this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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Capitalism in Decay

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Fascism is capitalism in decay. As with anticommunism in general, the ruling class has oversimplified this phenomenon to the point of absurdity and teaches but a small fraction of its history. This is the spot for getting a serious understanding of it (from a more proletarian perspective) and collecting the facts that contemporary anticommunists are unlikely to discuss.

Posts should be relevant to either fascism or neofascism, otherwise they belong in !latestagecapitalism@lemmygrad.ml. If you are unsure if the subject matter is related to either, share it there instead. Off‐topic posts shall be removed.

No capitalist apologia or other anticommunism. No bigotry, including racism, misogyny, ableism, heterosexism, or xenophobia. Be respectful. This is a safe space where all comrades should feel welcome.

For our purposes, we consider early Shōwa Japan to be capitalism in decay.

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Due to another user’s request, I have decided to compile threads on fascism, profascism, Japanese Imperialism, & neofascism here for your convenience. This compilation is, of course, incomplete, & its structure is subject to eventual change, but I hope that it suffices.

Origins

Economics

Culture

Foreign policy

Atrocities

Profascism

Legacy

Neofascism


Feel free to suggest any resources that you have in mind or how I could structure this thread better. Lastly, if you have any questions on fascism, profascism, parafascism (e.g. Japanese Imperialism), protofascism, or neofascism, you are welcome to ask me here or in private.

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[–] ksynwa@lemmygrad.ml 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Do you have a preferred license for the stuff you make? Like some Creative Commons license? I was thinking about archiving some of your posts and was wondering if that would be okay with you and if yes, then would you want to be credited if it is posted elsewhere.

[–] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 10 months ago

Do you have a preferred license for the stuff you make?

No. Do whatever you want to do.

[–] ksynwa@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Is Japan still imperialist today? I'm aware for its colonial past to some extent. But WW2 shuffled the hierarchy and turned Japan into an American vassal state. So is it still imperialist today like some European countries are?

[–] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Not in a classic sense (apart from maybe the occupation of Okinawa). Rather, Japan is neoimperialist; it prefers soft power and pretensions to independence over the naked conquest that the Empire of Japan committed (and would be difficult to reproduce today).

Stevens (1990) argues that Japan is seen to assert a form of neo-imperialism over East Asia and other regions by locking developing states into a relationship of direct economic subordination and into new regional frameworks geared to reinforce Japanese dominance. Critical theory has viewed Japan as asserting its potential hegemony not only through economic ties but also more subtly through creating ideological parameters and international institutions (Cox 1987).

(Source.)

Japan’s military expansion fits in with Washington’s aggression aimed at China, the DPRK and Russia. U.S. strategists’ goal is to use the U.S. alliance with Japan, South Korea and Australia, just as it uses the U.S.-led NATO alliance in Europe.

[…]

A chain of 150 islands called the Ryukyu Archipelago, of which the largest island is Okinawa, 400 miles from the Japanese mainland, is in reality a colony of Japan. Its population of 1.74 million people suffers from Tokyo’s rule and from the occupation by U.S. military bases. Okinawa is geographically closer to Taiwan than it is to the main islands of Japan.

Upgrading and strengthening Japanese ground units on Okinawa is part of the new National Security Strategy (NSS). Other islands, which are part of the chain southwest of Japan, will be further militarized.

Upgrading of Japan’s 15th Brigade on these islands for future electronic warfare, cyber warfare and joint operations of the ground, maritime and air forces are clearly a sign of plans to intervene in the Taiwan Straits.

In recent years, Japan has deployed anti-ship and air-defense missiles on its southwest islands of Amami Oshima, Okinawa Main Island, Miyako Island and a missile base on Ishigaki Island, the island closest to Taiwan.

(Source.)

[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Isn't this just the ML definition of modern imperialism? Is there a country that's imperialist in the classical (pre-capitalist) sense?

[–] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Is there a country that’s imperialist in the classical (pre-capitalist) sense?

No. By ‘classical’ I meant ‘standard’, but I see that I should have been more precise with my terminology.

[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"standard" as in the type practiced by the US, France and a few others (roughly, control through both finance capital and hands-on repression of resistance)?

[–] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Imperial America and France are neoimperialist, but a couple of centuries ago they were just imperialist.

[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

so you're using "neoimperialism" to refer to what Lenin called imperialism?

[–] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 10 months ago

I see; I've never seen "neoimperialism" used as a synonym for neocolonialism elsewhere

[–] voight@hexbear.net 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Vassal states relative to the US,

Europe (EU & uk I don't mean like peripheral europe), SK, Japan, Aus are crucial neocolonialist bastard states

Dependency theory:

Nike shoe company literally has a map of imperialism with big arrows showing the rankings one sec

[–] Aru@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 month ago

still waiting

[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

if country A participates in country B's imperialist project (e.g. joining an invasion), wouldn't that make country A an imperialist power (albeit a lesser one) as well?

[–] ksynwa@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't doubt it but elucidating their role in the imperialist bloc is helpful. Just like class structure the demarcations are not always clear cut and assessing reality will help refine my mental model of imperialism. As another example, South Korea is also an American vassal state and a nexus for American aggression against DPRK. Could it be classified as imperialism especially considering the history of the barbaric Japanese colonisation, the subsequent liberation followed by the reinstatement of the colonial and comprador actors by the invading Americans? I don't know tbh but it is worth exploring.

[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 10 months ago

of course; I'm just wondering whether it makes sense to call countries imperialist if they don't engage in imperialism independently (in which case more or less all of Europe would be imperialist)

[–] MeowZedong@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 10 months ago

Fucking legend. Thank you!

[–] Jonathan12345@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 10 months ago
[–] thefreepenguinalt@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)
[–] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Because yestermonth spammers kept targeting this subcommunity (for some reason), so somebody privately suggested to me that I lock it. I thought about unlocking it, but @GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml refused my request to delete this thread, so I guess that I should keep it locked. Oh well.

[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

What? I don't remember receiving any such request, and certainly not refusing it

[–] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)
[–] GrainEater@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I see. I don't always pay attention to who sent the report since it usually doesn't matter. In the future, I'd recommend using a more descriptive report reason (in this case, adding "I'm a mod but I can't remove an admin's post" would have sufficed), and, if it happens again, sending another report or contacting the person who resolved the report

(apparently an admin can't delete another admin's post either, but I've asked DankZedong to remove it)