IT WAS MARX himself, in The Class Struggles in France, who explained breaks up. The crisis of any social system has its origins at its centre - where it is strongest. But collapse inevitably first begins at the 'edges' - where a social system is weakest.
Marx took as his own example Briadvanced capitalist country world. Marx compared Britain to states such as France, Germany, and Russia.
Marx wrote, 'although the crises produce revolutions on the Continent first, they nevertheless have their roots in England. These violent convulsions tremities of the bourgeois organism Talen alLs ncarl. possibility of restoring the balance greater.
In Marx's own lifetime the centre of the economic development capitalism in Britain. revolutions which actually broke out were in 1848 in Germany, France, and Austria, and in Paris in 1871. By the end of Marx's life huge class struggles were beginning to take place in Russia - upheavels which finally culminated in the revolutions of 1905 and 1917.
This analysis of Marx was not a chance observation either. It mirrored the break up of all previous social SOLCHIS, Power The slave mode of rouna is greatest expression in the Roman Empire. Slavery's economic core was in the Mediterranean world -Greece and what is now the 'Middle East'. It was in these regions that the slave system's economic contradictions were most acute.
But the actual destruction of the slave mode of production, and of the Roman Empire, was not carried out by the Mediterranean.
TOTEC achieved by forces on periphery — in the forests of Germany.
The strength of the slave owning ruling class was tor a long ume sullicient to maintain its power in heartlands of the Mediterranean world. But the economic decline of the slave system led to its overthrow in those border areas where it was in any case weaker.
The entire slave system Roman Empire then collapsed under the combined impact of economic decline and external assault.
Feudalism, the social system of the Middle Ages. was similarv not overGermany, social system contained feudalism Was feudal regions.
cessful overthrow of capitalism, powerful capitalist countries But overthrown first in the among the imperialist powers the Russia. where the and after the with ine rirst.
But the capitalist states.
Hitler.
War Il the entire system was then thrown into crisis. But once capitalism did not states.
production North Vietnam the most It was slavery's of the internal Socialist Action 13 January 1984 thrown first in its core areas of France, Italy and Spain. Here the challenge to feudal rule was initially defeated. first over town Holland and England - states which had been on the periphery of the great The destruction of the capitalist system also did not start in its strongest centres - in the most advanced imperialist states. The First World War, the event which triggered the first sucwas created by conflicts between the most - which at that time were Germany, Britain and capitalism was actually "weakest link' states.
The same process occured during Second World War as ine events which trig gered the Second World War were due to a crisis within the most advanced The economic collapse of 1929 in the United States led to an even greater economic catastrophe in Germany and the rise to power of the fascist regime of With the outbreak of World capitalist system again the overthrow of take place in the most central and powerful imperialist Capitalism survived the Second World War in Western Europe, Japan, and North America. But capitalism was in the weaker capitalist states of Eastern Europe and - after the war - in China, North Korea, and Following the Second World War a prolonged economic boom started in advanced capitalist IF GRENADA FALLS AND IF ELOALIADOR FALLS THEN NEWFOUNDLAND FALLS.
AND IF NEWFOUNDLAND FALLS THEN SWITZERLAND FALLS T AND IF SWITZERLAND FALLS THEN DISNEYLAND FALL,..
AND IF DISNEYLAND FALLS THEN CHAD FALLS... economies. But revolutionary explosions continued to break out in the semi-colonia countries In Cuba 1959, and Indochina in 1975, capitalist He was overowa Today a new economic crisis has begun in the most advanced capitalist states of North America, Japan and Western Europe. the revolutionary explosions have seen in the semi-colonial world.
The process started in 1979 in Central America and the Caribbean. Now major economic and political turmoil is spreading into other states in Laur America and into countries such as the Phillipines. Major instability has begun in Pakistan and a number of African The new capitalist crisis since 1975 is following its normal and inevitable pattern. The root of the crisis, its core, is in the economic contradictions of the advanced capitalist states. CULC of tions the United and Western Europe. But the actual revolutionary outbursts and crises are biggest developing most rapidly and furthest in been Central America and the 'third world'.
The process is lawful and logical. Faced with a general capitalist crisis the revolutionary explosions, words. first break out. tremities of the rather than al its neart, possibility of restoring the balance is gi caler.
Capitalism breaks weakest links. economic contradicStates, Japan in Marx's at the exbourgeois organism where lit first at Its