What Is a Capitalism Crisis?

The theory of "general crisis of capitalism" is the embodiment and important part of the theory of the times. The so-called "general crisis" means that the crisis of capitalism not only sweeps the economic realm of capitalism, but also sweeps "all aspects of capitalist relations such as the state system, social structure, politics, and ideology." The CPSU believes that the change in world power is in favor of socialism, which is the main reason for the general crisis of capitalism. The general crisis of capitalism is divided into three phases: the first phase is marked by the victory of the First World War and the October Revolution. The second phase was marked by the emergence of a series of socialist countries in World War II and Europe and Asia. In the late 1950s, the disintegration of the capitalist colonial system and the sharpening of internal contradictions in the capitalist countries marked that the general crisis of capitalism had entered the third stage.

General crisis of capitalism

The theory of "general crisis of capitalism" is the embodiment and important part of the theory of the times. The so-called "general crisis" means that the crisis of capitalism not only sweeps the economic realm of capitalism, but also sweeps "all aspects of capitalist relations such as the state system, social structure, politics, and ideology." The CPSU believes that the change in world power is in favor of socialism, which is the main reason for the general crisis of capitalism. The general crisis of capitalism is divided into three phases: the first phase is marked by the victory of the First World War and the October Revolution. The second phase was marked by the emergence of a series of socialist countries in World War II and Europe and Asia. In the late 1950s, the disintegration of the capitalist colonial system and the sharpening of internal contradictions in the capitalist countries marked that the general crisis of capitalism had entered the third stage.

The concept of "general crisis of capitalism" was first proposed by Stalin in 1927. This theory was associated with revolution and war from the beginning. . The "Political Economics Textbook" written under the guidance of Stalin gave the definition of "general crisis of capitalism": "The general crisis of capitalism is a comprehensive crisis of the entire world capitalist system, which is characterized by war and revolution and is dying The struggle between capitalism and growing socialism. The general crisis of capitalism includes all aspects of capitalism, including both economy and politics. The basis of this crisis is, on the one hand, the disintegration of the capitalist world economic system, On the other hand, the economic strength of countries that have left capitalism is growing. " ^[1]

As early as the middle of the 19th century, when communism was a "ghost" in Europe, it caused the "sacred encirclement" of "all reactionary forces" in Europe. The reason is clear at a glance, because the historical mission of communism is to overthrow the rule of the bourgeoisie and the entire capitalist system. As stated in the Communist Manifesto, "the overthrow of bourgeois rule and the seizure of power by the proletariat". In the hands of the proletariat of the ruling class. "

The October Socialist Revolution in Russia overthrew the rule of the bourgeoisie, established the Soviet power of the proletariat, and deprived the property of the exploiting classes with the power of the dictatorship, eliminating the capitalists, landowners, and rich peasants. The October Revolution was the first successful practice of Marxist doctrine of socialism and communism. After gaining power, the Russian Communists tried to burn the revolutionary fire in Russia to the entire capitalist world. In March 1919, the Communist International was established, and adopted the "Proclamation against the International Proletariat", calling on the proletariat of other countries to "strive for the dictatorship of the proletariat in each country and resolutely fight for Soviet victory in each country." Since then, Soviet Russia has become the base of the world revolution, and Moscow has become the headquarters of the world revolution. The victory of the October Revolution caused panic and hatred throughout the capitalist world. The latter had conducted armed interference in Soviet Russia for up to three years in an attempt to stifle the new Soviet regime in the cradle.

Soviet socialism was built under the siege of the capitalist world. The Soviet Union and the capitalist world are "natural enemies" of each other, and both sides regard eliminating and replacing each other as their historical missions. This is the historical origin of the Soviet Union's confrontation with the capitalist world.

If it was said that before the Second World War, the Soviet Union was fighting the capitalist world for its own survival and development, then after the Second World War, it was based on its expanded political and military strength, and led by the United States. The world of capitalism is fiercely contesting in various fields such as politics, economy and military, and regionally and globally, and vying for superiority and hegemony.

The Soviet Union opposed the capitalist world led by the United States for nearly half a century, and ended with the defeat of the Soviet Union. ^[1]

For a country with a very strong ideology like the Soviet Union, in order to understand the intrinsic motivation of its confrontation with the capitalist world, we must first understand the theoretical foundations of the CPSU as the ruling party. The CPSU's theory on capitalism and the relationship between socialism and capitalism contains many contents and is a complete system. However, the core of this theoretical system is the theory of "time" and the theory of "general crisis of capitalism". For a long time, these two theories have had a decisive influence on Soviet foreign policy.

The theory of "time". The concept of "time" holds a special place in the political dictionary of the CPSU. It refers to the stage with certain characteristics in the development of human society. The CPSU believes that clarifying the characteristics of its time, that is, clarifying the contrast, mutual relations, and development laws and trends of the major political forces in the world, is the basis for the ruling party to formulate strategies and major policies.

