From state socialism to capitalism: The role of class and the world system

2006 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lane

While theories of global capitalism have added a new dimension to our understanding of the dynamics of the modern world, a ‘globalisation’ approach to the transformation of the state socialist societies is relatively underdeveloped. This paper studies the role of international and global factors under state socialism and the world system in the pre-1989 period. The paper considers traditional Marxist approaches to the transition to capitalism and criticises the model of state capitalism as well as the world system approach. In contrast, social actors (the ‘acquisition’ and ‘administrative’ social strata and the global political elite)are identified as playing a major role in the fall of state socialism, and were a nascent capitalist class. The transformation of state socialism, it is contended, had the character of a revolution rather than a shift between different types of capitalism.

Author(s):  
Liah Greenfeld ◽  
Nicolas Prevelakis

Nationalism is the worldview of the modern world. It is based on three fundamental principles: it is secular; it sees the members of the community defined as a nation as fundamentally equal; and it presupposes popular sovereignty. Modern ethnicity, that is, ethnic identity, is the result of ethnic nationalism. One can classify nationalisms into three major types: the individualistic-civic type, as seen in England, the United States, and a few other countries, though it remains a minority in the world; the collectivistic-civic type—also a minority; and finally, the collectivistic-ethnic type, which is found in most of the nations in the world. This third and last type is what is usually referred to as “ethnic identity” in the modern world. These types of nationalism seldom exist in their ideal form. Typically, one will find a combination of elements from different types. Their relative importance may vary from one period to another, or within the same period and among different social strata. The case of Greek nationalism illustrates this point. It also represents a clear example of the causal role of nationalism in shaping ethnic identity. The seeds of ethnicity emerged in the first decades of the Greek state, though it was only in the middle of the nineteenth century that Greek nationalism took its definite ethnic form. This evolution can be seen in two areas: the emergence of Greek irredentism, and the construction of Greek historiography.


2020 ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
E. N. Mikhailova ◽  
V. A. Telegina

The article is devoted to the study of evaluative tools used in modern French media in order to form the media image of a representative of the political elite. The techniques used in the creation of a memorial media portrait of Jacques Chirac (1932—2019), President of France from 1995 to 2007 are considered. The research material was the most prestigious French print media of various political orientations, published in late September — early October 2019 in connection with the death of the ex-President of the French Republic. The relevance of the research topic is dictated by the close attention of modern linguistics to axiological phenomena, differently presented in different types of discursive practices. The novelty of the study is due to the appeal to the analysis of the complex of evaluation tools used in the French print media when characterizing the former leader of the state during the nation’s farewell period. The estimated potential of the title of the article and its influence on the formation of the estimated vector of the entire text of the publication are shown. A systematic analysis of the assessment expression means, reflected in the memorial media portrait of the politician, is given. The factors that influenced the peculiarities of their use in this type of media portrait are revealed.


2020 ◽  
pp. 35-41
Author(s):  
A. Mustafabeyli

In many political researches there if a conclusion that the world system which was founded after the Second world war is destroyed of chaos. But the world system couldn`t work while the two opposite systems — socialist and capitalist were in hard confrontation. After collapse of the Soviet Union and the European socialist community the nature of intergovernmental relations and behavior of the international community did not change. The power always was and still is the main tool of international communication.


Author(s):  
Alexander Naumov

This article reviews the role of Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 in escalation of crisis trends of the Versailles system. Leaning on the British Russian archival documents, which recently became available for the researchers, the author analyzes the reasons and consequences of conclusion of this agreement between the key European democratic power and Nazi Reich. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the moods within the political elite of the United Kingdom. It is proven that the agreement became a significant milestone in escalation of crisis trends in the Versailles model of international relations. It played a substantial role in establishment of the British appeasement policy with regards to revanchist powers in the interbellum; policy that objectively led to disintegration of the created in 1919 systemic mechanism, and thus, the beginning of the World War II. The novelty of this work is substantiated by articulation of the problem. This article is first within the Russian and foreign historiography to analyze execution of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement based on the previously unavailable archival materials. The conclusion is made that this agreement played a crucial role in the process of disintegration of interbellum system of international relations. Having officially sanctioned the violation of the articles of the Versailles Treaty of 1919 by Germany, Great Britain psychologically reconciled to the potential revenge of Germany, which found reflection in the infamous appeasement policy. This launched the mechanism for disruption of status quo that was established after the World War I in Europe. This resulted in collapse of the architecture of international security in the key region of the world, rapid deterioration of relations between the countries, and a new world conflict.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
O Turitsina ◽  

Abstract: The article discusses the issue of business correspondence, its rules and etiquette, which is highly important in modern world as a great number or e-mails and business letters are sent and received every day throughout the world. So, the ability to correspond in business sphere is a crucial skill for the employees of multinational companies as well as for those who communicate internationally in different fields. It also concerns the cross-cultural aspect of organizing and translating business letters taking into consideration the key role of international communication due to the growing globalization of our society, and a lot of attention is paid to the national differences and peculiarities we may face while establishing contacts with foreign colleagues and partners. It analyses numerous studies and articles written by linguists, interpreters as well as by business coaches who, basing on their research and experience give advice and suggest solutions to different challenges we may face in this sphere. The article focuses on the different issues, such as the language and style, the structure and layout, the peculiarities and difficulties of translation, the things which should be avoided and are inappropriate in business letters. A lot of advice with numerous examples are given in order to avoid misinterpreting when it comes to cross-culture communication as well as embarrassing mistakes and those mistakes, which may have serious professional consequences. The article focuses six different problematic areas in business letter translation. These include: lexical-semantic problems; grammar; syntax; rhetoric; and pragmatic and cultural problems. The information must be interesting and useful for those who deals with business communication on international level as well as career coaches and business consultants in order to provide them with advice appropriately and help to improve and systemize necessary knowledge and skills to handle business correspondence successfully.


