A Marxist History of the World Quotes

“The bourgeoisie is leading its society to complete bankruptcy. It is capable of providing the people with neither bread nor peace. This is precisely why it cannot any longer tolerate the democratic order.”
― Neil Faulkner, A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals

“The purpose of any economic system should be to produce the goods and services people need to live full and happy lives. But that is not the purpose of capitalism. Capitalism is a system of competitive capital accumulation driven by profit and the enrichment of the few. The drive for profit – as much as possible, as quick as possible, no matter how – had created the speculative bubble of the late 1920s. Now, in the crash, shoring up profits meant cutting wages, slashing services, and choking trade, thereby plunging the world into permanent slump.”
― Neil Faulkner, A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals

“When wages are squeezed to reduce costs and raise profits, workers cannot afford to buy the goods that their labour has produced. But if wages increase and profits are reduced, capitalists have no incentive to invest. The search for profit powers the system.”
― Neil Faulkner, A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals

“Most workers under capitalism have ‘mixed consciousness’. This arises from the interaction of three factors. First, because the system is based on exploitation, oppression, and violence, it engenders resentment and resistance in its victims. The class struggle is endemic to capitalism. On the other hand, the dominant ideas of society are those of the ruling class, and most workers accept at least some of these ideas for much of the time. What strengthens these ideas is a third factor: the fact that workers often lack the confidence to fight because the balance of class forces seems unfavourable.”
― Neil Faulkner, A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals