To put his name, the “father” of the Communist Manifesto, next to the name of the United States of America, the cradle of liberal capitalism, may seem at first glance. And yet this is exactly what the professor of the University of Illinoi does Andrew Hartmann In the title of the latter, and much -discussed, book by “Karl Marx in America” (University of Chicago Press).
And the central position it puts forward is as challenging as the large red letters of the cover. Despite the opposite declarations, Hartman, the author of “Das Kapital”, argues, has left a deep and influential imprint on the spiritual, political and social life of the US from the late 19th century to the present. A series of events, until its rise, have recently led to an unexpected revival of American interest around his ideas.
“I don’t know if it has become fashionable, however, it has been a popularity he had seen since the 1960s. People read Marx, writes books about Marx, podcast for Marx and the issues he raised, publishes magazines, participate in reading groups of his work. All this has begun to happen in the last fifteen years » Hartman supports speaking to Vima.
“The financial crisis of 2008”adds, “He left many young people either unemployed or very precious jobs, including very educated, which in previous historical periods would have safe employment. This made them start looking for answers ».
He refers to a thread that starts, in his opinion, from the Occupy Wall Street movement and reaches his presidential campaign Bernie Sanders In 2016 and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), currently numbering more than 100,000 members – they are the largest Socialist organization in the US, whose members are also executives of the left wing of Democrats, such as the Member of Parliament Alexandra Okasio Cortez or O.
A thread that continues, in one way or another, an immediate or indirect reference to Marxist ideas or shapes.
“When Trump was first elected in 2016”Hartman notes, “There was a rapid rise of America’s democratic socialists and a growing interest in left -wing ideas, including those of Marx.
» People, especially the New World, were looking for ways to resist Trump’s regime, feeling that the Democratic Party was not the appropriate mechanism for this. In the eyes of many young people on the left, during Trump’s second term, the Democratic Party, or at least its leadership, has surrendered. So there is an increasingly intense realization that there must be something different. “.
But this is not the first time in American history that “”. In his book, Hartman describes three important episodes of corresponding boom. The first one looks at the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the so -called “Gilded Age”, which remained in history for high concentration of wealth, political corruption and growing social inequalities.
“It was a period of rapid industrialization, where the life of the working class was radically transformed. Many farmers or villagers were suddenly found in big cities, working in factories and staying in working homes, without being happy with their living conditions. Seeking ways to improve their lives, many turned to Marx » Hartman says.
‘The second flourishing’adds, “It was during the 1930s, which is understandable as we are talking about the era of the great recession. We have the rapid development of the American Communist Party, which is evolving into great power in American politics. At that time, many considered Marx Prophet because he described how capitalism produces crises, which the working class must exploit.
» And then, the third boom comes in the 1960s, when the revolutionaries of the new left, the anti -war movement and the political rights movement began to. What is interesting in this third phase, and makes it just different from the previous ones, is that the attention was not necessarily focused on the Marxist theories of capitalism and the proletariat.
» I recall that at this time the American economy was going very well. On the contrary, they focused on what Marx said about imperialism because of the Vietnam war. They also read the works of his youth, in which he referred to the concept of alienation, in the context of a more existential approach. “.
As Hartman points out, despite the fact that throughout the Cold War, Marxist ideas were associated with the “enemy”, which meant that it was much harder to see with a positive eye within an American framework, many did. It is even more interesting to him that even not, or, to reflect on the American liberal venture and to prove the elements that, in their opinion, constituted his superiority.
And today? Can a writer who lived two centuries ago speak to us, say something about here and now, about the age of climate permanently and the rise of artificial intelligence? “What is happening today has great similarities to the 19th century industrial revolution. It takes place a rapid change in the quality of the work, as much of it is associated with automation and artificial intelligence.
» This is precisely what Marxist theory focuses on that capitalist accumulation could not happen without exploitation of labor. And despite the fact that the working class is no longer necessarily an industrial working class, it is rather more oriented to services, people continue to sell their work to survive and feel that it makes them exploitation. Therefore, Marx’s ideas echo today. In his then manuscripts, Marx wrote about nature and the environment. So today there is a new stream of Marxist ecology, focusing on the role of capitalism in climate change. “ he says.
How easy is it? “I started writing the book 10 years ago”he tells us, “When things were still less dangerous. Trump’s governance is authoritarian and is looking for ways to bend democracy, which it does with great success. We have attacks on liberal institutions and universities, academic freedom is in danger, while a clockwise part of American society feels that it has been the greatest power it has long been. “.
“This is not a time to remain silent”ends, “It is a time in which all the possibilities and possibilities are open. And despite the fact that fascism is such a real possibility, there are other possibilities that we can follow to prevent this from happening. “.
