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Overview

Karl Marx once said that history repeats itself. First, there is a tragedy such as 9/11 and then a farce like the financial crisis of 2007-8. Both events were at least partly caused by capitalism. Why do we continue with this method? To put it differently, why do we persist with the capitalist system which has led to so many crises in recent years?

Slavoj Žižek has some key points that explain why the current system is failing. He also hints at a better system, communism. Let’s explore his ideas and see if it makes sense to move towards this new system of government.

In these key points, you will learn why although we have many privileges, we actually only have a few rights. We will also explore why crises in capitalism make it stronger and how communism is not what people think it is.

Big Idea #1: Capitalism isn’t a mechanism, but an ideology that is strengthened by crisis.

People who have grown up in a capitalist society view it as the natural evolution of social organization. However, they would be wrong because capitalism is not the only way to organize society.

While capitalism is often presented as a completely neutral method of organization, the truth is that it’s an ideology. Capitalism is also a system of ideas and makes us do what we do.

Capitalism is often described in technical terms as a system that simply works, rather than one with ideas about how the world works.

However, the fact that capitalism can work in any sort of civilization is proof that it’s not just a good idea. These systems of meaning provide security and hope for people to rely on when they inevitably fail at their dreams of self-made success—dreams embedded in the capitalist ideology.

If capitalism were natural or neutral, we wouldn’t need these systems of meaning.

So why do so many of us consider capitalism to be natural and desirable? Well, each crisis acts as a type of shock therapy that keeps us dreaming.

Crises can make us question our beliefs, but they more often make us go back to the basics. We view crises as a result of not adhering to the dominant ideology enough rather than critically reflecting on it.

For instance, when socialist regimes were faced with the crises that led to their demise, the response from the leaders was that it’s not socialist enough. When people in Eastern Europe rebelled against their Soviet-supported governments in the 20th century, they were met with even more ardently socialist regimes.

A more recent example is the 2008 financial crisis, which was caused by a lack of regulation.

Big Idea #2: Capitalism falsely credits itself for society’s freedoms while blaming systematic errors on individuals.

Conventional wisdom says that free trade and open markets are the basis for freedom and democracy. However, this is not true.

The rights and freedoms we enjoy in the US are often portrayed as a result of capitalism, when they’re actually a result of revolutionary politics.

Many of the freedoms that we enjoy today are a result of revolutionary movements. These movements have been opposed by those in power, who often see them as a threat to their position.

Similarly, the list of demands at the end of Karl Marx’s and Friedrich Engels’ Communist Manifesto were achieved (with the notable exception that private property was not abolished) through pressure from left-wing groups.