Lecture 8 - Marxism PDF

Lecture 8 MARXISM Dr. Nicolas Blarel Discover theDiscover world at the Leiden world University at Leiden University...

Lecture 8 MARXISM Dr. Nicolas Blarel Discover theDiscover world at the Leiden world University at Leiden University 1  Theories Realism Liberalism Constructivism 1. Statism 1. Domestic institutions 1. IR are socially Core assumptions 2. Survival 2. Interdependence constructed 3. Self-help 3. International 2. Ideas matter organization & rules 3. Co-constitution View of the state Insecure; selfish; power- or Depends on political Artifact, socially security-seeking institutions/regime constructed View of the Anarchy, more or less stable Anarchy but progress Artifact, socially international system order possible towards liberal constructed Distribution of power international order Distribution of ideas Distribution of preferences Divisions/sub-schools 1. Classical realists 1. Idealists 1. Explanatory 2. Neorealists (def vs. off) 2. Neoliberals/Liberal constructivists 3. Neoclassical realists institutionalists 2. Critical constructivists 3. Liberal internationalists Arguments/theories 1. Balance of power 1. Democratic peace theory 1. Normative change 2. Security dilemma 2. Securitization Thucydides, Machiavelli, Grotius, Adam Smith, Kant, Wendt, Nye, Finnemore and Major theorists Hobbes, Morgenthau, Wilson, Keohane, Ikenberry Sikkink, Tannenwald Waltz, Mearsheimer, Herz Discover the world at Leiden University 2  COVID vaccines: Millions vulnerable & widening global inequality Developed countries were far more likely to vaccinate their citizens (& to hoard stocks) Unequal distribution of vaccines deepened inequality and exaggerated the gap between rich and poor and reverse decades of hard-won progress on human development Also internal vaccine inequities Vaccine equity was test for global governance, but also political economy of the future Political interests, business interests, and public health interlinked: competition rather than cooperation Discover the world at Leiden University 3  Guiding questions 1. Who gets what? Ø Is everything about the economy and class inequality? 1. Is Marxism a type of political activism or an IR theory? Ø "The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it" 3. Is Marxism useful to understand the IR of today? Discover the world at Leiden University 4  Marxism 1. Intellectual sources 2. Key assumptions 3. Approaches within Marxism 4. Relevance today? 5. Limitations of the Marxist approaches Discover the world at Leiden University 5  1. Historical Origins (1) “On August 24 1857 the Ohio Life Insurance & Trust Company failed. Within months, more than 1,400 banks collapsed across America and the shockwave spread outwards to Liverpool & London. By the end of the year it had reached continental Europe, Latin America, South Africa, Australia and Asia… 1857 was the first worldwide crisis in the system of production, credit and exchange… In London, an obscure German exile diagnosed a new phenomenon: a global economic crisis as the feature of a global capitalist system. New factors at work: global interconnected system, market, uneven and combined development, inequalities… Emergence of an intellectual tradition which would inspire a political movement across the globe…” (Tooze 2018) Discover the world at Leiden University 6  1. Historical Origins (2) Marx, Engels & their writings: ’geopolitical deficiency’ Ø But a response to commercial liberalism (Smith, Cobden) Early applications to IR: Ø theorizing imperialism (Hobson, Hilferding, Lenin) Additional insights: Gramsci, Critical Theory Marxism & international political economy (IPE), historical sociology Ø Dependency theory, World-systems theory, hegemony Cardoso, Wallerstein, Andre Gunder Frank, Samir Amin, Rosenberg… Discover the world at Leiden University 7  2. Core assumptions (1) Historical analysis is crucial Ø Esp. history of the production process Ø Changes explained as ‘reflection of the economic development of society’ Ø Specifically, relations between the means Historical of production, social relations & power Materialism Ø Base-Superstructure model: modes & relations of production shape political sphere Ø Primacy of economic forces to explain IR Discover the world at Leiden University 8  Core assumptions (2) Economic factors shape IR Ø State not the primary unit of analysis Ø Social classes are main actors Ø Actions driven by economic interests Ø State is only executing agent of the Social capitalist elites Classes Ø Society prone to conflict Ø Class struggle driving motor of IR Ø Economic processes ignore state borders Ø Transnational actors Discover the world at Leiden University 9  Core assumptions (3) How do these dynamics apply to IR? Ø Influence on the structure of the global system Ø Hierarchical international system Ø By-product of imperialism International Ø & expansion of economic system beyond Capitalist Europe Ø Global distribution of means of System production drives state behavior Ø Opportunities for some states, constraints for others Discover the world at Leiden University 10  3. From Imperialism to Dependency (1) Marxists first theorists of ‘globalization’ Ø Context: “the scramble for Africa” Ø ‘’We must find new lands from which we can easily obtain raw materials and at the same time exploit the cheap slave labour that is available in the colonies. The colonies would also provide a dumping ground for the surplus goods produced in our factories.’’ (Rhodes) Discover the world at Leiden University 11  3. From Imperialism to Dependency (2) Globalizing capitalism & Imperial power Ø Hobson (1902), due to 1.Overproduction 2.Underconsumption 3.Oversavings Ø Expansion as a solution Ø New markets, investments & wage competition Ø Development of finance capital Ø State intervenes to support bourgeoisie Discover the world at Leiden University 12  From Imperialism to Dependency (3) Processes of capitalist accumulation led to colonial expansion (Lenin 1917) International expansion of monopoly of industrial-financial capital “law of uneven development” Inter-imperialistic rivalry source of conflict (WW1) Discover the world at Leiden University 13  From Imperialism to Dependency (4) Latin American Dependency school Ø Development of Periphery depending on Core World systems theory (Wallerstein) Ø IR take place within world capitalist system (since long 16th century) Ø Transnational division of labor (relations and relations of production) Ø Location of states determines their relations and foreign policies Ø Exploitation of Periphery by Core Ø ’Semi-periphery’ category Discover the world at Leiden University 14  World system organization (late 20th century) Discover the world at Leiden University 15  Global hegemony Gramscianism Ø Builds on Marxian tradition Ø But failure of workers’ revolution in the West Ø Break with economic determinism Ø Greater emphasis on subjectivity, culture, ideology (constructivism?) A new theory of hegemony Ø More subtle form of political power Ø Resting upon consent, not just coercion Ø Hegemonic discourse of elites which serves diverse interests, coopts, and divides opponents Used by Cox to understand emergence of ‘World Order’ Ø Ruling hegemonic ideas (”Washington Consensus”, “Neoliberalism”) Discover the world at Leiden University 16  Not a bug, but a feature: system is rigged Sovereign states supposed to be the constituent units of the international system. IOs such as the Bretton Woods institutions—the IMF and the World Bank—& the UN exist, in part, to maintain stable political and economic relations between independent states. But belonging to these organizations invariably curbs the freedom of many member countries, especially weaker ones. international economic order rests on deep inequality and on the infringement of the sovereignty of the weak. Different kind of external interference in domestic affairs, one subtler than in 19th century Provision of funds above a certain sum had to be followed by increasingly tight conditions placed on domestic policy. Cross-country business interests ensure secure property rights, low taxation, and the independence of central banks (among other business-friendly measures) across borders. Discover the world at Leiden University 17  4. Is Marxism still relevant for IR today? US global activism explained Ø “Core” of the core in global structure Ø Push for a capitalist world order favorable to its interests (Gramscian interpretation of LIO) Ø Strategic ideologies of economic security (access to resources, freedom of navigation…) Relevance of transnational actors Ø Global business class Ø transnational defence-industrial class Ø Transnational civil society Inequalities keep growing: “pay attention to the losers” (Piketty, Milanovic…) Discover the world at Leiden University 18  5. Limitations of Marxism in IR Economic determinism? Ø Is the political sphere always shaped by economic forces? Ø Are classes the main actors in IR? Ø Reductionist view of the state? Marxism ignores important factors such as: Ø Politics and ideology Ø Nationalism (vs. transnationalism) Ø Resilience of the state as a major actor in IR Ø Military power Discover the world at Leiden University 19  Recap Historical origins Core assumptions Imperialism (Hobson, Lenin) Dependency theory, world system theory (Wallerstein) Gramsci and global hegemony Application of Marxism to contemporary cases Limitations of Marxist approaches Discover the world at Leiden University 20  Bibliography Cox, R. W. (1987). Production, Power, and World Order: Social Forces in the Making of History. New York: Columbia University Press. Gramsci. A. (2011 [1929-1935]). The Prison Notebooks. New York: Columbia University Press. Hobson. J. (1902). Imperialism: A Study. New York: James Pott & Company. Lenin. V.I. (1917). Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. Available at: https://sbc.org.pl/Content/123447/imperialism_the_highest_stage.pdf Marx. K. (1867). Das Kapital: Kritik der politischen Oekonomie. Buch 1: Der Produktionsprocess des Kapitals. Hamburg: Otto Meissner. Tooze. A. (2018). Why Karl Marx is More Relevant than Ever. Financial Times. May 4. Wallerstein. I. (1974). The Modern World-System I: Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins of the European World-Economy in the Sixteenth Century. New York: Academic Press. Discover the world at Leiden University 21