On the book Andor László: Összehasonlító gazdaságtan – Globális szemléletben. [Comparative economics. Global perspective] Zsigmond Király Főiskola – L'Harmattan Kiadó, Budapest, 2007.

On the book Szentes Tamás: Ki, mi és miért van válságban? A leegyszerűsítő nézetek és szemléletmód kritikája. [Who, what and why are in crisis? Critique of simplifying views and approaches] Napvilág Kiadó, Budapest, 2009

According to authors of this issue of Eszmélet, those are wrong who consider the present global crisis a financial crisis only, because the financial collapse is only the tip of the iceberg – overproduction is lying behind. This crisis delivers changes in the world system, since neoliberalism has fallen. The present crisis of capitalism signs the beginning of a new era that makes people in different areas of the globe to face different alternatives. Authors of the articles of the issue make an overview not only on long waves, the role of oil but the search for new ways in Germany and France as well as the historic roots of the external vulnerability of Hungary.

In the year of its anniversary some articles address 1968 when political orientations of the revolting movement were rather mixed but all agreed in rejecting consumer capitalism that used the myth of the "American dream" also in post-war Europe to justify its existence. On the contrary, in East Europe reforms of the 60s aimed to build a "consumer socialism" (market socialism) – here the critique of the consumer society would have hardly been attractive to the masses and would not serve the interest of the political elite either.

Table of contents

1. Andor László, Farkas Péter, Sebők Miklós, Krausz Tamás, Artner Annamária, Tamás Gáspár Miklós : The Global Financial Crisis and ist Critique of the World System
2. William Tabb : Four Crises of the Contemporary World Capitalist System
3. James K. Galbraith : Policy and Security Implications of the Financial Crisis: A Plan for America
4. Walden Bello : A Primer on the Wall Street Meltdown
5. Samir Amin : Financial Collapse, Systemic Crisis? Illusory Answers and Necessary Answers
6. Immanuel Wallerstein : on the financial crisis
7. Vigvári András : Remarks on the Sources of the External Vulnerability of Hungary
8. The Global Economic Crisis: An Historic Opportunity for Transformation
9. Responses from the South to the World Economic Crisis
10. Mészáros Ádám : Globalisation-critique from us, for us and for all
11. Andre Mommen : China’s Hunger for Oil
12. Madarász Mihály : Kondratieff Cycles in the Oil Production of Russia and the Soviet Union
13. Tütő László : The Temptation of Anarchism
14. Mitrovits Miklós : Against the Current – Overview on the Intellectual Magazines of Poland
15. Hajdu János : Two decades – in Search of a Way Forward in Germany
16. Lugosi Győző : Die Linke a la francaise – Is the party structure in France changing?
17. Krausz Tamás : 1968
18. Slavoj Žižek : In 1968, Structures Walked on the Streets – Will They Do it Again?
19. Gustave Massiah : May 1968 in the World

The original interview was published on Alternatives International September 16, 2008.

As the global financial and credit crisis evolves, the famine will take further millions of lives and aid programs designed to counter famine will fall more to political manipulations. Only few know, that rocketing food prices pushed additional 75 million persons under the famine level, thus the estimated total number of underfed people in the globe reached 923 million in 2007. It is important but different problem how the weak resistance against the abuses of the capitalist system expresses itself in Hungary in the behaviour of the youth. An interesting sociological study addresses this question analysing the political attitudes of the left and extreme right. A further and comprehensive article examines the class determination of voters in the free elections in Hungary. This issue of Eszmélet also publishes articles on the theory and movement of socialism by internationally respected Marxist thinkers: Samir Amin and István Mészáros.

Cover image:1980 Wold Press Photo of the Year: Mike Wells, UK: Starving boy and a missionary, Uganda, Karamoja district, April 1980.

Table of contents

1. Tütő László : Even the only one party was too many – The Left Wing Alternative turns 20
2. Wiener György : Class situation and electoral behaviour after the system change (1989-2006)
3. Szalai Erzsébet : Flash-back of the past and dividing future – Young left, green and extreme right activists in present day Hungary
4. Mészáros István : The communal system and the principle of self-critique
5. Immanuel Wallerstein : Where is the world headed?
6. Benyik Mátyás : Dollarization, euroization and financial instability?
7. Tütő László : How not to protect our state?
8. Walden Bello : Manufacturing a food crisis
9. Alexander King, Anette Groth : Whoever controls food …
10. Marcello Musto : The dissemination and the reception of the Grundrisse in the world. A contribution to the history of Marxism
11. Marcello Musto : The current importance of Marx, 150 years after the Grundrisse – interview with Eric Hobsbawm