Vladimir Lenin described capitalism in France and Britain as "civilised barbarism," referring to Western civilization as "capitalist barbarism" driven by the "stupid avarice of a handful of millionaires," who turned people into "slaves of wealth" in the early twentieth century. He argued that “civilisation, freedom and wealth under capitalism” resemble a “rich glutton rotting alive” who refuses to let the young thrive.
Today, the realities of imperialist wars, the cost-of-living crisis, declining welfare, wage stagnation, unemployment, child poverty, increased reliance on food banks, and rising homelessness in advanced capitalist countries resonate with Lenin’s observations.
The worsening capitalist crisis has transformed capitalism into a form of uncivilised barbarism in the twenty-first century. Imperialist wars and conflicts, often justified by nationalism and religion, serve to deepen crises, suppress populations, and distract from revolutionary potential for peace and prosperity. This crisis is inherent to capitalism and is used to domesticate people, normalising crisis in the daily lives of workers.
Austerity measures are crafted as economic policies that further limit people's potential by privatising public resources and cutting welfare budgets under the guise of achieving balanced budgets for economic stability. In truth, austerity functions as a project for the capitalist class, marginalising the majority who struggle daily. The rising cost of living represents a form of theft from the commons. Austerity is not just an economic policy; it acts as a quasi-religious project of capitalism, designed to amass profit at the expense of people and the planet.
As a system, capitalism cannot provide an alternative that ensures human happiness, peace, or prosperity. Rosa Luxemburg asserted that "no medicinal herbs can grow in the dirt of capitalist society to cure capitalist anarchy." Capitalism generates an alienated existence where death and deprivation are normalized. From Europe to the Middle East, Asia to the Americas, countries face various forms of imperialist wars and capitalist resource conflicts aimed at securing capitalism's dominance.
Imperialist wars lead to cost-of-living crisis, declining welfare, wage stagnation, and unemployment
Capitalism employs everyday violence to dehumanize life and domesticate labor, undermining rational, scientific, and secular consciousness—principles crucial for radical social transformation that could lead to alternatives free from war, exploitation, and inequality.
According to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, approximately 432,093 civilians have died directly, with an additional 3.6 to 3.8 million dying indirectly due to U.S.-led wars since 9/11. In total, over 4.7 million lives have been lost, primarily in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Pakistan. Furthermore, more than 7.6 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition in post-9/11 war zones, illustrating how Western imperialism, led by the U.S., treats individuals in these areas as disposable.
Historically, barbarism is an intrinsic element of capitalism and its violent nature. The corrupt and uncivilised culture of capitalism fosters imperialist wars and conflicts in the name of promoting liberal values, democracy, and human rights. In reality, imperialism cultivates a culture of violence and dominance driven by mass consumerism, with the market organizing society, economy, politics, and culture to normalize barbarism.
Friedrich Engels noted that "bourgeois society stands at the crossroads: either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism." Contemporary capitalism, along with its imperialist military complex led by NATO, is pushing humanity toward barbarism at the cost of lives and the planet. The choice is ours: to embrace socialism as a viable alternative or descend into the uncivilised barbarism of capitalism.
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*Scholar based in UK
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