...Michael Hargrove Soc 4010/5010 Instructor Montez de Oca 10/19/12 Beyond Capitalism America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy, by Gar Alperovitz claim’s that our political/economic system can no longer sustain equality liberty, and democracy to the American working class. Alperovitz argues that a radical change to our political-economic system is needed. He also believes that it is at the lower or grassroots level that this change has to take place, but that it is going to take some time and a lot of commitment on their part. An analysis of Alperovitz’s book America Beyond Capitalism provides a unique but radical perspective on overhauling our political/economical system. However, his perspective depends on the American working class people to create a new political/economic system in order to restore equality, liberty, and democracy. This idea is plausible, but reducing the federal government down to the city and state level is highly unlikely. Alperovitz claims that our political/economic system can no longer sustain our equality, liberty, and democracy for working class Americans. Alperovitz’s first argument is on equality. His concern is that globalization, changing technologies, and sectoral balances are creating a widening gap of inequality. The decline of labor unions has enabled the corporations to lead a number of campaigns that have challenged redistribution programs. Globalization has increased the influence of large...
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...a majority of human history the strongest nations were comprised into a group known as the West. The west is home to the ideologies of democracy, capitalism, and consumerism. The idea of democracy has been forced upon many nations in the world by the Western states. Democracy however has been shown to be a very easily manipulated system. Capitalism has shown the need for expansion and exploitation over Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The west has always been in contention with other nations, along with contending with each other. Competition between western nations has led to a technological race and an arms race, which is now more apparent than ever in the United States. With military might came the need to take over other nations and thus the ideas of imperialism, and nation aristocracy. Africa, Latin America, and Asia has suffered and continues to suffer a great deal because of the triumph of the west through exploitation, expansion, and wealth, all major goals of capitalism and imperialism. The West has retarded the development in all facets for many countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia and thus led to the suffering of the world. One of the oldest ideologies from the west to the world is democracy. Democracy comes from the Greek words “demo” meaning people and “kratia” meaning rule, therefore rule of the people. Democracy is an egalitarian system of governance where all citizens together decide public policy, laws, the actions of the state, and public representatives...
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...role of corporation in society and its ethical influence on social responsibility. There have been arguments that capitalism and corporations are responsible for economic ills of the society. It is therefore necessary to understand the role of corporation and ethical influence if any. In other to address the problem stated above it is necessary to define what capitalism and corporation are, and give background insight through meaningful literature reviews. According to dictionary.com capitalism is an economic system in which investments, ownership and means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is driven and maintained mainly by private individuals or corporations, in contrast to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth. A corporation on the other hand is a business organization created by its owners known as stockholders under authority of the law to exist continuously independent of its members; powers and liabilities (limited liability) separated from those of its members.(American Heritage Dictionary). The answer to the problem stated above may be embedded in the "not a cold mete or fallen from the sky" statement of Dr. Novak (Jennings, 2012, p.108). Role of Corporation In Society The problem to be investigated is the role of corporation in society and its ethical influence on social responsibility. There have been arguments that capitalism and corporations are responsible for economic ills of the society It is therefore necessary to understand the role...
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...United States. After the Civil War, the American standard of living grew and new industrial life came about. This meant that landowning and farming life lessened and more people began to work in factories. Work became more impersonal and Americans had no way to get out of the wage system. This unfamiliar system that developed became known as capitalism. Socially, capitalism focuses on the rights of individuals and rather than shadowing a specific structure within a society, people are expected to look out for themselves: self-interest. People are required to work for money; therefore, there is a large distinction between the rich and the poor. Economically, capitalism can be defined as “laissez faire” or free trade and focuses on the big companies owned by individuals and includes private sectors operating in a market. Politically, capitalism means no government intervention and denotes everyman for himself. A democracy is defined as a public sector and is a form of government in which people make choices. The idea of democracy associates with the principle of equality within a society and is an objective America attempts to maintain. During this progressive era of difficulty, America’s “democracy,” was not exercising its egalitarian ideals to its fullest capabilities, which was a direct result of the unfamiliar capitalist economic system. The Progressive Party attempted to diminish the powerful capitalistic system by supporting democracy; they favored change, preferred government...
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...Globalization will create a one world economy, where big global corporations make a fortune exploiting slave labor on the other side of the world. With the treat of these global corporations taking control of the world economy because of fair trade policies, Naomi Klein’s argument about disaster capitalism that is discussed in her book The Shock Doctrine, can be directly related. Globalization helps develop third world countries in response to the outsourcing of jobs that multinational corporations carry out. As more capital is poured in to developing countries, those countries will acquire economic stability and increase their standard of living. In return the economy that those individuals belong to will also begin to grow. As stated in Forbes Magazine, “Per-person income in China has climbed from $16 a year in 1978 to $2,000 now. Wages in factory boomtowns in southern China can run $4 a day--scandalously low in the eyes of the protesters, yet up from pennies a day a generation ago and far ahead of increases in living costs” (Robyn Meredith and Suzanne Hoppough). China’s economy is growing as a result of Globalization; however, The United States’ economy is nonetheless shrinking. As American companies continue to...
