State-monopoly capitalism is understood as a complex of measures carried out by the state, which are aimed at accelerating economic development in certain periods. Its essence is determined by the class state of the state, the historical situation, as well as the specifics of the economy. It is different in such periods as: pre-monopoly, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, the conquest of political independence by developing countries.
The definition of state capitalism
This is a multi-valued political and economic term that includes the following definitions:
- The social system, in which the apparatus of government is in the role of capitalists. This interpretation formed a direction in political and economic thought, which believed that since the 1930s. in the USSR economy was just such a model. This trend in the theory of state capitalism was most consistently substantiated by Tony Cliff. He wrote in 1947 that there is a possibility of the existence of such a model when the state administrative apparatus acts as the capitalist. Moreover, the highest nomenclature - state and party - in the person of large government officials, directors and the administration of enterprises appropriates surplus value.
- One of the models of capitalism, which is inherent in the merging of capital with the state, the desire of the authorities to control large private business. This understanding is associated with statism. This is an ideology that affirms the leading role of the state in all spheres - in the political, economic and private.
- There is a concept close to state capitalism, but different from it. In Marxist-Leninist theory there is a separation of state-monopoly capitalism. This is a kind of monopoly capitalism characterized by a combination of the power of the state with the resources of monopolies.
The essence of the concept
It consists in the participation of the state in capitalist forms of management and is determined by such factors as:
- The class nature of the state.
- The specific historical setting.
- The specifics of the country's economy.
One of the main elements of state capitalism operating in bourgeois society is state capitalist property. It arises in the period of pre-monopoly capitalism as a result of the creation of new enterprises at the expense of the state budget. This primarily relates to the military industries.
The expansion of state property under capitalism occurs through the nationalization of certain industries and entire industries. For the most part, these are unprofitable species. Thus, the state respects the interests of the capitalists.
There is also mixed ownership - these are the so-called mixed societies formed through the acquisition by the state of shares of private companies, investments of state funds in private enterprises. The character of state-monopoly state capitalism is acquired, as a rule, in imperialist countries.
Gun of adjustment
Those states that achieve independence as a result of the fall of the colonial imperialist system have their own characteristics. In these countries, state capitalism is an important means of introducing the state factor into the economy. It is used as a tool for restructuring the economic structure that developed during colonial or semi-colonial dependence.
Provided that the state is headed by democratic elements with a progressive orientation, the type of capitalism under consideration is a means of combating the dominance of foreign capital, helping to strengthen and further develop the national economy.
State-monopoly capitalism
It has a fundamental difference from the type of political and economic relations we are studying. If GC occurs in the early stages, then GC is the final stage of capitalist development.
The first is based on the insufficiency of accumulated capital, while the second is characterized by its huge accumulation, as well as the dominance of monopolies, concentration of production, and the absence of free competition.
In the first, the main thing is state property, and in the second, the merger of the state with private monopolies. The social function of state capitalism consists in pushing forward bourgeois development. While the MMC is designed to maintain overripe capitalism in the face of a general crisis at all costs.
Socialism and State Capitalism
The social system we are studying can exist in transitional periods. So it was during the transition from socialism to capitalism. But this was a special form of subordination to the dictatorship of the proletariat of enterprises belonging to the bourgeoisie, designed to prepare the conditions for the socialization of production on a socialist basis.
The way of transforming private enterprises into socialist ones through state capitalism lay through:
- The purchase of products by the state at fixed prices.
- Conclusion of contracts for the processing of raw materials provided by state structures to capitalist enterprises.
- Full redemption by the state of products.
- Formation of mixed public-private enterprises.
In mixed enterprises, virtually all means of production are transferred to the hands of the state. Over a period of time, some share of the surplus product is paid to the former capitalists. It has the form of a percentage calculated from the estimated value of property that has become public.
In Soviet Union
State capitalism in the USSR during the transition period was small. Its main forms were the rent by capitalists of state enterprises and the issuance of concessions. Its peculiarity was that the state capitalist enterprises were simultaneously public property.
While the tenants and concessionaires owned only working capital - cash, finished goods. And the fixed assets, which included, for example, land, buildings, equipment, could neither be sold nor transferred to other persons by the capitalist. At the same time, financial authorities could not collect debts from fixed assets.
Fighting classes
The relationship between workers and capitalists remained a relationship of wage labor and capital. Rabsilah remained a commodity, and the antagonism of class interests persisted. However, these relations were controlled and regulated by the proletarian state. This influenced the changing conditions of the class struggle in favor of the workers.
State capitalism in the USSR did not gain wide scope due to the rapid growth of large socialist industry. Another reason was the active resistance of the bourgeoisie to the attempts of the Soviet state to use it for socialist transformations. Therefore, violent expropriation took place.
