Anti-capitalism
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 more than they oppose capitalism. 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.
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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 high degree of
economic equality and the eradication of poverty and unemployment.
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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.
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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.
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Anarchist philosophies argue for a total abolition of the state, with many anarchists opposing capitalism on the grounds that it 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.
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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."
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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. Advocates of capitalism argue that fascism and Marxism/socialism are fundamentally similar because of the allowance of initiation of force, and that all are essentially opposites of capitalism.
* There are also strands of
conservatism that are uncomfortable with liberal capitalism. Particularly in continental Europe, many conservatives have been uncomfortable with the negative impacts of unfettered capitalism (and the egoistic, hedonistic individualism it nurtures) 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:
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Islam forbids
usury (lending money at an interest), an important aspect of capitalism.
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Christianity likewise forbade usury up through the 18th century, but that prohibition has been dropped from most of its modern denominations. More recently, Christianity has been the source of many other 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 (particularly in the
United States) who are reconciled or ardently in favour of capitalism, particularly in opposition to secular socialism.
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Judaism has always had a tense relation to capitalism, notable in the number of secular Jews attracted to the socialist and communist movements.
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Capitalism*
Capitalism and related political ideologies*
Anti-Globalization*
Corporatocracy* Colin C Williams (2005)
A Commodified World? mapping the limits of capitalism, Zed, London. A book challenging the hegemony of capitalism and displaying the existence of alternatives.
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Infoshop.org - Anarchists opposed to capitalism.
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Marxists Internet Archive - Archive of Marxist and anti-capitalist literature.
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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.
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Page on anti-capitalism and anarchy*
Industrial Workers of the World
