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Capitalist Decline, Financial Crisis & Revolutionary Prospects

Hillel Ticktin | 25.11.2008 17:58 | History | World

During the 20th century, world wars, reformism, Stalinism and recently the credit boom successfully maintained capitalism by keeping the working class passive. But does the end of the credit boom mark the end of capitalism's survival strategies? Will the coming recession spark a new working class movement? Come and join the debate.



A talk by Hillel Ticktin - organised by Mute



Hillel Ticktin's reinterpretation of Marx's ideas enabled him to foresee the disintegration of Soviet Stalinism years before it occurred. Since then he has argued that capitalism itself is in a state of inexorable decline. During the 20th century, world wars, reformism, Stalinism and recently the credit boom successfully maintained capitalism by keeping the working class passive. But does the end of the credit boom mark the end of capitalism's survival strategies? Will the coming recession spark a new working class movement? Come and join the debate.

Saturday 29 November, 4pm

The Whitechapel Centre

85 Myrdle St

London, E1

Nearest tubes: Whitechapel & Aldgate East



For Ticktin's recent analysis of the crisis - in an editorial for the forthcoming issue of Critique (due out 1 December) - see:

 http://www.metamute.org/en/content/notes_on_the_last_few_months

For a variety of views on the crisis see:  http://sites.google.com/site/radicalperspectivesonthecrisis/

and Mute Vol 2 #6 - Living in a Bubble: Credit, Debt and Crisis

More info: +44 (0)20 7377 6949

Hillel Ticktin
- Homepage: http://metamute.org

Comments

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Movement, but in what direction?

26.11.2008 15:29

Need to remove ideological blinders and look at history honestly. A collapse of capitalism and rise of a "working class" movement might not represent movement in the direction you would like to see happen. As I recall from my understanding of the history of the 20th Century, last time around we had widespread deep economic collapse the socialist movements did indeed grow but so did the fascist movements and in most places the fascists came out on top.

Given our failure to articulate an clear vision of an attractive socialist alternative, I don't fancy our chances this time around either. Change is not always change for the better.

MDN