Ultra-imperialism

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Ultra-imperialism is a term of the Marxist theoretical discussion that has become apocryphal at an early stage . It describes a - hypothetically thought - peaceful phase of capitalism that follows imperialism . This idea assumes therefore that imperialism could be overcome with his warmongering contradictions -. And that inherent in the system within capitalism itself Related concepts like super-imperialism , hyper-imperialism or post imperialism are sometimes used interchangeably, but not, or not always mean the same thing. The term collective-imperialism corresponds most closely to the content of the term ultra-imperialism .

In addition to the renunciation of force between the developed capitalist powers and successful cooperation between the developed capitalist powers and their successful cooperation in international organizations, an increase in free trade and increasing capital entanglements with simultaneously increasing capital concentration are constitutive and typical of ultra-imperialism . With this, ultra-imperialism as a capitalist formation differed essentially from that of imperialism , which is characterized by tendencies of protectionism - namely a reservation of the national economic area as extensive as possible by enlarging it while shielding it from the outside world. What both phases have in common is their monopoly capitalist character, i.e. the structural dominance of large and giant companies.

Origin of the term

The thesis of an ultra-imperialism is regularly attributed to Karl Kautsky , the chief theoretician of the SPD at the time of the German Empire and chief Marxist of the Second Socialist International . In fact, Kautsky coined this term and first introduced it into the discussion in 1914. However, he was referring to a situation that he had speculated about several times since 1912. He had postulated that in global politics a "stage [is getting closer] in which the competition between states is eliminated by their cartel relationship." Kautsky's ultra-imperialism was thus through state cartels, i. H. political cartel structures .

However, this basic idea of ​​a possible pacification of imperialism did not come from Kautsky himself: Years earlier - in 1902 - the British social liberal John Hobson had written in a comparable context about a possible inter-imperialism , which was also created by a cartel alliance of the great powers ("combination" = Cartel or capital merger).

And even before Kautsky - namely in 1907 in his brochure “Militarism and Antimilitarism” - Karl Liebknecht expressed the view that a “trusting of colonial possessions at all among the colonial states, so to speak ... an elimination of colonial competition between the states [could occur ...], as it has to a certain extent occurred for the private competition between capitalist entrepreneurs in the cartels and trusts. "

Contemporary criticism of the thesis of an ultra-imperialism

The most well-founded criticism of the concept of ultra-imperialism (even if it is distorted by political motives) comes from VI Lenin . In his work " Imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism " in 1916, he tried to refute Kautsky by introducing knowledge of the contemporary cartel theory of companies, in particular the instability and crisis proneness of company cartels as well as the impossibility of permanent regulation or dampening of competition by them. He demonstrated that - if state cartels functioned just like company cartels - wars and power struggles were still necessary and inevitable and the formation of a cartel between imperialist powers would at best represent a “breathing space between wars” and other armed conflicts among them.

Lenin's confrontation with the concepts of imperialism of the SPD and the Second International has gone down in the history of Marxist theory as the Lenin-Kautsky debate.

Newer positions on the thesis of an ultra-imperialism

After World War II, relations between the capitalist powers actually shifted towards Kautsky's vision of ultra-imperialism: they became internally more peaceful, politically cooperative, and economically more liberal. In the form of international organizations such as NATO , the European Union , the OECD and others - cartel-like (?) - alliances arose between the western industrialized countries.

These phenomena have repeatedly led to discussions among Marxists about a change in the character of capitalism or led by imperialism. The thesis of an ultra-imperialism remained controversial. A majority of Marxists shied away from abandoning the tried and tested basis of imperialism theory in favor of a vague, unexecuted theory of ultra-imperialism. Nevertheless, this concept has a handful of advocates, for example in the Anglo-American region Martin Thomas or in the German-speaking Hartmut Elsenhans . However, no noteworthy theories were developed.

The state cartel theory - a more recent approach within the doctrine of international relations - uses the basic perspective of the ultra-imperialism concept, but is not itself a Marxist theory.

literature

  • Hartmut Elsenhans: The international system since September 2001: Ultrastability - Ultraimperialism - Capability for peace without development? . In: Asia-Africa-Latin America . 30 (2002), H. 2, pp. 193-218.
  • Karl Kautsky: Imperialism . In: The New Time . 32 (1914), Vol. 2, pp. 908-922.
  • Karl Kautsky: Ultra-imperialism . In: International socialist review . 1914 November issue. Download from: Marxist's Internet Archive, http://www.marxists.org/archive/kautsky/1914/09/ultra-imp.htm .
  • VI Lenin: Imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism (1916). In: Lenin Works . Volume 22, Berlin 1972.
  • Holm A. Leonhardt: Cartel theory and international relations. Theory-historical studies , Hildesheim 2013, Chapter V. (= "Ultra-imperialism and state cartels", pp. 408–477).
  • Martin Thomas: Introduction to Kautsky's "Ultra-imperialism" . Workers Liberty.
  • John A. Willoughby: The Lenin-Kautsky Unity-Rivaly Debate . In: Review of Radical Political Economics . Volume 11, 1979, No. 4, pp. 91-101.