A New Marxist IQ on Imperialism by Norman Markowitz

by: Thursday 13 September 2012

 

 

1.  In the socialist movement during WWI, Karl Kautsky, German  Marxist theoretician, and Vladimir Lenin,  less well known  Russian Marxist theoretician and soon to lead Russian Empire Socialist Revolution ,sharply disagreed over the future of imperialism.  In simplified terms the disagreement was this

  a. Lenin believed that imperialism could stablize while Kautsky saw it leading to war and revolution

b. Kautsky saw all powerful capitalist nations as imperialist while Lenin saw only the German Empire as imperialist

c. Kautsky believed that the great capitalist trusts and cartels  and imperialist states could divide up the world without war and Lenin believed that they would, as capitalism's final  decacying stage, lead to war and revolution

d.  Kautsky coined the phrase "globalization" to define imperialism during WWI

 

2.  The first international body in modern history to make anti-imperialism a central part of both its theory and practice was

   a.  The Second  or Socialist International in 1914

   b.  The Third or Communist(Comintern) in 1919

   c. The League of Nations in 1920

    d. The British Fabian Society in 1890

 

  3,  For  most Marxists generally , imperialism

     a, consists of formal colonial empires

      b.  is a culture and a way of life

    c.  exists in all states that are powerful

    d. is under capitalism a system of exploitation and oppression which takes many forms, including colonies, protectorates, spheres of influence, regional trade and investment zones.etc 

        

4.  In his theory of imperialism, Lenin saw

     a. the concentration and expansion  of capital and its productive forces

     b.  Its need, given its size, to export itself, finding sources of cheap labor and greater quantities and varieties of raw materials through the world

   c. Its organization into rival syndicates/alliances of countries to redivide the world, leading to 

      wars between these rival syndicates/alliances of capital to control and exploit the world

    d.  all of the above

5. For those who continue to see Marxism-Leninism as the foundation for the liberation of all the world's peoples, the struggle against imperialism remains essential because

a. socialist revolution can only develop in the former colonial regions and poor countries of the world

b.   Only the working class in the major capitalist countries to can overthrow capitalism and then export socialism to the  former colonial regions and poor countries of the world.

c.  imperialism makes the interests of the working class in the imperialist countries and the oppressed masses under imperialist control interdependant--one cannot be free without the other being free of exploitation and opporession

d.  imperialism is a modernist signifier lacking nuance and complexity

Answers to last week's questions

1.c

2.d

3.c

4.b

5.c

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Comments

  • Please ditto brother Sean Mulligan for me.
    Education on imperialism today is especially very important because of the mighty strides of socialist China(foreseen by the prophet and Communist, W. E. B. Du Bois- see his third autobiography, Soliloquy; Chapter V: China)
    In hundreds of metropolitan areas in the U. S. , the future economics here will revolve around their economic relationship with the colossal China, old and wise.
    This can be a very positive relationship, like the one Du Bois had with the great Chinese people.

    Posted by peaceapplause, 09/19/2012 11:10am (12 years ago)

  • 1. c

    2. b

    3. d

    4. d

    5. c

    Posted by Sean Mulligan, 09/15/2012 5:05am (12 years ago)

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