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...inter-war period by idealists who believed warfare was an outdated way of settling events. Heywood- the central theme of liberalism in all its forms is harmony Peace is normal Faith in HN Democracy is necessary Outline what Neo-Liberalism believes in1) peace and security2) Economy – capitalism, no government intervention, invisible hand, free trade, absolute advantages, relative advantages. David ricardo. 3) Democracy Democracy and the USA ( link USA with liberalism) Ability of USA to steer world order is diminishing All about state capitalism: Rising powers are wanting a greater share of the spoils → challenging liberalism and thus USA → russia and china veto UN involvement in Syria Newly powerful states are starting to advance their own agendas for the world order: weaker US will find it harder to defend liberalism Todays rising states are large non-western developing countries. Brazil/China/India HOWEVER: Most people believe India/Brazil likely to support liberalism e.g. India has a commitment to interdependence. India is a joiner – it wants to be included e.g.recently pushed for a permanent seat on the UN security council Economy The recession has bolstered this narrative. The economic crisis started US- tarnished American model of liberal capitalism The more the West becomes involved in the organisation of developing states the less those states are accountable to their domestic constituencies – cuts link between people and govt which is key to...
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...Socialism Although there were many major expressions that came out of the creation of Process Philosophy, Socialism, and the work of Marx and Lenin, sticks out the most in the mind of most Americans that think...
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...Imperial America EDGE Fall Quarter 2003 Tim Chueh Ambert Ho 12/5/03 What Is Imperialism? “Imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism…characterized by monopoly corporations and the compulsion to export capital abroad for higher profits. Unlike capitalism in the earlier stages, in the imperialist stage, capitalism has no more progress to bring the world…the cause of contemporary militarism” – Lenin “The policy, practice, or advocacy of seeking, or acquiescing in, the extension of the control, dominion, or empire of a nation, as by the acquirement of new, esp. distant, territory or dependencies, or by the closer union of parts more or less independent of each other for operations of war, copyright, internal commerce, etc.” – Oxford dictionary The word imperialism derives from “empire.” As such, it is useful to spend a bit of time to define the word. In working towards a minimal definition, Stanford Professor of Archaeology J. Manning in his first lecture on Ancient Empires starts with: “An empire is a territorially extensive hierarchically political organization.” Unfortunately this definition is too vague. All states encountered in human history are by definition hierarchical, and many nations today are vast compared to the...
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...America Transformed In the 19th century Americas Social structure and Economy underwent many drastic changes. Many of these changes were a direct result of industrialization. As technology developed and the people moved farther and farther west, new and lucrative opportunities presented themselves. Most of the technology was created for the purpose of better productivity in agriculture and manufacturing. These technological advancements had major effects on the nation’s economies. As the populations grew the need for expansion grew as well. With the rise of nationalism, so came the growth of democracy. Following the American Revolution, the concept of nationalism was beginning to take hold on the people. At the beginning of the 19th century Americans had much to be proud of. They had just won their independence from Britain and created the Constitution. With many of the new technological advancements of the 19th century the people began finding more efficient ways of manufacturing and distributing goods. The assembly line contributed to the development of a new working class (Brinkly, 2007). The Cotton Gin revolutionized the cotton economy in the south and contributed to the industrialization of the north by means of the textile industry. Steamboats stimulated the agriculture economy by making shipping more efficient and in turn lowering the cost of goods. Between 1800 and 1820 the plantation system was booming in the south with the growing demand of cotton...
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...Capitalism is one of the most distinguishing feature of American society, and its success sets our country apart from others in many ways. Economic market exchanges promote freedom and individual power. Yet, in some ways, capitalism may undermine democracy and increase inequality both within the United States and across the globe. The role of capitalism is to increase economic activity, and the role of democracy is to enable citizens to collectively decide how this economic wealth generated should be divided and to decide what rules apply to public and private goods. This sounds ideal, but capitalism can widen inequalities of income and wealth, created a heightened sense of job insecurity, and create environmental hazards. Ownership of wealth gives you the upper hand; once you have it, it will only get easier for you to attain more. Children who are born into families with immense amounts of wealth are guaranteed money and a greater quality of life, therefore setting them up for more success than those children of underprivileged children. This generates inequality from the very beginning of life. Under the concept of concentration of power lies the market dynamic. Winners in economic...
