather, capitalism in its communist variation, which combines an extremely rapid development of production with a totalitarian political regime. This is the historical significance of the leading role that China is taking over not only in the economy in the strict sense, but also — as the political use of the pandemic has eloquently showed — like a paradigm of government. That the regimes established in the so-called communist countries were a particular form of capitalism, especially suited to economically backward countries and hence labelled as state capitalism, was perfectly well-known to anyone able to read history. What was entirely unexpected, however, was that this form of capitalism, apparently exhausted and obsolete, were instead destined to become — in a technologically updated layout — the dominant principle at this stage of global capitalism. In fact it is possible that we are now witnessing a conflict between Western capitalism, which used to coexist with the rule of law and bourgeois democracies, and the new communist capitalism, with the latter appearing to emerge victorious. But what is certain is that the new regime will merge the most inhumane side of capitalism with the worst of state communism, combining the extreme alienation of human relationships with an unprecedented social control.
Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, December 15, 2020
The capitalism that is being consolidated on a global scale is not capitalism in its Western form, but, rather, capitalism in its communist variation, which combines an extremely rapid development of production with a totalitarian political regime. This is the historical significance of the leading role that China is taking over not only in the economy in the strict sense, but also — as the political use of the pandemic has eloquently showed — like a paradigm of government. That the regimes established in the so-called communist countries were a particular form of capitalism, especially suited to economically backward countries and hence labelled as state capitalism, was perfectly well-known to anyone able to read history. What was entirely unexpected, however, was that this form of capitalism, apparently exhausted and obsolete, were instead destined to become — in a technologically updated layout — the dominant principle at this stage of global capitalism. In fact it is possible that we are now witnessing a conflict between Western capitalism, which used to coexist with the rule of law and bourgeois democracies, and the new communist capitalism, with the latter appearing to emerge victorious. But what is certain is that the new regime will merge the most inhumane side of capitalism with the worst of state communism, combining the extreme alienation of human relationships with an unprecedented social control.
(English translation by Nobody’s Perfect)
František Kupka, Equality (Money), 1902. Courtesy of WikiArt.
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