History of capitalism, imperialism is the history of endless violence, alienation

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*
Democracy in all its forms are products of working class struggles against feudalism, colonialism, imperialism and capitalism. These struggles are integral for the establishment of various forms of democracy across the globe. The working people have played a major role in the deepening of democracy, democratic institutions and civil societies. The ideals of equality, liberty, human-animal rights and justice are core values of democracy and democratic governance. These core values of democracy are under attack by capitalist and imperialist forces that destroys global peace today. The global institutions were established to ensure democratic governance and global peace. In reality, the Eurocentric Westphalian ideals have ruined the global institutions and their democratic abilities to achieve global peace. The neoliberal thought collective are on overdrive to promote war and sustain capitalism and imperialism from its terminal crises today. Capitalist wars to accumulate resources are breeding all forms of conflicts and instabilities in the world.
The history of capitalism and imperialism is the history of endless violence and capitalist alienation. From feudalism to mercantilism and from industrial capitalism to colonial and imperial capitalism, structural violence and everyday alienation are its twin pillars. It triumphs and portrayals of the success of capitalism as only alternative with the help of bloodiest wars in history. In the name of freedom and democracy, imperialism promotes capitalism; two sides of the same coin. One can’t exist without the other. Both promote war for their survival as political and economic systems. The troika of wars, capitalism and imperialism mutates every day to dominate people and domesticate nature. Death, destitution and exploitation are the binding force that operates in local to international systems embodied by military supremacy. Global inequalities between people, regions and nation states are products of imperialist capitalism that continues to survive with the help of wars. Global warming is a product of capitalist over exploitation of nature to feed the imperialist war machines for its survival. The 21st century imperialist capitalism operates with the help of military industrial complex supported by security state, financialization of banks and corporatisation of the world. The harmony between wars, capitalism and imperialism produces risks and uncertainties in global scale that forces people to be subservient. All forms of capitalist and imperialist wars are assaults on planet and working-class people, their lives, livelihoods and global peace.
The post war institutions like United Nations, World Bank, IMF, WTO and their multilateral entities have failed to promote peace and democratic governance. These institutions are fundamentally undemocratic and controlled by former colonial and imperialist powers today. These platforms are run and controlled by European and American powers based on white supremacist ideals that demeans and destroys ideals of peace, equality and democracy. These institutions and their masters are responsible for the democratic deficit and weakening of democratic institutions and governance in the world. The Eurocentric white supremacist ideals are promoting regional and religious conflicts to control resources for the sustenance of capitalism and imperialist rule. Women, children, young and working-class people are the worst victim of such a global framework that destroys global democracy and peace.
The decolonisation, democratisation and reorganisation of global institutions are central to building global peace. Democracy and its core values are crucial for the establishment of global peace where people can live with each other in harmony. The gradualist approach to democracy and peace does not work in overcoming global challenges today. It needs radical transformation of the way global institutions, governments and nation states work. These so-called democratic institutions of governance work like compliance agencies of capitalist and imperialist powers. Such compliance culture of governance must end for the sake of people, planet and peace.
Global democracy and peace today depends on effective rejuvenation and organisation of democratic working class struggles against capitalism and imperialism in all its formations. It is time for working people to reclaim their democracy and democratic rights for sustainable livelihoods, stable life with dignity and peace. There is no other alternative to the pursuit of global. Working class struggles are only hopes for peace and stability in the world by writing a new global democratic constitution focusing on peace, people and planet.
---
*University of Glasgow, UK

Comments

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Beyond sattvik: Purity, caste and the politics of the Indian kitchen

By Rajiv Shah A few week ago, I was forwarded an article that appeared in the British weekly The Economist . Titled “Caste and cuisine: From honeycomb curry to blood fry: India’s ‘untouchable’ cooking”, it took me back to what I had blogged about what was called a “ sattvik food festival”, an annual event organised by former Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad professor Anil Gupta.

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Search This Blog