The Relevance of Marxism Today

Alan Woods explains the reasons behind the crisis of capitalism and gives an excellent introduction to Marxism as it is applied today.
For more about the ideas of Marxism please visit:
www.marxist.com
Alan Woods is the editor of www.marxist.com and author of such books as 'Bolshevism the Road to Revolution', 'Reason in Revolt - Marxist philosophy and modern science' and many more.

[@FabianEllis]

Alan Woods predicting today's inflation 10 years in advance

[@santaclauseking]

I always learn so much from marxist.com. Keep fighting the good fight!

[@pablochavez1497]

Your pathetic and full of hate...

[@fortunefool1506]

wow, such a great talk,

[@terencenxumalo1159]

good work

[@nithinkunneparambil2656]

How true !! Couldnt agree more !! Especially here in India, it is a big time problem..even though our system is heavily Capitalist, we have socialist hues from our past..But as he said, for socialist to work, we need to reach a point where things have settled, if else , the shit comes back.. either ways, Solidarity from India !!

[@meshakvb6431]

What he was saying is that there has to be a certain level of excessive production capability before it is possible to transition into a socialist economy. It would have been impossible to implement socialism before the industrial revolution, because there weren't adequate means of production established to provide the abundance required by socialism.

[@JakeTheMuss10454]

Excess Capacity has happened in the northern half of the world while the southern half supplies the raw materials, what is also true is that while the raw materials are supplied there is no Industrialization nor infrastructure building. If the Industrialized nations are seriously in trouble then the non industrialized 3rd world are just completely fucked! Latin America, Africa, Asia, with the exception, of China, Japan, S. Korea who will also suffer Excess Capacity.

[@nithinkunneparambil2656]

Well comrades, the point here in India is, we see the feudalism wasn't demolished by advent of capitalism...The society of India, was so fragmented in terms of Caste (Unlike Europe where CLASS was important).. This led to the formation of an institution where in Feudal became the Capitalist...And the poor remained poor..The neo liberal middle class, the bourgeoisie as we call them are on rise in India.. You see the right wing parties getting all their support form them.. The all are waiting for the trickle down theory the reach the bottom..In that sense, India is a unique mix..Unlike what is seen anywhere else.. More over, the Industrialization in India isn't that bad..Atleast when comparing it with the third world...

[@JakeTheMuss10454]