According to the traditional theory of the Soviet Union, the October Revolution marked the development of the world into a new era. Lenin once summed up the content of the "era": "the elimination of capitalism and its traces, the realization of the principles of communism, constitute the content of a new era of world history that has now begun". Lenin's view of the time is based on his estimation of the development trend of capitalism and the situation of the world revolution. At the time, he was very optimistic about the situation of the world revolution. In 1918, he asserted that "the ever-increasing frequency of the flames and explosions of the revolutionary flames of Western Europe has led us to believe that the victory of the international workers' revolution is not far ahead." He also said that capitalism "now no matter how ferocious it struggled before its death Cruel, but it is bound to perish quickly. "In March 1919, he further stated at the Congress of the Comintern:" Not only in Eastern European countries, but also in Western European countries, not only in defeated countries, but also in defeating countries (such as In Britain, the movement to support the Soviet Union has spread widely. This movement is nothing more than a movement aimed at establishing proletarian democracy. This movement is the biggest step towards the complete victory of proletarian dictatorship and communism ... Victory is guaranteed. The establishment of the International Soviet Republic is not far off. "

Later, Stalin summarized the new "era" created by the October Revolution as "the era of imperialism and the proletarian revolution." By the time of Khrushchev and Brezhnev, the definition of the content of the times became more specific. "The present era is an era in which human beings have transitioned from capitalism to socialism. It is a struggle between two opposing social systems, the socialist revolution and the national liberation revolution, the collapse of imperialism, the abolition of the colonial system, and an increasing number of nations. On the era of socialism, socialism and communism have triumphed all over the world. At the center of this era is the international working class and its main achievement, the world socialist system. " It can be seen that although the theories of the Soviet leaders about the times, although the formulations are sometimes different, the substance remains the same. This is the era in which the era of socialism is victorious all over the world, and capitalism is in full swing. It is the era of world revolution.

The theory of "general crisis of capitalism" is the embodiment and important part of the theory of the times. The so-called "general crisis" means that the crisis of capitalism not only sweeps the economic realm of capitalism, but also sweeps "all aspects of capitalist relations such as the state system, social structure, politics, and ideology." The CPSU believes that the change in world power is in favor of socialism, which is the main reason for the general crisis of capitalism. The general crisis of capitalism is divided into three phases: the first phase is marked by the victory of the First World War and the October Revolution. The second phase was marked by the emergence of a series of socialist countries in World War II and Europe and Asia. In the late 1950s, the disintegration of the capitalist colonial system and the sharpening of internal contradictions in the capitalist countries marked that the general crisis of capitalism had entered the third stage.

The concept of "general crisis of capitalism" was first proposed by Stalin in 1927. This theory was associated with revolution and war from the beginning. After analyzing the crisis of capitalism that began in 1929, Stalin pointed out, "First, this means that the bourgeoisie will find a way out of the status quo from further fascism in domestic policy ... Second, that is, assets In terms of foreign policy, the class will find a way out of the new imperialist war. Finally, this means that when the proletariat opposes capitalist exploitation and stops the danger of war, it will find a way out of the revolution. " In the early 1950s, the "Political Economics Textbook" written under the guidance of Stalin gave the definition of "general crisis of capitalism": "The general crisis of capitalism is a comprehensive crisis of the entire world capitalist system, and its characteristics are And the revolution is the struggle between dying capitalism and growing socialism. The general crisis of capitalism includes all aspects of capitalism, including both economics and politics. The basis of this crisis is, on the one hand, the capitalist world economy The disintegration of the system is intensifying, on the other hand, the economic strength of the countries that have separated from capitalism is increasing. "

For decades, the CPSU has adhered to the theory of the total crisis of capitalism. Until 1986, the 27th Congress of the CPSU held after Gorbachev began reforms, the CPSU did not abandon this weapon. In the 1980s, capitalism has undergone major changes, the socialist disadvantages of the Soviet model have been clearly exposed, and the Soviet Union has become more and more disadvantaged in its competition with capitalism. However, the CPSU still maintains that the general crisis of capitalism is deepening and is linked to the revolution that overthrew the capitalist system. "The general crisis of capitalism refers to the use of revolutionary means to destroy the capitalist social system, the world capitalist system is falling apart from the inside, more and more links have been separated from the capitalist system, and the struggle between socialism and capitalism in the world It can be seen that the generations of leaders of the CPSU are consistent and consistent in the major theoretical issue of the "general crisis of capitalism." ^[1]

From the above introduction, we can draw the following conclusions: First, the CPSU's theory of the "era" and the theory of the "general crisis of capitalism" have been consistent for decades, and basically have not changed much; Second, the theory of the "Society" of the CPSU and the "general crisis of capitalism" is a theory that promotes world revolution, a theory that confronts the capitalist world and eventually "buries" capitalism; third, if you say, from From the First World War to the end of the 1950s, the Soviet Union's theory of "eras" and "general crisis of capitalism" basically accorded with world reality. The "general crisis" theory has a dogmatic tendency.