Capitalism and anti-capitalism

• Published in: Interventions (London, England) England), 2003-01, Vol.5 (2), p.271-289
• Main Author: Heartfield, James
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-capitalism; Capitalism; Demonstrations; Developing countries; Elites; Environmentalism; G-8; Globalization; Indigenism; International Economic Organizations; Militancy; Protest Movements; World Bank
• ISSN: 1369-801X
• DOI: 10.1080/1369801031000112996

Among the world leaders, faith in the capitalist system is threadbare. With a declining base of popular legitimacy, contemporary elites lack the confidence to steer the world in any direction of their own. In many ways, the protestors simply reflect the inner loss of certainty suffered by elites -- giving it an external manifestation. The criticisms of the anti-capitalist movement have been indulged to a surprising extent. At the World Bank, at the G8, & among the media, the anti-globalization protests have had an easy ride, as a nervous older generation looks on benignly at the idealism of youth. Again & again, the protestors have been invited inside to share their insights with world leaders. The success -- & elan -- of the anti-capitalist movement in recent times seems to contrast with the defeats of organized labor & Third World movements in the 1980s & early 1990s. But, in many ways, the end of those mass movements is the precondition for the emergence of today's anti-globalization protestors. Anti-capitalists today draw upon conservative ideologies of austerity, the priority of the law of conscience over the majority, & a patrician need to protect aboriginal peoples from modernity. These elitist preoccupations assume a more radical form as environmentalism, direct action, & advocacy for the Third World. But, still, the anti-capitalist movement remains the preserve of a relatively select group of well-educated, well-heeled, & even well-bred people. The ambitions of the protestors contrast pointedly with previous anti-capitalist movements, in that they identify industrial progress exclusively with the market. They advocate a return to more modest living standards, rather than a transcendence of capitalism's narrow base of social advance. 38 References. Adapted from the source document.