Passive Revolutions vs. Socialist Transformation

Background paper for the Commons-Conference in Rome, April 2011 (English, German)

« Systemic crisis or business as usual: Analyses of the current crisis oscillate between these two poles. But neither is capitalism as such in crisis, nor can the form of capitalist development of the past thirty years simply be carried on. The specific form of the transnational information technological mode of production and life under neoliberal hegemony has fallen into a structural or organic crisis. We are at the beginning of a new transformation of capitalism. The form it takes will be at issue in the struggle of the coming years. How, in view of the unfavourable power relations, is the goal of socialist transformation in the sense of Rosa Luxemburg’s concept of revolutionary pragmatism, to be pursued? In other words, “what is to be done?” (Lenin) – and “who the hell is going to do it?” (Harvey 2009)? »

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