The ideology of capitalism; Liberalism and Socialism personalities
3. What is Liberalism
Liberalism, has its basis in the word “liberalis” and that means “freedom”.
During the French Revolution, society rose under the slogan “Vive la liberte.”
The bourgoise class emerged from this revolution as an oppressive class and at this level transformed its ideological foundation: Liberalism.
They supposedly protect and promote “freedom”. The essence of this ideology can already be seen in this concept: It is developed exclusively on the basis of deception and dissolution of society. The liberal theory and way of thinking shows its effect in the 18th century and as a concept it develops in the political literature of the 19th century.
The freedom defined and developed under the name of liberalism basically expresses the freedom of the bourgeois class, the freedom of the monopoly of money and power. For society and people this “freedom” means slavery. The pioneers of the idea and theory of liberalism want first of all to weaken the authority of the state in economy, production and trade. To the end, they promote private property, personal property and excessive individualism (in the name of the free individual), legitimize this, develop their theory and call it a scientific cause. We also sometimes encounter the word “neo-liberalism.”
What is it? Basically, it is not different from liberalism, it expresses the same idea, mentality and consciousness. Neo, means new and was developed on the basis of the restoration of liberalism after World War 2 and especially accepted after 1970 within the framework of the rule of finance capital.
That is, crises, chaos, wars and revolutions from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century were considered as failures of liberalism and on this basis it had to be revived according to the new conditions. A new format of liberalism is also needed in the financial age. Money is becoming more and more virtual (central banks, credit, market, stock market, interest rates, etc.) and puts itself in the center of life. A consumer society is being built according to the interests of capitalist forces. The tension and crisis of the system has a depth that is not limited by time and space. Like a deadly virus, it spreads in all areas of life. On this basis, a form of liberalism is needed that can go with and welcome modern conditions.
a) INITIAL CONDITIONS OF THE EMERGENCE OF CAPITALISM AND LIBERALISM
In the Middle Ages, the geography of Europe experienced great social problems from all sides. This period is also called the period of darkness, that is, it is defined as a time of hopelessness and immobility. But if we look closely, we can see that a very far-reaching war was experienced in the society every day. The society, which lived mostly as villagers-peasants-people, is trapped in strict intellectual and mental patterns. Both from the religious side and from the state-king-lord-landowner, a sharp rule is imposed on the society.
In particular, the Roman Catholic Church was the center of domination: it held both ideological and spiritual hegemony as well as material hegemony. The European kingdoms of this period were all linked to the Church. A great struggle and resistance was raised by the population against this system for centuries in various ways from all sides. Hunger, poverty and disease were omnipresent. At the same time, the search for freedom in society increased. On this basis, great mental and spiritual revolutions were experienced, Renaissance, Reformation and “Enlightenment” developed. At the same time, there were great riots.
The authorities and rulers of the old system tried to stop the revolution through the courts of the Inquisition, and they carry out the most cruel and brutal actions against the people. Any form of rebellion was punished by the church and kingdoms with the death penalty. The important thing is that Renaissance, Reformation and “Enlightenment” were products of the people and it was not necessary to produce capitalism as its result, but they opened the door to capitalism and the bourgeois class knew well how to put the ideology of liberalism in its service and thus build its hegemony. The problematic situation was realized in the Renaissance.
As its center in Italy, it shaped and influenced all of Europe. We consider the source of the Renaissance, the rediscovery of cultural products and the age of capitalism in 3 main phases:
First phase:
It is the period of the emergence of capitalism, the formation and settlement of the bourgeois class through trade. This began in the 13th century, but established itself in the 16th century and then became permanent through exploitation.
Second Phase:
Developed with the industrial revolution. This is the phase of industrialization that begins after 1750 and lasts until 1970. The nation-state dominates the world as an organization of capitalist power, and the bourgeois class seizes power completely.
Third Phase:
After 1970, the system is mainly managed by finance capital. The system is in search of restoring its existence and “neoliberalism” is developed. The era of finance capital means the hegemony of money, banking and its integration with industry and commerce.