Your absolutely right sir because in terms of social hues there not just in India but in all of the 3rd world, and often make it extremely difficult, in wanting to contribute to the education of poor people let say. I often think about how do you educate the masses about there situation when they are only thinking about how to get out of it, and often in the most inhuman and crude way possible that is often relegated by the class system of Capitalism. How do you bring people to understand that the need of formal education under the system of exploitation is as important in understanding why there's the "struggle", or for that matter the need to understand why breathing is a involuntary action? and even why food is often scarce. But the problem of acquiring it is in abundance. I have come to the realization that the institutions of education are a 2 tier system of minimalist academia, is often passed down to working masses while extended and heighten forms of academia is given to those who have already acquired a upward mobile situation. And why is it more of a hindrance to impoverished youth sometimes to take these "scholarships" to top schools when there educational foundation is so weak, its set up this way intentionally. So you can succeed at failing. It also holds true that in the field of applied technological knowledge differentiating the more sophisticated knowledge of programming in different languages to that of just applying software knowledge in a standard form is typically a an elite practice, despite the fact that there are those who really want to change this. Funding doesn't equal Kant like transcendences to higher thinking It still holds true that; because mathematics in the inner city schools since the days of the cold war especially the later years when the heightened sense of wanting to destroy Revolutionary changes by injecting drug, and the culture of Cartel/Gangsterism, which had poor youth believing then like know that they can turn huge profits untaxed in a matter of a week then going to school to educate themselves in a school system that reduced chapters after chapter, year by year in mathematics as well as language arts , making it cool to detract and diminish honest and intellectually honest thinking from oversimplified forms of astute cunning thought attributed by capitalist to be the center piece of a intelligent person as oppose to the real intellectual who exhaustively produce real thinking. It is understood already by White supremacist ran societies where non-white supremacist , and then us the people of color are in a constant battle as individuals in a larger framework of survival that is shared alike but experience differentially without realizing it 1) Whether a member of the proletariat class that uses his or her physical or mental capacity one more than the other or both intensely your involved in the struggle to survive, 2) The socializing aspect and there effects within the capitalist framework means that salaries eventually drop despite top professionalism end grand efforts on our parts which we should try our best to keep up and improve, and not for the sake of survival alone but for Marxist-Leninist values we hold in high regards, and our understanding of the human condition along with the physical and mental suffering the latter being a extended form of the brain/mind relationship (one can't exist without the other. 3) Making sure that we further our acquisition of more knowledge without limiting it to Marxism-Leninism at the same time challenging thought in those who disagree while always pointing out the Historical Material truths, and the socio- economic and political economic truths in real everyday life without disregarding scientific and technological developments. Too often the masses believe that and egalitarian state means a state/ society that is some how trapped in farm life when in fact the first persons on earth who were in space and went to space longer were from a Socialist state. That these scientific and intellectual advancements along with funding didn't come from a daring capitalist who wanted to find a significant way to perpetuate his legacy, the "Fuck You, Pay Me"(Good Fellas) homage and respect for my ultimate sacrificial like contributions attitude they like to attribute to themselves especially in grand ballroom style dinners. I also want to say finally that if we can somehow use education as a source to develop the aspects of Instructional Design integrated with Web programming and designing to develop, economical. political, sociological, cultural scientific and technological history's and even create a standard to educate the adults of the world not only in he consciousness of a proletariat but also as an actually i.e. heightened educated proletariat capable of reading, in much needed higher standards than ever before as well as mathematical applications and heightened understanding of both math and science we can definitely do this in a way that can be tested like that of General education exams as well as higher forms of examination that can prepare the individual of every day, better than what is now. Creating international exams that allow adult students to learn and pass the test and move on into better work situations if and when possible. In the U.S.A the GED, ACT and if he or she chooses the SAT are essentially staples to those who haven't sat in a classroom for a log time and for infinitely various reasons. You can add Also LSAT for sharpening the mind further. I 'm not sure but is there a British/European equivalent in India if so could I be directed to it? Also and again creating a real interpretation of history for these webservers to have there own curriculum design and Learning modules to consistently develop the proletariat. and something she or he can always revert to in there personal life as reference and guidance. Sorry for the elongated writing, but I'm writing in specific to what were discussing it opens a lot doors for further discussions . As for Feudalism, Capitalism has Fueled it very well in the 3rd world, that is why Military police kills people to keep the masses down in the first world you actually might get hassled but not necessarily land in jail, but probable cause can and has worked more often against the poor when it's in relation to the rich. To all those in the struggle... "Struggle and Survive, but don't destroy others to eat, nor let others destroy you, by eating you alive."

[@revcomintern]

Please visit out KZbin channel for more videos

[@Notapizzathief]

How would you resolve the overproduction of car companies with the supply chain crisis caused by 'just-in-time' manufacturing during the pandemic? I feel like I'm missing something

[@brendanoshea2936]

Some where this man is still trying to straighten out the pieces of paper in his hands...

[@MasterBSM]

Now I can't unsee it.

[@Idosander]

Very pleasant to watch the beautiful young woman along an equally interesting speaker.

[@tanujSE]

Red salute to Alan Wood Wish him good times with struggle

[@ghrosthelman3273]

我不理解...你们为什么要贴卢森堡的相片？我知道她是伟大的共产主义者，但托洛茨基主义和卢森堡主义决不能相容

[@williamforrestall2161]

There is within the academic community a growing concern regarding their growing liabilities regarding the fraudulent if not harmful effects on their students 9and a wider culture) of promoting education within a marked political/cultural imbalance, an imbalance that cultivates justification for Human Rights abuses, as defined by such normative standards as the UDHR 1948. Another field of growing liabilities is the effect on students of Jewish or Christian (or others) background within an educational culture overtly hostile to Judeo-Christian values, as well as basic Human Rights. The legal community has a growing interest in the detrimental effects of the cultural imbalance that now defines the Academic community, and their fiduciary failure to maintain and to cultivate a healthy balance community both on behalf of their young and venerable students as well as their responsibility to a wider cultural community.