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...impact of Monsanto, a feminist lens of intersectionality is needed to see how the genetically modified seeds created by Monsanto lead to their domination of the nature and humans. According to Kimberle Crenshaw, “...any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner” (58). Crenshaw argues that an experience is greater than a sum of two factors, and instead that the experience is unique due to these factors. In the case of Monsanto, I will analyze the unique effects this corporation has created in their quest to maximize their profits. Capitalism drives our patriarchal society to do what those in charge deem necessary to gain profit. Gloria Anzaldua states, “White America has only attended to the body of the earth in order to exploit it, never to succor it or to be nurtured in it” (90). She shows that the White Americans who are at the head of the patriarchy exploit the land for their own gains to create profit for...
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...Introduction In this era when individuals are questioning the legitimacy and wisdom of unregulated free markets, issues are raised about the most efficient form of economic activity and the best role for government in an economy. These issues have been discussed at many points in the past, and different societies have come to different conclusions regarding political and economic systems. In the United States, and many developed nations around the world, the view has often been that democracy accompanied by capitalism, offers the best, most efficient use of resources and governments guided by those principles assure the best outcomes for their populations. Other countries have adopted very different governing principles. Communist doctrine, as adopted by some nations, endorses the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership of the means of production and property (Communism: The failure of an utopian system, 2008). The civilization is governed by an individual, or individuals, whose function is to ensure the efficiency of the society as a whole. As an ideal, the communist doctrine defines a just city as one that eliminates the need for its citizens to wish to exploit each other. History appears to indicate that in practice, however, the communist vision cannot be fulfilled since “absolute power (which is given to the leader) corrupts absolutely” (Martin, 2009). Human nature does not appear to manage total supremacy well. 49 When...
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...was always striving to be the more superior country. The two countries did not trust one another based on their different views of the world, capitalism versus communism. The United States pushed for capitalism and democracy through out the world, while the Soviet Union felt that communism was better politics because it would enhance their economy and up their status. This relationship gave birth to their clash known as The Cold War, in which the USSR tried to spread their ideas about government and socialist economy, while The United States tried to contain it. In 1946, G.F. Kennan, and American Diplomat stationed in Moscow, wrote the Long Telegram that gave an outline on his views about the Soviet Union. Shortly before it was scribed and sent to Washington, the U.S. Treasury questioned the U.S. Embassy in Moscow about why the Soviet’s were not in support of the new World Bank. This is what prompted Kennan to write the telegram. In it he tells that the Soviet Union does not seek “peaceful coexistence” between communism and capitalism, that according to them capitalism was untrustworthy and could not influence the USSR. He also wrote of their other views, and how they desired to go about their expansion of communism, but the overall theme was that according to the Soviet Union communism was the answer and must be spread and capitalism must fall. In the last section of the telegram, Kennan tells of the Soviet’s weakness to force and also made a proposal for U.S. strategy. This...
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...WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION? Four Possible Answers Simon Reich Working Paper #261 – December 1998 Simon Reich holds appointments as a Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. In fall 1997 he was a Visiting Fellow at the Kellogg Institute. His publications include The Fruits of Fascism: Postwar Prosperity in Historical Perspective and The German Predicament: Memory and Power in the New Europe (with Andrei S. Markovits) both published by Cornell University Press. His most recent coauthored book is The Myth of the Global Corporation (Princeton University Press, 1998). Reich has also published many book chapters and articles in journals such as International Organization, International Interactions, The Review of International Political Economy, and German Politics and Society. He has received fellowships from the Sloan Foundation and the Kellogg Institute and was awarded an International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations. His current work is on the issue of the definitions and central propositions of globalization. This paper was written during my stay at the Kellogg Institute. I wish to express my appreciation to the fellows and staff of the Institute for all their help on this project, notably to Scott Mainwaring who is now director of the Institute. Introduction The end of the Cold War provided a major shock for scholars of politics and policy in at...
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...Dustin Jones There were many social theorists from the period of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This period of time is regarded as the period of the Enlightenment. A few of the major figures of this particular “movement” were Rene Descartes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant. They altered the way in which the social world was viewed and helped pave the way for other classical social theorists to explain the individual’s role in society. Karl Marx, Alexis de Tocqueville, Henri De Saint-Simon, and Emile Durkheim are only the names of a few classical social theorists who set out to explore the role of an individual within society. These men believed that Reason, along with the application of a scientific approach, would be able to positively change the world and break through to a new form of power and authority. Although the ideas and theories of these men give rise to far greater advancement in sociological theory, there is a failure in intuition, and thus, a failure of the classical sociological element. The first section of this paper includes an explanation of classical sociology along with an overview of the theories associated with some of the greatest sociologists of this time. The next section of this paper explores reasons and explanations for the failure of classical social theory and interpretations to why before-mentioned theories were compromised. The final section of this paper summarizes some of the conclusions drawn about the...
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