Totalitarian Capitalism and Beyond / Edition 1

by George Liodakis

Overview

Anchored in contemporary debates on capitalism and political economy, this study reconsiders the major trends which are currently shaping a new stage of capitalism. With chapters examining globalization, the role of technology and environmental degradation, George Liodakis constructs a politico-economic approach on contemporary capitalism from within a classical Marxist framework of political economy. The volume provides a fitting balance between theory and empirical evidence and significantly enriches the existing scholarship on contemporary capitalism and the potential for social change. This is an important contribution to those interested in international political economy, in particular with developing a new political strategy for going beyond capitalism: a 'reinvention' of a communist perspective.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780754675570
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/06/2010
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Professor George Liodakis, Technical University of Crete, Greece.

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface; Introduction; Accumulation of capital and uneven development; Historical periodization and the current restructuring of capitalism; The basic trends and characteristics of the emerging totalitarian capitalism; The role of the state in historical perspective; The role of technology in the reproduction and/or supersession of capitalism; Environmental implications of capitalism and the preconditions of reconciliation with nature; Moving beyond totalitarian capitalism: the prospects of Communism today; Political guidelines for a society of associated producers; Transnational prospects of social emancipation; In place of an epilogue; References; Index

Editorial Reviews

'...a highly original contribution both to contemporary debates in political economy and to a theory of contemporary capitalism. It is at the same time a timely and in-depth analysis of the present crisis, of its causes and of the ways and means to transcend the capitalist order.' Guglielmo Carchedi, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands 'The transformation of capitalism since the end of the long post-war boom in the 1970s is a topic of paramount importance for political economists. Liodakis adds to our understanding through a fresh analysis that relies on classical Marxism. His work is particularly notable for its insights into technology and nature but also because it offers an optimistic message for the future.' Costas Lapavitsas, SOAS, University of London, UK 'The author's discussion draws on a classical Marxist analysis, but he engages with post-Keynesian and other heterodox theorists as well. Therefore, this book is an important and original contribution to new developments within the Marxian paradigm. This book can be used by graduate students and researchers to compare different radical interpretations of the current capitalist transformation: Harvey, Arrighi, Sekine, Carchedi, etc. ... On the whole, the book is a good all-round analysis of macroeconomic dynamics linked to political phenomena in accessible language.' Political Studies Review

From the Publisher