The life of civilization inancient times
This Began in the 13th and 14th centuries and reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries. With the Renaissance began a new era. The developments in spiritual, philosophical and scientific terms were like a step towards liberation from the dictates of the church and the feudal system. New historical descriptions and reflections emerged. Thought was gradually freed from dogmatism, pressure and religious violence. The Renaissance played a role like a revolution of mind, culture and life and brought important changes. In connection with this, the first steps of the commercial cities were taken.
These cities we are talking about organized themselves like autonomous or independent states and gained their power mainly through local and international trade. Merchants and traders became leaders and rulers of these cities. Many cities stood out in this way, such as Venice, Florence and Genoa. In these cities, the bourgeois class became more powerful, taking shape and advancing through trade. Increasing urbanization and trade, which are the foundations of capitalism, spread throughout Europe, from Italy and Spain to the Netherlands and England.
At the same time, against the strictness and authority of the Catholic Church, various researches have been carried out in society and religions for a long time. From the 10th to the 15th century, heretical movements waged great struggles in many parts of Europe. As a result of these struggles and researches, after 1517 the Reformation developed and, connected with it, in 1524/25 a revolutionary wave spread under the leadership of Thomas Muenzer, but the ruling forces and the merchants united and defeated these efforts.
In the person of Thomas Muenzer and his movement, there was a possibility that a radical reformation would take place and important steps would be taken towards a free life. However, the other parts of the Reformation, among whom the leader Martin Luther is known, joined forces with the bourgeois class and the old aristocracy, who wanted to escape the influence of the Roman Church, paving the way for liberalism and the nation-state.
The period known as the Reformation lasted from 1517 to 1648, and as a result, society was divided along confessional lines and many kingdoms were able to break away from the authority of the Roman Church and move toward a nation-state form in which the bourgeoisie gained more and more influence. For the bourgeois class to rise in power, a new ideology was needed. This ideology was developed under the name of liberalism.
First, theorists such as John Locke (1632-1704), Hobbes (1588-1679), and Adam Smith (1723-1798) played an important role in establishing liberalism. At the same time, the “Enlightenment” phase had begun, and in this context the positivist sciences were extensively advanced. In all spheres of life, science became the fundamental method and, as faith was in religion, the idea of positivism was established in the capitalist era.
Developments in the field of science also paved the way for the development of industry and from 1750 the Industrial Revolution developed and great changes and transformations occurred in all spheres of production – economic, social, political and life.
Capitalist forces made this an essential part of the capitalist system, and industrialism developed into a capitalist doctrine that robbed both people and nature. Maximum labor, nation-state and industrialism were thus established as the 3 main legs and pillars of capitalist modernity. We see that capitalism has no social history necessity, it is the complete opposite of it. Chairman Rêber APO also emphasizes that capitalism is not an economy, but power. Capitalism was built on the central civilization culture of theft and robbery.
With the first robbery of the god Enki against the goddess Inanna in the Sumerian mythology, capitalism is the continuation of it. No matter how much liberalism talks about the free market, it is clear that this is nothing but a great deception. Capitalism is absolutely anti-business and anti-economic because it is a monopoly.
Capitalism was the response of the ruling powers to centuries of deep social unrest, the urge of the ruling powers to overcome the crisis and problems of the feudal system. Capitalism was developed as a counter-revolution against the struggle and anti-feudal revolution of the peasants. The rise of the bourgeois class, the establishment of the nation-state system and industrialism would be unthinkable and inconceivable without the annihilation of the indigenous peoples in the Americas, without the liquidation of the heretical movements and peasant uprisings in Europe, without the massacre of the “witches and heretics” in Europe, without slavery and the occupation of Africa, Asia and South America, and without the slave trade from Africa to the Americas.
All these are interrelated and that is how capitalism was created and with the same logic they impose their existence on humanity today. The 1st and 2nd World War brought with them that people were massacred and all revolutionary efforts were violently crushed or dissolved.
Even today, the 3rd World War is still taking place. Especially in the geography of Kurdistan and the Middle East, the capitalist powers want to prolong their life and reshape the region to save themselves from the crisis. For their own interests, this war is being waged against the people. This war lacks examples in history, through the extensive use of hard and soft methods, the methods of dissolution and assimilation, or violent crushing. From cultural to physical genocide, from the methods of special war and psychological methods, methods used in the political, social, military, cultural and ideological, psychological and economic fields. Such war is waged against the people.
