Progressive capitalism, crisis, and class struggle

Lessons from Japan's production control and democracy movements, 1945-47

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3833554
AutoresPaul Burkett, Martin Hart-Landsberg, Martin Hart‐landsberg
Año2003
Volumen27
Número1
Páginas25-54
Fecha de publicación2003-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCapital & Class (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0309-8168 • E-ISSN: 2041-0980
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/030981680307900104
OpenAlexW1996714660
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas31

Despite the recent upsurge of global economic instability and anti-capitalist protest, many left economists and progressive policy programs continue to draw their main inspiration from the purported equity and efficiency of particular varieties of capitalism. This tendency derives its legitimacy in large part from 'progressive competitiveness' interpretations of the postwar Japanese experience. Unfortunately, these interpretations and the politics they encourage are based on a faulty understanding of Japanese history. To help correct this bias, we revisit the struggle to reshape the Japanese political-economy immediately after World War II. During this period, Japanese workers -under highly repressive and economically difficult conditions-responded to a severe capital strike by taking direct control over important sectors of production and posing a new vision of worker-community based democracy. We examine the development of this popular effort to remake Japanese society and the causes and consequences of its eventual defeat. We conclude by highlighting lessons from this period for contemporary anti-capitalist struggles

Capitalism · Democracy · Economics · Legitimacy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Asian Industrial and Economic Development · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Political Economy and Marxism