Author(s):  
Nick Williams

The chapter introduces key debates related to the role of the diaspora in their home economies, particularly the role that they can play as returnee entrepreneurs. With increased movements of people around the world, the role of transnational economic activity is becoming ever more significant. The chapter shows that the diaspora can be caught between isolation and assimilation. They can be isolated because of their years living abroad, as well as their negative perceptions of the institutional environment at home. Yet many of them also wish to become more assimilated and have an emotional desire to help their home country. Many stay away and do not invest. Those who return later can seek to avoid the negative impact of barriers to entrepreneurship, and can for example avoid government engagement activities as they mistrust policy actors’ intentions. The chapter sets out the implications of these different types of engagement for homeland economies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 04032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalya Osokina

The aim of the research is to develop the conceptual foundations of the strategy of socio-economic development for mining region (on the example of Kuzbass) under the conditions of the fourth systemic cycle of capitalist accumulation. The relevance of the issue is determined by the need to eliminate the growing lag of Russia behind the world economy leaders, which is impossible without a new vision of the role of resourceproducing regions in the national economic system. Integration of Russia into the capitalist world-system on the basis of the Washington Consensus has formed in it a raw-materials export model in which its natural resources serve the accelerated economic growth of the competing countries. The accumulation of individual capitals dominates the social capital accumulation, which leads to a reduction in Russia's share in world GDP and population. This article presents the conceptual foundations of the Kuzbass development strategy in accordance with the new conditions for the Russian economy performance in the fourth systemic cycle of capitalist accumulation.


Author(s):  
Christopher Chase-Dunn ◽  
Marilyn Grell-Brisk

The world-system perspective emerged during the world revolution of 1968 when social scientists contemplated the meaning of Latin American dependency theory for Africa. Immanuel Wallerstein, Terence Hopkins, Samir Amin, Andre Gunder Frank, and Giovanni Arrighi developed slightly different versions of the world-system perspective in interaction with each other. The big idea was that the global system had a stratified structure on inequality based on institutionalized exploitation. This implied that the whole system was the proper unit of analysis, not national societies, and that development and underdevelopment had been structured by global power relations for centuries. The modern world-system is a self-contained entity based on a geographically differentiated division of labor and bound together by a world market. In Wallerstein’s version capitalism had become predominant in Europe and its peripheries in the long 16th century and had expanded and deepened in waves. The core states were able to concentrate the most profitable economic activities and they exploited the semi-peripheral and peripheral regions by means of colonialism and the emergent international division of labor, which relies on unequal exchange. The world-system analysts all focused on global inequalities, but their terminologies were somewhat different. Amin and Frank talked about center and periphery. Wallerstein proposed a three-tiered structure with an intermediate semiperiphery between the core and the periphery, and he used the term core to suggest a multicentric region containing a group of states rather than the term center, which implies a hierarchy with a single peak. When the world-system perspective emerged, the focus on the non-core (periphery and semiperiphery) was called Third Worldism. Current terminology refers to the Global North (the core) and the Global South (periphery and semiperiphery).


Author(s):  
Mohammad Hashim Kamali ◽  
Tariq Ramadan

This book is presented in two parts, consisting of a total of twenty-three chapters. Part One occupies seven chapters, which begin with a conceptual analysis of wasaṭiyyah, its meaning, definition, scope, and manifestations. This is followed by a review of the source evidence in the Qur’an and hadith, and then a round-up of modern opinion on wasaṭiyyah. The hallmarks of wasaṭiyyah and those of extremism, identification of wasaṭiyyah, its manifestations, and institutional developments on wasaṭiyyah are also discussed under Part One. Part Two looks into the various manifestations of wasaÏiyyah in the context, for instance, of religiosity, moderation and justice, environmental degradation, and financial crises the world has experienced in recent years. Other chapters that follow address subjects such as moderation in jihÉd, the moderating role of disagreement (ikhtilÉf), how wasaÏiyyah can be manifested with regard to women’s rights, the moderating influence of Sufism, wasaÏiyyah and globalization, and moderation in personal character and lifestyle. Two other chapters that appear toward the end bear the titles respectively of “Islam Between Antiquity and the Modern World” and “Reconciling the Concerns of Continuity and Change.” The former looks at Islam’s historical profile, how it played out its role of moderation in its relations with the outside world, whereas the latter looks into the ways Islam can moderate itself from within through the instrumentalities, for instance, of tajdid and islah (renewal and reform), respectively. In almost every chapter, the book explores Islamic principles and doctrines on a number of selected themes that seek to contextualize Islamic teachings with contemporary realities through the lenses of wasaṭiyyah. Part One thus focuses on a conceptual analysis of wasaṭiyyah and its understanding from a perusal of the Islamic text and doctrine, whereas Part Two presents a selected cluster of themes related to wasaṭiyyah and their application to contemporary issues.


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