HOW DO WE SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF CAPITALISM- Andrew Kliman

One can only analyze the state of the world for so long, eventually one comes to the point where they must take action, but the problem is knowing what action we should take, hence the question (after we have analyzed the problem) is what we should do to fix it? What is the solution to the danger we have observed? How do we prevent the possible outcome of a tragic future?

This is precisely the context in which I sent the following letter to Professor Kliman:

Dear Dr. Kliman, I think a serious question that needs to be asked, in light of the situation that confronts us; in light of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, is what people should do?

If you would be kind enough to give some advice concerning this question I would be most grateful.

For my part I can only see the practicality of one thing: the people have lost their power because they have no unity, which is the very essence and substance of power. The only solution to this is to unify the people around simple goals (what I would call non-ideological goals). And of course, these goals must be simple or else the people would fracture; unity would be destroyed by schism.

A few days ago I believed that our only hope was to rebuild the labour movement from the ground up. The reason I believe it must be built from the ground up, is because the present status of unions is nearly identical to that of corporations, tragically and metaphorically speaking, the unions are run by greedy and spineless politicians. At one time this was not the case, but now the world has become obsessed with profit, competition has infected everything. We can do better than this, we need a movement, not of political leaders, but a movement of the common people. However, in light of your recent work I am questioning the veracity of this strategy.

Long before I was even aware of your work I had come to the conclusion that "reforms," within the system of capital, would eventually be nullified by the nature of capital. I fully agree with you that we must transcend the system, but the question is how? How do we go from theory to practice? What are the practical steps that people can take to protect themselves from the tyranny of capital? How do we obtain liberation?

Thank you for considering my questions.

Respectfully yours,
Jersey Flight

Dear Jersey, thank you for your letter. I keep getting asked this. I discuss political practice in my book "The Failure of Capitalist Production," but since my conception of political practice is so different from what people seem to be accustomed to, they don’t even recognize that I’ve done so.

Let me quote some of what I said about political tasks, in chapter 9 of the book, and then summarize briefly:

1. “Especially during the current slump and its aftermath, working people certainly need to make demands on employers and the governments of their countries and see to it that these demands are met. … By getting their demands met, working people help themselves in the short run. They are getting concessions from the system. However … the concessions they win are just that, concessions, not a new set of progressive policies that will lead to a prosperous and stable economy.”

2. “Working people will have to fight tooth-and-nail just to prevent their living and working conditions from deteriorating further, in the face of efforts to restore profitability and economic growth through austerity measures.”

3. “Working people need to be prepared to confront the fact that their struggles to protect themselves in the face of the economic slump are not in the system’s interests, and that successful struggle might well set off a virulent reaction. And they need to be prepared to confront the reaction. But they will not be prepared if they have been led to believe the trickle-up notion that what’s good for the working class is good for capitalist America.”

4. “It is one thing to recognize the instability of capitalism, but another to show that an alternative to it is possible. … It is time to recognize that the question, ‘Like what, exactly?’ [as a response to the desire for something other than capitalism] is an honest and profound question that demands straight and worked-out answers. And it is time to start working out those answers.”

5. “people need to know not just what to be against, but what to be for, not just ‘what is to be done,’ but what is to be undone—what is it exactly that must be changed in order to have a viable and emancipatory socialism?”

6. “I think two main things are needed to move beyond this situation. First, we have to recognize that the emancipation of working people must be their own act. … There needs to be a new relation of theory to practice, so that regular people are not just the muscle that brings down the old power, but become fully equipped, theoretically and intellectually, to govern society themselves. Nothing short of this can prevent power from being handed over to an elite.”

7. “Secondly, we have to work out how we can have a modern society that operates without the laws of capitalist production being in control. Very few people on the left have even understood that this is a real problem.”

Now the summary:

A. Support/assist struggles from below to maintain living standards and for concessions (points 1 and 2)

B. Engage in theoretical clarification about how the system operates (exemplified in point 3)

C. Make progress in working out answer(s) to the question, ‘Like what, exactly?’ (points 4, 5, and 7)

D. Make progress in assisting regular people to become theoretically and intellectually equipped to govern society themselves (point 6)

It is because of point 3 (and *especially* because of point 6) that I don't support social democratic policy--either as a solution to systemic problems (point 3) or as a supposed route to political mobilization (point 6). (As I also wrote in chapter 9 of the book, "the Keynesianism that dominated the left helped to demobilize working people—by encouraging them to trust Keynesian politicians, policies, and doctrines as well as the leaders of their unions, instead of trusting their own ability to run their lives themselves and re-establish society on new, human foundations.")

Popular struggles to force concessions on the government--neoliberal, social-democratic, or whatever—are an entirely different matter.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Andrew 

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