Even Moutains Are Moved; Reply by Harry Magdoff; Should MR Broaden Its Scope?

Abstract

The analyses of the dynamics of capitalist imperialism laid out by Harry Magdoff ("How to Make a Molehill Out of a Mountain," MR, March 1977) and by myself are, as I pointed out in my original article (in the section entitled "What Amin, Baran, Frank, Magdoff, et al. Really Show" [The Insurgent Sociologist, Spring 1977]), essentially the same. That this is in fact the case is underlined by Magdoff's self-quotation in his rejoinder to me. He states: "Cutting off markets and sources of raw materials creates serious problems for capitalist enterprise but does not necessarily portend collapse.… In the final analysis, the fate of capitalism will be settled only by vigorous classes, and parties based on these classes, which have the will and ability to replace the existing system." (pp. 12-13). In other words (to quote the introductory paragraph of the above-cited section in my article), "Amin, Baran, and even Frank and Magdoff are forced in fact to reject the traditional argument that imperialism is a necessary condition for capital accumulation, and in its stead argue that imperialism is an organic outgrowth of capitalism which allows the transnational corporations to make greater profits than they otherwise would and which results in great economic stability and growth in the metropolitan countries." (p. 42)

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.