Global Crisis Seeks Better Alternative

Yuba Nath Lamsal

Democracy, freedom, human rights and development are oft quoted words in the modern day political lexicon. Despite the political and ideological divide that the world has witnessed ever since Karl Marx propounded a new theory that challenged the 19^th century’s dominant philosophy in the sphere of politics and economy, the very concept and definition of democracy, freedom and development have seen conflicting views and perspectives.  Karl Marx not only challenged the capitalist theory of development, but also presented an alternative economic and political order which the world knows as Marxism.

Marxism is both political and economic philosophy that has not only put forth an alternative system but also has defined the society in a manner it is bound to happen. Both capitalism and Marxism do not disagree with the concept of democracy, freedom, human rights and developments.  However, they have sharp differences in the understanding and the definition of these terminologies.

Feudalism saw its heydays across the world until late 19^th century. The concept of democracy and freedom had no place in feudalism. The era of renaissance and enlightenment laid ground for social and political consciousness that ultimately led to great revolutions like industrial revolution in England, French Revolution and American War of Independence. These events were a marked jolt to feudal system, which gave rise to capitalism as dominant political and economic order mainly in the Western Europe and America that had dominating effect in the entire world.

The capitalist system mainly focuses on individual freedom, pluralist system of governance and open economic order dictated by demand and supply system of the market. Civil and political rights and the least role of the government in economic control and management are the hallmark of capitalist system. The world has seen and experienced the capitalist democracy for more than 200 years. But its inherent weaknesses and flaws, which have been pointed out by many economic and political analysts and theorists since the beginning, have been more visible now than ever before. The global economic and financial order is collapsing and the world has witnessed a new and serious financial crisis. The United States and Western Europe have suffered very badly and the people have already felt the pinch of pain given by capitalism. Simply put, capitalism has already failed and it cannot address the problems of billions of people in the world, mostly poor, marginalized, exploited and oppressed ones, are suffering.

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen espoused his own treatise ‘development as freedom’ in which he was highly acclaimed in the western world. In fact, there is nothing new in Amartya Sen’s philosophy but he has made a mere attempt to reinforce what capitalist economists had long been advocating. Sen failed to analyze why and how the capitalist system has collapsed and is further collapsing and also he has failed to suggest its alternative.

We have already witnessed in several parts of the world that the world economic and financial order based on the philosophy of individual freedom. In other words, capitalism has failed and is failing. Capitalism is the system that thrives on the principle of unlimited profit. The world has limited resources and capitalism seeks to harness and exploit them at the highest level. The limited global resources are bound to be used up at one point of history because of their unsustainable exploitation. Once resources are used up, capitalism cannot sustain and is bound to collapse. That is what has exactly happened at present. The financial crisis in Europe and America is the early symptom of the demise of capitalist world order.

The world is now desperately looking or an alternative. The occupy movements in the USA and elsewhere, Greece crisis, Arab uprising, protests in Spain are all indications that the people are fed up with the capitalist democracy and economic system and are seeking for a better alternative capable of addressing the crisis the world is faced with. The alternative is with us: that is socialism based on Marx’s treatise of ‘from each according to one’s ability and to each according to one’s need’. Socialism is more human and more sustainable. And if the world is to be saved from further collapse and crisis, adoption of socialism is a must. Even some staunch critics of socialism and advocate of capitalism, too, are slowly started realizing the inherent flaws in the capitalist system and the necessity for seeking its alternative.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had been founded on the basis of socialist principles, and the fall of regimes in Eastern Europe, capitalist pundits have equated these events with the collapse and failure of socialism. In fact, the collapse of Soviet Union was a collapse of a regime but not the collapse and failure of socialism as political ideology and economic system.

The establishment of socialist government in the Soviet Union through the October Revolution led by VI Lenin was the first practical application of Marxism that seeks to capture power through the armed insurrection and establish socialist regime. This event not only inspired revolutionaries and Marxists all over the world but also paved the way for revolutions and establishment of socialist regimes in various parts of the world. Inspired by the great October Revolution, people in many oppressed and colonized countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America rose against colonialism, imperialism and exploitative regimes and launched national liberation movements across the globe.  As a result, many countries were liberated from colonial rule and also from the feudal dictatorship.

While capitalism seeks to create dependence and promotes exploitation, socialism seeks to liberate people from all forms of exploitations—both from the external imperialists and colonialist and also from the domestic dictators be it feudal aristocrats or military and other type of tyrants. Capitalists and their agents worldwide dub the capitalism as the only form of democracy and demonize its rival ideology—socialism— as inimical to universally accepted norms of popular democracy. Capitalism and Marxism are two rival sets of ideology that have markedly opposite perspective, outlook and analysis on political and economic system and the world situation. Both sets of ideology advocate democracy, freedom, human rights and development but define differently. Capitalists define democracy as a political system that guarantees individual freedom and civil and political rights, which, in other words, is freedom to vote, freedom to participate in political process and freedom to movement and assembly, among others. But it does not guarantee the condition that enables every citizen to freely participate in the political process and enjoy the rights and equal opportunity. The capitalist notion of development is growth but does not care about its distribution system. In capitalist growth-based economy, profit, by any means, is the primary goal and objective that often creates inequality, exploitation and ultimately leads to its demise. For the purpose of maximum profit, capitalism resorts to control over resources globally through the use of force, deceit and conspiracy. Imperialism, as Lenin said, is the moribund capitalism which digs its own graveyard in course of time. Capitalism often changes its shape, color and mode in order to exploit the world and sustain its domination.

Marxists, too, believe in democracy and which, they say, is a road to socialism. Marxist or socialists have their own perspectives on democracy, development, human rights and freedom. In socialism, real freedom of the people is freedom from external occupation, freedom from want implying that every individual must be guaranteed with basic needs for survival, growth and development. Right to life, right to education, right to employment and right to decent housing are some of the cardinal features of socialism. These rights alone enable individuals to enjoy other rights including right to participate in political process and exercise their freedom without hindrances. In capitalist system of production, individuals are treated like commodity whereas socialist production treats every one as a part of the production system in which they are to contribute according to their skill and ability and are paid to ensure that at least their basic needs are met.

These are the fundamental differences that capitalism and socialism believe when it comes to the basic concept of democracy, development and freedom. Capitalism as we know is moribund system, the beginning of which is already seen in some countries of Europe. Its ripples are also visible in other parts of the world including in our own neighborhood. The present global crisis is seeking an alternative, more human and better economic system that can address the problems facing the world and ensure better hope and better future for people mostly poor, exploited and oppressed ones. This can be ensured only in socialist system. The world is, thus, heading towards socialist change. Capitalism has definitely no future and the world belongs to socialism.

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