No. 84 | (Winter 2009)

Eszmélet turns 20. We celebrated its 20th anniversary by making a special issue in Russian published in Moscow. We remained faithful to the original idea of socialism: the community mode of production and social structure. The restored rule of capitalist relationships could not give a humanistic answer to the fall of "old socialism" rooted in Stalinism and conquered by the state. Our journal gave multifaceted analysis on the inhumanity of the "capitalism with a human face".  We have shown that international capital has not put East Europe on the track of catching up with the West but exactly the opposite: leading to the misery of semi-periphery by "capitalism 2.0". By now, it has been proven that "good capitalism" is only a utopia, and practically rather a black utopia.
Although, despite our goal, we could not induce an alternative broad anti-capitalism movement with mass support since it lacks the forces of social support but we see what we should avoid at least. The "resurrection" of the left under socialist parties in East Europe became a puppet of global capital as it did globally downgrading itself into just a different form of neoliberalism. This road came to its end. On the other hand, the way of thinking and acting that degrades the anti-capitalist left to a sect or political subculture – and voluntarily leaves the political scene thus making a service to the rulers – cannot be continued either. Such political movements that do not have viable alternatives at their hand in their actual environment are deemed to fail.
Saying that, this issue is focusing on the (further) analysis of the features of the present crisis of capitalism. István Mészáros, the author of Beyond Capital is analysing the nature of the crisis foreseen by him for many years. Others reveal that in its way out of the crisis the neoliberal state found the poor and helpless as its main enemies and is criminalising the social problem.  Interviews with recently passed away Giovanni Arrighi and Peter Gowan certainly make the readers think on social alternatives and finding the ways for community production and the practical movement.
Table of contents
  1. Mészáros István : The tasks ahead – March 2009 interview by Debate Socialista (Brazil)
  2. Artner Annamária : Crisis and employment
  3. James K. Galbraith : Financial and monetary issues as the crisis unfolds
  4. David Harvey, Giovanni Arrighi : The winding paths of capital – Interview by David Harvey
  5. Marko Bojcun, Mike Newman, Peter Gowan : The ways ofd the world – Interview by Marco Bojcun and Mike Newman
  6. Bózsó Péter : Fundamental comparative economics – dialectic perspective
  7. Farkas Péter : An important book on the global crisis
  8. Tütő László : Mass murdering help
  9. Szabó Tibor : A further Italian book on Lukács
  10. Ilja Szmirnov : Brown bib for the playboy
  11. Szarka Klára : Joyful or sad? Photos of Robert capa in an art museum
  12. Loic Wacquant : Crafting the neoliberal state – Workfare, prisonfare and social insecurity