Imperialism and the General Crises of Capitalism

In this session, we’ll learn about imperialism, i.e. the monopoly stage of capitalism. We’ll talk about the relationship between the formation of monopolies and the rule of finance capital; we’ll discuss why the existence of monopolies necessarily expresses itself in wars between the major imperialist powers; and, finally, we’ll explore the historical facts of the general crises that have emerged as a result of imperialist decay.

Readings

Readings are required unless marked optional. Use the PDF links to read or save a copy. Original online versions are also linked where available.

• PDF
  PDF Fundamentals of Political Economy — Chapters 9 & 10

  Shanghai Textbook

  Read / download PDF: Fundamentals of Political Economy — Chapters 9 & 10 Chapter 9 audio: Fundamentals of Political Economy — Chapters 9 & 10 Chapter 10 audio: Fundamentals of Political Economy — Chapters 9 & 10

  Chapter 9: Fundamentals of Political Economy — Chapters 9 & 10

  Chapter 10: Fundamentals of Political Economy — Chapters 9 & 10

Session slides

Unit 2: Science & Production — shared slide deck.

Session handouts

Session handout · Download PDF

Materials folder

Week 5 materials