Europe's Crises

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a well-orchestrated chorus proclaimed the end of history and capitalist eternity. History, as if offended by such silly predictions, quickened pace and today nobody will seriously contend that everything is for the best in the best all of possible capitalist worlds. On the contrary, we are obviously living in a time of deep crisis. The rapid capitalist invasion of Eastern Europe, nicknamed shock therapy, is meeting serious resistance, illustrated for instance by the need to bomb Parliament in Moscow, and isprovoking popular discontent, expressed most recently in the Polish election. I The making, or remaking, of a capitalist class within years, and not decades and centuries, proves a more difficult exercise than was assumed.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website

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