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The original was posted on /r/collapse by /u/tonormicrophone1 on 2024-07-13 21:27:49+00:00.
The reason why we are heading towards collapse is because humanity is chained to capital. Humanity is stuck in this expansion equals victory and survival reality, which it can not get out off. A cage that will kill of humanity in the end.
For examining history, it seems every other alt system that existed was wiped out. Any other alternative besides this expansionist process is gone, or suppressed. Because every other system could not resist the extreme expansion, highly complex and very pro growth economic model of the western empires.
For example, look at the spanish empire as it created one of the first global empires. Its empire was built on top of the destruction of different groups and their political systems(natives americans). Then look at the British empire and its European competitors who conquered the world even further. Conquered it in a way that further destroyed any alternative systems(africans, indians, asians, etc). Then finally look at the americans which completely enveloped the world in the pursuit of capital. By beating out the alternatives like socialism or communism and further destroying other systems/groups too(native americans)
map of imperialism 1800s
map of imperialism 1914
(the second map details latin america as blank but I think we all know that latin america was under us sphere of influence.)
us sphere of influence political cartoon 1912
In all three of these, all of these conquering occurred due to the expansionary, complex, and rapid growth model that these empires had(well rapid growth in relation to the world they live in). The spanish with the very pro expansion and growth model of spanish mercantilism proceeded to use that to dominate native groups in americas. The british with the very expansive, complex, and high growth model of the industrial revolution used that to defeat many groups/imperialize them. And then proceed to build their empire through this method. And finally the americans and the other european powers proceeded to establish their empires the same way too. (using the same model and resulting imperialism)
Therefore we live in the world where the most expansionist complex and pro-growth systems won out. Simply because the other more restrained models could not beat them. The natives with their restrained systems got destroyed by these western empires. The Africans with their alt system got colonized by these same western empires. The asians with their different systems experienced massive imperialism from those same western groups. Any other system which could present an alternative just could not beat these empires system. Since the rapid expansion and massive economic growth/complexity associated with these empires systems was just too strong
(opium wars)
Its only when these western empires were challenged by countries that presented a far superior economic growth, complexity and expansionist model did these empires fall. The spanish empire fell in part because it was increasingly encroached and defeated by the british one(a country associated with the first industrial revolution while spain was economically undeveloped in comparison). The british empire then fell and was replaced by the american one(a country that experienced rapid industrial development and the invention of very innovative industrial advancements. Developments that far superseded anything that was happening in britain during this time) And the american empire is now slowly losing to the chinese nation (a country that also experienced rapid industrial development and the establishment of new innovative technologies. Meanwhile america is now deindustrialized and financialized) Stuff that support the idea that the most expansionist and developed ones tend to overcome the previous ones. Reinforcing the idea that this world is dominated by ones who expand and grow the most and not the ones who don't.
And before you mention what about the imperialized groups? Those guys have resisted and defeated these empires too. But even here we see the reinforcement of the expansion= domination or survival rule. For the way they resisted doubles down on that idea.
For what happened to the descendants of those same imperialized groups? They either had to adopt the same methodology in order to survive (meiji restoration, modern china, south east asia). Or were forced to adopt the same systems and then proceeded to keep them, so to function in the modern world(africans, some native americans, other groups). Aka the imperialized groups had to play the same western game in order to resist and survive.
sino japanese war aka japan copying the west
Meanwhile in the cases where these imperialized groups pursued alternative modernity systems like communism so to resist. Those groups eventually adopted elements of capitalism in order to compete or survive, (china, vietnam) straight out abandoned communism and regressed back into capitalism (russia, eastern europe), or became isolated weak states (north korea). All of this happening because they needed to adapt for the western hegemony system during this time(capitalism) just beat out communism in terms of growth, expansion and etc
And even in the cases where the groups decided to return to a past system(iran)in order to resist. In practice they still had to follow the global workings of modern politics and economy. For they still needed to pursue economic and military growth in order to not fall behind. Especially since if they fall behind that poses a risk to their system. Afghanistan is an example of this, specifically their increasing ties with chinas economy.
Thus in all these three things, the imperialized groups had to adopt the same methodologies and shit, of the western empire groups in order to survive. Which shows, once again, the world is run in this expansionist, growth, and etc =survival or domination. For the imperialized groups themselves had to adopt these things to survive and even win, in the first place(china).
After all the ones that failed to adopt or close to power gap that western nations had expirenced horrible fates. For their lands are now mainly occupied by the descendants of those imperialist powers(america and other regions). Descendants who then proceeded to bring the same pro capital system into these native lands.
manifest destiny but with a skeleton
Besides the nations or groups things, you can go even one step further regarding the expansion shit, and point out that companies go through the same expansion, growth and etc = survival or domination process.
After all, its the biggest corporations, not the sme ones, that dominate the world and influence the government. Companies that won out because they pursued expansionary growth no matter the costs. A good example being tncs(blackrock).
Blackrock https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/24/business/economy/fed-blackrock-pandemic-crisis.html
For look at the small and medium companies. They either end up dying off, have barely any influence compared to large corporations or get absorbed by those same large corporations. There's a reason why statistics show that a lot of small business die off very quickly overtime.
Thus those previously mentioned large corporations (tncs) end up taking over. They end up dominating the world through their economic power. For we not only live in the world where the most expansionary, complex and pursue growth no matter the cost, nations won in the end. But we also live in a world where corporations with those same characteristics dominate the global economy too.
Therefore, the point of this whole essay, is if we look at this historical trend the ones who embrace the most complex, expansionist, and massive economic growth structures beat out the rest. And the ones who don't are forced to adopt the same structures in order to survive.
Which is why a lot humanity keeps choosing the worst options possible. Why we cant pursue degrowth, or other sorts of economic limitations. Because the modern world, especially now after the victory of neoliberalism, is built on this expansion no matter the cost foundation. It is the only surviving system that shapes how our modern world operates. Aka we are stuck in a cage that was shaped by the victory of capital.
the human cage
(tho perhaps the chinese system may lead us out of it. But thats a discussion for another day)
