Anti-capitalism

This article lists ideologies opposed to capitalism and describes them briefly. For arguments against capitalism, see criticisms of capitalism.

An anti-capitalist poster printed by the Industrial Workers of the World in 1911.

Anti-capitalism refers to opposition to capitalism, in terms of beliefs or attitudes. As such, it is a very broad term and it covers a wide collection of views and ideologies, some of which oppose each other to a strong degree. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another economic system; however, there are also ideologies which can be characterized as partially anti-capitalist, in the sense that they only wish to replace or abolish certain aspects of capitalism rather than the entire system.

What follows is a brief description of the most notable anti-capitalist ideologies, viewpoints and trends.

• Anarchist philosophies argue for a total abolition of the state, with many anarchists arguing that capitalism entails social domination, involuntary relations and coercive hierarchy. Some forms of anarchism oppose capitalism as a whole while supporting some particular aspects of capitalism. For further discussion, see Anarchism and capitalism.
• Ecofeminists attack capitalism for defining the natural world as simply a body of resources to be exploited and reshaped to serve human purposes and interests. They also see it as inherently snapping the relationship between humans to one another and to the natural world. Ecofeminists see capitalism as a patriarchal construction "based on the colonization of women, nature, and other peoples."
• Fascism calls for the nationalization (or extensive regulation) of corporations and industry in order to serve the nation. This often involves anti-capitalist rhetoric, but whether fascism is in fact opposed to capitalism is disputed. Marxists in particular argue that fascism is a form of government instituted to protect capitalism during a period of crisis or revolution. [1] Advocates of capitalism argue that fascism and Marxism/socialism are fundamentally similar, and that all are essentially opposites of capitalism [2].
• Marxism argues for collective ownership of the means of production and the eventual abolition of the state, with an intermediate stage in which the state will be used to eliminate the vestiges of capitalism. Marxism is the foundation of several different ideologies, including communism and certain types of socialism.
• Socialism argues for extensive public control over the economy, which may or may not be associated with democratic control by the people over the state (there are both democratic and undemocratic philosophies calling themselves socialist). In addition, socialism advocates a varying degrees of economic equality, depending on the branch of socialism, and the eradication of poverty and unemployment. There are also "partial-socialists", who hold views similar to the mixed economy and Scandinavian model beliefs.
  • Social democracy is a partially anti-capitalist ideology that has grown out of the reformist wing of the socialist movement. Social democrats do not oppose the actual foundations of capitalism, but they wish to mitigate what they see as capitalism's most negative effects through the creation of a mixed economy and a welfare state.
• There are also strands of conservatism that are uncomfortable with liberal capitalism. Particularly in continental Europe, many conservatives have been uncomfortable with the impacts of unfettered capitalism on culture and traditions. The conservative opposition to the French revolution, the Enlightenment, and the development of individualistic liberalism as a political theory and as institutionalised social practices sought to retain traditional social hierarchies, practices and institutions. There is also a conservative protectionist opposition to certain types of international capitalism.
• Some religions criticize or outright reject capitalism:
  • Christianity is the source of many criticisms of capitalism, particularly its materialist aspects. The first socialists drew many of their principles from Christian values (see Christian socialism), against the "bourgeois values" of profiteering, greed, selfishness and hoarding. Many Christians do not oppose capitalism entirely but support a mixed economy in order to ensure decent labour standards and relations, as well as economic justice. Nevertheless, there are also many Protestant denominations who are reconciled or ardently in favour of capitalism (espescially in the United States), particularly in opposition to secular socialism.
  • Judaism has always had a tense relation to capitalism, notable in the number of secular Jews attracted to the socialist and communist movements.
  • Islam forbids usury (lending money at an interest), an important aspect of capitalism.

Critique of anti-capitalism

Ludwig von Mises holds that a reason for individuals turning to anti-capitalism is their own "frustrated ambition." According to Mises, individuals see others succeeding and become envious. He says they "sublimate their hatred into a philosophy, the philosophy of anti-capitalism, in order to render inaudible the inner voice that tells them that their failure is entirely their own fault. Their fanaticism in defending their critique of capitalism is precisely due to the fact that they are fighting their own awareness of its falsity."

External links

• Infoshop.org - Anarchists opposed to capitalism.
• Marxists Internet Archive - Archive of Marxist and anti-capitalist literature.
• Anti-Capitalism: Modern Theory and Historical Origins
• Anti-Capitalism as an ideology... and as a movement
• Rejection of the label Anti-Capitalism
• Anti-Capitalism : A Guide To The Movement Directory of Groups and Organisations, June 2001.
• Page on anti-capitalism and anarchy
• Industrial Workers of the World
• The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality (E-Book version) a critical view of anti-capitalism by Ludwig von Mises, 1958

See also

• Capitalism
• Capitalism and related political ideologies
• Anti-Globalization
• Anarchism and Capitalism
• Corporatocracy
• Socialism
• Mixed economy