[@donkiddick08]

alan's a very good and entertaining speaker. anybody who enjoys listening to him will probably also enjoy richard wolff (rdwolff.com). give him a try, you'll enjoy it. no, i don't work for wolff!

[@revcomintern]

[@markvasquez9336]

I love Latino British Jewish Trotskyist socialist girls as my girlfriends forever comrades ✊✊✊✊💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋

[@adgut-gar5186]

The origin of world inequality is simple and it´s easy to calculate: Modern world is ruled by the great oligarchies: businessmen, merchants, politicians, clerics, and army. They and their fans keep half of humanity in misery on behalf of their insane privileges, and they are corrupting and devastating the whole planet. “Do not dream of the vanity of becoming rich, because you will increase the poor”: Pythagoras, 6th century B.C. Actually these five castes and their henchmen, have only two option: change their behavior trying to repair the destruction and suffering they are causing, or pray for God does not exist, because, if He exists, surely He is engaged in preparing for them precious luxury suites in Hell. ("Money can´t buy Heaven": Martin Luther, 1517). As Pythagoras well calculated, if there exist poor people, it is because there exist rich people, so: What is the right price of goods and services? The answer is ….. (To read the complete writing follow the link: “Ad Gut-Gar-Google+” in your browser. There, choose the button: “About”, and the writing is in “Story”)

[@stanceldavid]

I don´t get him. He criticizes that an overproduction has been created in the current system, because supply and demand (in a free market) don´t balance each other, therefore capitalism does not work. But how could it work if both are heavily distorted by interventions of the government? We bail out banks when all their profit is privatized but their costs are socialized, we create housing bubbles thanks to subsidies, and we tax pretty much everything that exists. How this can be called a free market? It has nothing in common with capitalism.

[@lekabros]

+David Stancel I don't even understand why are there supporters of this philosophy today. They haven't understood human nature and history yet.

[@mickhills5270]

You totally sidestep the issue. Distribution. Capitalism has no redistribution it is made for the 1%. Its over get used to it.

[@mickhills5270]

You mean greed.

[@apollon011]

If a Leninist-Marxist party is defeated in a democratic election, will it peacefully stand down and accept its defeat or will it seek to undermine and even abolish the democratic process? Will a Leninist-Marxist state protect the rights of the individual or will it not? Is there one Leninist-Marxist-ideology-based state in human history that has successfully protected individuals and democratic principles while being economically sound on the world stage? Did it raise the standard of living?

[@josie955]

U know the imt is trotskyst right? Lol

[@ivandate9972]

4:34 TATOOO !!!

[@Kevo216666]

Yep - let's take a look at all the successful socialist countries around the world...China, Cub, Lao, Veitnam. Great work.

[@asoidfhowehjr8248]

these lot are a bunch of Trotskyists... whatever their opinion on the countries you've listed, I'm pretty sure they don't consider them "successful"

[@eleanorcm7033]

*US state does everything it can to destroy "socialist" states* US state: Ha, look! It didn't work!

[@brian78045]

