Richard Wolffe: The Role of Capitalism in the War in Ukraine

By Dilip -

To the motives for war in human history, capitalism added another: profit. That motive drove technological advancement and created a genuine world economy. It also built new capitalist empires such as the Spanish, Dutch, British, French, Belgian, Russian, German, Japanese, and American empires. Each of these countries built its empire by various means including wars against prior systems operating on their own territories, in their colonies, and in foreign “spheres of influence.” Wars likewise characterized interactions among empires. Global warfare (“world wars”) accompanied the globalization of capitalism and its profit motive. The war in Ukraine is the latest chapter in the history of capitalism, empire, and war.

Capitalism means enterprises run by small groups of people—employers—who preside over large groups—hired employees. Employers are driven to maximize profits: the excess of the value added by hired workers over the wages paid to them. Employers are likewise driven to sell outputs at the highest price the market will bear and buy inputs (including workers’ time) at the lowest possible market price. Competition among capitalist enterprises pressures all employers to plow profits as much as possible back into the business to help it grow and to gain market share as means to maximize profits. They each must do this in order to survive because competition’s winners tend to destroy and then absorb the losers. The social result of this competition among enterprises is that capitalism as a system is inherently driven to expand quickly….

https://scheerpost.com/2022/04/14/the-role-of-capitalism-in-the-war-in-ukraine/


The destructive origins of capitalism: Role of the 'military revolution' in 16th century Europe. By Robert Kurz


Alfred McCoy: The Epic Struggle over the Epicenter of Global Power


FORUM: The Military in World History


William Astore: The U.S. Military’s Lost Wars // Chris Hedges: The American Empire Will Collapse Within a Decade, Two at Most


Chris Hedges: The Collective Suicide Machine


Victor Jara murder: ex-military officers sentenced in Chile for 1973 death


President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Speech on the American Military Industrial Complex, January 17, 1961


Capitalism and war: The money behind Sudan's most powerful militia


Keeping up with China: US Navy orders $22 billion worth of submarines // World military expenditure grows to $1.8 trillion in 2018


World military expenditure grows to $1.8 trillion in 2018


Partha Chatterjee: No one, not even Indians, can claim to be part of an ancient nation


Sumit Guha lectures on Asia, Europe and America in the Making of 'Caste'



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