Other forms of transformation
As a means of transforming bourgeois property into socialist state capitalism during the transition period, it was used in some socialist countries. It was most pronounced in countries such as the GDR, Korea, and Vietnam.
A feature of the development of state capitalism in them was that they did not have to resort to the services of foreign capital. Such an opportunity resulted from the provision of comprehensive assistance from the USSR. The main form of the Civil Code here were mixed public-private enterprises with the participation of private national and state capital.
Before the formation of such enterprises, less developed enterprises existed. Their commercial or industrial activity was under the direct control of the proletarian state. Gradually, the transformation of mixed enterprises into socialist ones took place.
Glance V.I. Lenin
In his opinion, when socialism was not yet fully established during the transition period, state capitalism can play an important role in transforming the economy into a socialist one. Being a special way, it represents a more progressive form of economy in comparison with such as private capitalism, small commodity and subsistence production.
It facilitates the country's transition to socialism, as it makes it possible to preserve or create large-scale machine production, the use of money, knowledge, experience and organizational abilities of the bourgeoisie in the interests of the proletariat. Next, we consider the forms of state capitalism in Russia in the modern period.
In the dashing 90s
State oligarchic capitalism was the name for the form of government that developed in the 90s of the last century in our country. At that time, the dominant positions in the economy passed into the hands of a narrow group of entrepreneurs who were closely associated with officials. Such a merger is called the oligarchy.
According to the results of perestroika, in conditions of great inflation and privatization, the nomenclature had all the advantages in obtaining ownership of the former economic facilities of the state. In the process of "shock therapy", entrepreneurs tried to organize their own business.
However, there were many obstacles to carrying out activities under the law. For example, such as: high taxes, inflation, contradictions in laws, their quick change. This led to the growth of the so-called shadow capital, and then to its merging with corrupt bureaucracy.
It worked with impunity to cover up violations of the law, taking advantage of official position in order to create its own financial structures and privatize in its favor. Another force that took part in the formation of the described form of state capitalism in Russia was transnational, and primarily Western capital.
Process development
In the course of intense competition, which was accompanied by rivalry for political influence, several oligarchic groups with a financial and industrial direction were singled out. They were closely associated with groups of influential officials and transnational structures.
As a result, these entities established control over the most important economic segments in Russia. The redistribution of influence occurred when VV came to power Putin, who led the fight against the oligarchic elite. As a result, the role of officials in the management of the economy intensified and the position of the influence of businessmen on officials worsened.
Nowadays
At the end of the crisis period of 2008–2009, the role of large state corporations is growing in the economies of many countries. This fully applies to our country. The leading role in the economy is assigned to such structures as Rosneft, Gazprom, VTB, Sberbank, Rostelecom and others. This form of management gravitates to state-corporate capitalism.
At the same time, there is a clear tendency to strengthen the public sector in the economy. And also tightens control over the entire economy through the consolidation of state economic structures. This, in turn, negatively affects the profitability in the private sector.
In Russia, as in some other developing countries, many private companies are dependent on state protection. This is expressed in the issuance of loans, subsidies, signing contracts. In such companies, the state sees a means of competing with commercial foreign rivals. It allows them to play a dominant role both in the domestic economy and in export markets.
Part of the responsibility for financing such companies lies with national wealth funds. These are state investment funds, the portfolios of which include:
- Foreign currencies.
- Government bonds.
- The property.
- Valuable metals.
- Shares in the authorized capital of domestic and foreign firms.
Today, state capitalism finds expression in the fact that it is no longer private shareholders, but governments that own the world's largest oil companies. They control 75% of all global energy reserves. State owned or operated by the 13 largest oil companies in the world.
Social aspect
In conclusion, we consider three varieties of socially oriented economic models of state capitalism.
- The first model is used in the USA. It is based on market self-regulation of the economy, which has a low share of state property and insignificant direct government intervention in production processes. The main advantages: the flexibility of the economic mechanism, oriented to changing market conditions; high activity of entrepreneurs, focus on innovations associated with great opportunities for profitable investment.
- The second model is Japanese. It is characterized by: effective and clear interaction between the state, labor and capital (government, industrialists, financiers and trade unions) in the interests of advancing towards national goals; collectivist and paternalistic spirit in production; lifelong hiring system, strong emphasis on the human factor.
- The third model. Created in France and Germany after the Second World War. It is distinguished from the rest by such parameters as: mixed economy, where the share of state property is large; the implementation of macroeconomic regulation by means of not only a fiscal and monetary policy, but also a structural, investment, labor policy (employment regulation policy); a high share in the GDP of the state budget - the so-called welfare state; promoting the development of small and medium-sized businesses; the development of a system of social support for people at a significant cost to the state; the functioning of the institution of democracy in production.