The Poverty of Karl Marx's Dialectical Materialism It should be stressed for the novice to this subject, all three volumes of Capital provide a scientific explanation, as Marx put it, of how the Capitalist system works from the perspective that labor is the underlying essence of all value. If one accepts the basic assumptions made early in Chapter 1 of Capital, Volume 1--that abstract labor is the source of value1--Marx's logic flows well, not only through Volume 1, but all the way through Volume 3. If one is looking to fault Marx's economics based on the works of Capital, one will come up empty not only because Marx's logic is flawless, but as economist and former Marxist Thomas Sowell says, " ...Marx considered the idea of proving a concept to be ridiculous. Moreover, Engels had asserted...that one only proves one's ignorance of dialectics by thinking of it as a means by which things can be proved."2 However, there was one instance where Marx let his dialectical guard down, allowing for an empirical objection that would consign all of Marx's works for naught. Sowell himself touches upon the specific passage where Marx cornered himself, but doesn't appreciate the full ramifications of Marx's observation. In the "The Poverty of Philosophy" (1847) Marx says, "In acquiring new productive forces men change their mode of production; and in changing their mode of production, in changing the way of earning their living, they change all their social relations. The handmill [a productive force] gives you society with the feudal lord, the steam-mill [a productive force], society with the industrial capitalist."3 Sowell argues regarding Marx's handmill/steam-mill analogy, "If read literally, these words suggest a one-way causation and explanation of given states of being rather than of transformation. But that is clearly inconsistent both with Marx's and Engels' own treatment of history and with the dialectical conception of reciprocal interaction. These words are perhaps best read as epigrams-and of the dangers of misunderstanding inherent in that writing style."4 Is Sowell correct? Was Marx merely being terse with his handmill/steam-mill analogy? While Sowell is indeed correct that Marx and Engles viewed the unfolding of history as a "dialectical conception of reciprocal interaction", that observation does not answer the question: What comes first? The machinery, or new social relations, derived from machines, that interacts with the old social relations to produce the new hybrid social relations? Marx was emphatic that machines came first, then all else followed them. In his retort to Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's observation that the use of machines was a consequence of the division of labor,5 Marx writes: "Thus it is slapping history in the face to want to begin by the division of labor in general, in order to get subsequently to a specific instrument of production, machinery. Machinery is no more an economic category than the bullock that drags the plough. Machinery is merely a productive force. The modern workshop, which depends on the application of machinery, is a social production relation, an economic category."6 The problem with this empirical observation is that before there was a steam mill there already existed an industrial capitalist society that not only contained the requisite industrial capitalist mode of production that manufactured the necessary constituent parts that went into the creation of the steam mill (there were many companies involved in the problem-solving for and manufacture of components that went into a steam engine), but this pre-steam mill society also contained an already sophisticated industrial capitalist labor force that made the constituent parts for the steam mill, not to mention built the steam mill itself. Contemporaneous with the industrial capitalist production of steam engines, there existed the production of the machines that the steam engines would power. In other words, the steam mill presupposes an already functioning industrial capitalist society! Marx's rebuke to Proudhon is a tautological response that also fails to recognize that a steam engine is made up of independently manufactured parts that predates the manufacture of a steam engine with those independently manufactured parts! Marx fails to mention this double inconsistency with his material "productive forces" empirical observation. Simplified, Marx is speaking of the root cause for industrial Capitalism...the steam engine, but that beginning of industrial Capitalism only exists to the extent of (1) the already existing industrial Capitalist division of labor that manufactured the component parts for the steam engine; (2) the already existing industrial Capitalist capital goods/intermediate goods industries that manufactured the constituent parts that went into the construction of the steam engine; (3) the already existing industrial Capitalist capital goods/intermediate goods industries that manufactured the machines that the steam engine powers; and (4) an already existing industrial Capitalist division of labor that manufactures those machines powered by the steam engine! When the first steam-mill was completed supposedly, according to Marx, 'giving' a society with industrial Capitalism, in fact industrial Capitalism, and an industrial Capitalist division of labor, already existed, and would have to already be in existence otherwise there could be no steam-mills and the machines they were created to power! Marx behaves like a child throwing a tantrum: Machines come first, then all else follows. Why? Because Marx said so, even though the historical record says otherwise! In fact, and unknown to Ricardian economists or Marx, industrial Capitalism couldn’t have emerged without the conscious decision of nations to allow for the rise of interest rates to free market heights, abandoning low interest rates policies, such low interest rates policies making possible the Mercantilist pre-industrial Capitalist era. Only with higher, market-based, interest rates is it possible to accumulate the necessary large quantities of capital for industrial enterprise. During the Mercantilist era low interest rates ensured that only consumption-based investments could take place, such investments requiring relatively little capital expenditures, such low capital expenditures being a function of the expected return on the investment, which return is based on the low interest rate policy being followed by Mercantilist nations. Industrial ventures, on the other hand, require large expenditures of capital, such amounts only made possible by a higher rate of return that can recoup the larger capital outlay, a higher rate of return that is made possible only with higher, market-based, interest rates. We therefore see that not only was it necessary to already have an existing industrial Capitalist division of labor before machines made their appearance, there also needed to be in existence the requisite financing for the new machines to come into existence, meaning a new industrial Capitalist financial setup (where market-based, higher, interest rates are the norm) was a necessary precursor for the emergence of industrial Capitalism. See link for footnotes... sites.google.com/site/deanjackson60/the-poverty-of-karl-marx-s-dialectical-materialism

[@markvasquez9336]

I love Trotskyist girls!👏👏👏💋💋💋💋💋💋

[@apollon011]

The "beautiful, perfect society" that Marx wanted to create was attempted in Bulgaria. You know what happened? Everyone was equally poor, first. Free thought and free expression was brutally suppressed, second. Third, the "legacy" of communism is one large concentration camp outside of Lovech where hundreds of thousands of dissidents were liquidated. Marx's thought inevitably leads to totalitarianism because of its aforementioned pretensions (scientific, infallible, inevitable).

[@Thomas-vb4bu]

Too few are aware of the danger marxism brings to the freedom and happiness of all men.

[@tolethom]

As he pointed out, socialism is achieved after capitalist development. Technological innovations are used to reduce labour hours and employ everybody. That is the basic logic and it is correct. As he pointed out bureaucracy and opression will come if socialism comes before capitalist maturity, but capitalism as a system of infinite growth is not sustainable, that is basic logic.

[@apollon011]

Lenin did not misunderstand Marx and Engels. He understood the revolutionary and authoritarian ('dictatorship of the proletariat' right?) nature of Marxist thinking all too well. He also liquidated his enemies all too well (he killed dissidents and he was intolerant of differences of thinking and the slow nature of the democratic process/Red Terror). Contrary to popular belief, Trostky wasn't a saint either. Stalin was a monster. Authoritarian communism wasn't a "perversion" (Cont)

[@Kevo216666]

Stalin not on there?

[@SagesseNoir]

Are you kidding? Alan Woods is a Trotskyist

[@apollon011]

The Communist Party tried to assassinate my father (an outspoken journalist in Sofia, Bulgaria) by sabotaging our family car. I think was about 7 years old at the time. My mother and father were in the car and I was in that car. We crashed into a ditch and fortunately no one died. We later escaped to Canada as political refugees before '91. That's just one personal example. (Cont.)

[@redhammer3972]

It was very inspiring! Thank you.

[@philallen9998]

I reckon socialism will be like heaven but better cos there will be no oppressive god

[@dvdmcd]

Muito bom!

[@RedArmyUncle]

Lool, is that Trotsky ?

[@markvasquez9336]

I love Christian Trotskyist girls and Jewish Trotskyist girls forever comrades ✊✊✊✊💘💘💘💘💘💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋

[@apollon011]

it wasn't a perversion of some magical, pure, peaceful Marxist thought because Marxist thought was vile to begin with. Authoritarian communism under Lenin and later Stalin was simply the logical extension of the inherently intolerant, "inevitable", infallible and absolute, class-discriminating ideology that was Marxism. My old country paid the price for this intellectual disease with 50+ years of social and economic and political and moral and intellectual retardation. (Cont)

[@apollon011]

What communist regime did you live under? Huh?! What credibility do you have? I speak from first-hand life experience - what the hell do you speak from? "Theory"? I lived and endured it while you talk about it. And no, Marxism and communism is a false distinction - the whole point of Marx was to say that a communist state is inevitable. His ideology is deeply, inherently infallible (pretensions to historical and social determinism) and innately intolerant (dictatorship of the proletariat).

[@thefamousmuslim]

biliev1 ✌✌✌👍👍👍 thank you for explaining it to these people

[@Ckomon]

Why must Marxists be so boring?

[@bearwolffish]

I think it's that whole "calmly explain" thing, it has it's value.

[@faenihelvete6144]

Oh you know, something about the topic requiring patience and careful thought to fully comprehend or some stupid sjw-shit like that.

[@vincentjurg]

Just one thing: the Coca-Cola bottle on the table...

[@katiebarber407]

just goes to show how all-consuming capitalism is it creates an environment in which you can not escape from it

[@katiebarber407]

also if you hadn't noticed, it's full of water.

[@katiebarber407]

***** tell me again how north korea is communist in any way?

[@katiebarber407]

nice way to dodge the question

[@katiebarber407]

TheFormHater that would require a level of self awareness capitalists are incapable of :)

[@cookiedestroyer402]

very low testosterone in this room

[@josie955]

Thank god lol

[@ejisaiahpayne4318]

Murderers

[@revcomintern]