Historical Structualism

Question 1

Focus of h.s?

Answer 1

Classes

Exploiting non-producer class
Vs. 
Exploited producers class

Classes are only absent in primitive-communal community’s and communism

Question 2

Role of the state in h.s.?

Answer 2

Agent for bourgeoisere class

Question 3

Economic relations in h.s?

Answer 3

Zero-sum and conflictual

Question 4

Imperialism

Answer 4

Lenin: reason why capitalism won’t break together

Colonies supplied “metropol” with cheap agri- cultural and raw material, also outlet and market for “metropol” surplus.

Question 5

Neocolonialism?

Answer 5

Imperial powers lost direct political control over south, but continues to control them economically

Question 6

Dependency theory?

Answer 6

Hierachial ordered world.
Core dominating periphery.

Only core states can make autonomous choices about politics.

Development of the third world is possible but just with close association between elites of the core.

Question 7

Goal of dependency theorists

Answer 7

The underprivileged should break linkage with capitalist states/ overthrow capitalism

Question 8

Politics and economics in h.s?

Answer 8

Politics are just the surplus of production modes.

Question 9

Instrumental Marxism?

Answer 9

Formal government institutions react in a passive way to socio-economic pressures.
Who is able to make pressure: capitalist class

Point out: linkage between the workers of the state and in buisness

Question 10

Structural Marxism?

Answer 10

Reaction of welfare changes after ww2

State is relatively autonomous from capitalist class. Is able of policys that benefits working class. This gains support for capitalism

State knows better what capitalism needs to thrive than private owners

Question 11

Marx and IPÖ

Answer 11

Europe:
Feudalism (private property of landholdings) —> capitalism

India & China:
“Asiatic” production. Importance of centralized irrigation. Strong central government : provides water for bad times.

Oriental society’s on local level:
Small self-sufficient villages. Communal property over individual ownership.

There is not much space for private ownership, thus capitalism. —> imperialistic pressure leads to capitalism and later socialism.

Criticism for British imperialism, still necessary to move foreward global socialism

Question 12

John A. Hobson

Answer 12

Non-Marxist economic theoriest with influential imperialism theory.

3 major problems of capitalist economy:

• low wages and underconsumption
• oversaving capitalist
• overproduction

Limited purchase power by core worker —> imperialism

Question 13

Lenin and imperialism

Answer 13

Highest stage of capitalism

Can only disappear when replaced with global socialism

Imperialism is the reason why revolution is missing. —-> capitalists delay crisis es in home country and bribe domestic working class with some fruits of colonialism

Once the earth is separated between different imperialists, wars acure and so the downfall of capitalism.

Ambivalent: exploitation and modernization

Modernization will give power to underdeveloped to compete in prices with core.

Question 14

Otto Kuusinen

Answer 14

Finnish member of communist international

1928: imperialism is regressive not progressive

After independence of Latin country’s from Spain and Portugal, still they stayed dependende
——> dependency’s theory

Question 15

Origins of Dependency theory

Answer 15

1960s Latin American Marxist therorist, criticizes modernization theory and inevitable socialism.

Focus on north-south conflict. Don’t believe that north brought capitalism as a gift.

Baran:

• major difference between capitalism in north and south, no modernization but living as “source country” for south.
• capitalists from the west make aliances with elite of south to keep them down

Question 16

Raul prebisch?

Answer 16

Latin American Strukturalist

Peek in the late 40s

Focus on structural obstecals, to third world development

Third world is disadvantaged: raw materials, and developed world can develop substitutes

Third world needs to industrialize and decrease dependency’s from north.

• Import substituting industrialization
• domestic production over exports

Desillusion in the 60s : uncompetitive industry and growing balance-of-payments

Question 17

Dependency theory on:

Source of third world problems

Answer 17

Structural factors related to global
Capitalist economy

Development is constrained by core.

Compradores: Elite of periphery which acts as linkage between core and periphery. Reinforce pattern of decency

Question 18

LDC possibility’s of development

Answer 18

Early dependency’s :
Deterministic, cannot escape as long as they maintain linkage to core

But what about China, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, Mexico…? They newly industrialized and have massive growth rates

Dependent development theory

2 main goals: autonomy and socialism

Question 19

Dependent development

Answer 19

Development of the LDC when:
Alliance between foreign capital, domestic capital and third world state.
—-> some profit for 3. World country —> industrialization

More heterodox picture of LDCs Situation BUT

Still everyone is dependent : workers get low wages

Question 20

Kritik an dependency theory

Answer 20

Dichotom vague categories

Is only capitalism imperialistic? (Soviet dependency linkage)

To focused on external factors for dependency

Incorrect prospects (China )

Marxist: to nationalistic

Question 21

World-system-theory

Answer 21

Similar to dependency theory

More historic and flexible

Came up with semi-periphery

Wallerstein:
World-system: Single division of Labour and multiple cultural Systems
1) world empires: economic&political system
2) world economies: economic system

Today capitalist world economy

That’s why UDSSR broke apart, they lived in a capitalistic world system

Question 22

Gramscian Analysis

Answer 22

Bigger Focus on non-economic factors to exploitation.

Hegemonial power: power of the ruling class in values/ideology and stuff. The bourgeoise provides with concessions to stabilize moral support.

—>historic bloc: hegemonial and political power
Need of counterhegemony to challenge old historic bloc

Neoliberal Transnational historic bloc: threatening interventionist historical bloc

Question 23

Business conflict model?

Answer 23

Historical structuralism and liberalism

Business groups as most influential social group,affecting policymaking
—> divisions lead to conflicts
State is not autonomous
There is division between capitalists
(F.e. Nationalist firms and international firms)

International firms: support from USA
National firms: rather do local/regional personal relationships

Labour intense buisness: prefere disciplined third world and military action
Not Labour intense: more skeptical on military action

Question 24

Realism and north-south relations?

Answer 24

Realists tend to focus only on the most powerful states.

List: protectionism strategy only good for north „specially fitted by nature“ for industrialization

• 70s interest in OPEC (bargaining power oil crisis)
• 80s/90s east Asia (challenge to power position of west)

LCDs are weak because they are weak

Question 25

3 Strategy’s for LDCs (from realists)

Answer 25

1) collective action (larger in number) (OPEC, 77)
2) State should take responsibility for actively promoting development and industrialization
3) influence international regimes to change rules for their profit (prefer 1 nation=1 vote institutions) {no IMF, no World Bank}

Question 26

Critique of the realist perspective?

Answer 26

Under emphasize economics, in favor of state power and politics

No sustained interest in nort-south relations

State as unity?

Overly underestimating and unable to talk sense full about international organizations
—> relative gain always over absolute gain