In this episode Garland Nixon and Joti Brar cover the nature of the ‘ruling elite’ – the ruling class – in imperialist countries.
Kicking off the discussion, Joti begins by picking apart how the ruling class developed since the earliest days of the capitalist economic system.
There is a steady concentration of capital as a result of economic development under capitalism. As industries progressively come under the central control of banking and finance groups, the real owners of society’s vast means of production become a steadily smaller group. This has extraordinary consequences on the economy, not just of each country individually, but of the entire world economic system, as was crucially explained in VI Lenin’s 1916 masterwork: Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.
Other questions covered in the discussion include:
- What is the nature of the Anglo-American ‘special relationship’?
- How can we tell whether Britain is still an imperialist country?
- What is the significance of recent references to Soviet strengths and achievements by Russian leaders such as president Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov?
This episode was recorded on 1 March 2024.
