The Effects of Imperialism on the US
The effective outcomes of both National Socialism & Capitalism, are the oppression of the people and their subjugation to the ends of a powerful elite whether they be State Actors or Capitalist Actors
Most people I encounter have no idea that Hitler was actually a "revolutionary" as we have always been taught he was a “reactionary”. But, despite his use of the Capitalist system in his Germany, it was Hitler’s purpose to dismantle the Capitalism as it was then structured in Germany. [This definition is usually given nearly all “socialist/leftist” I read.] Hitler’s aim was to place Capitalism in Germany by absolute “state control”, aka a socialistic Nationalism. Hitler’s vision of State Controlled Capitalism is quite inimical to the Corporate Dominance which predominates in the US which is where the “state and all its apprati” serve Capital instead of Capital serving National Interests.
I rarely mention this because the effective outcomes of both systems, National Socialism and Capitalism, are the oppression of the people and their subjugation to the ends of a powerful elite whether they be State Actors or Capitalist Actors. For the “favored few” Capitalism and National Socialism produce a reasonably good to very good life, depending on their position within the hierarchy.
In my estimation, "National" is the operative word. By turning socialism into a Nationalist agenda (that is, serving the “interests of the state”) more people are excluded than can be included. But, even in Capitalism there is required some Middle Class, as well as, a Functionary Class (including the Governing Class and the Managerial Class) but Capitalism, also, requires that most people be excluded from the privileges of the system than are included in the benefits of that system.
While I’m no scholar on the Soviet Union, it the biggest flaw, as I have seen it, was the dissolution of the Soviets (“councils”) that didn't fall in line with Bolshevik renderings of how to bring egalitarianism to the people. The Soldier's Councils, Sailor's Councils and various other Councils were stripped of any ability to influence the direction the USSR was to take in this endeavor.
This process of excluding voices accelerated under Stalin as the authoritarian tendencies inherent in Bolshevism turned virulent under his relentless pursuit of absolutism.
Had JFK lived Khrushchev may have restructured the Soviet bureaucracy to serve the people more than the elites. With the loss of Khrushchev's “partner in peace and mutual respect” the more regressive elements in The Party apparatus were able to dismantle the modest reforms Khrushchev was able to institute.
Of course, much the same was true for the US as LBJ (whose domestic policy was rather good,) LBJ had much of the Nationalist ideology (as envisioned by the CIA, the Pentagon, and the entire National Security Apprati—which might be included in the term “The US Imperium) in him that is destroying all semblance of popular rule in nearly all Western Liberal Democracies today.
Relating to 2023, we have several examples of how this Nationalist shift has created for us. The belligerence toward all national entities (Russia and China, certainly, but also Iran, Venezuela and Cuba, to mention but a few) has become the driving force informing foreign policy making. This has come to dominate even Domestic Policy as paying for these Wars we, either fight or have fought for us, precludes attending the needs of the People of the USA.
Starting early 2000s (remember much can be traced back to the 1953 coup of Mosaddegh—Iran and the 1954 coup of Árbenz—Guatamala by Eisenhower), but with the Second Bush War Against Iraq in 2003 the Nationalist Agenda has continually become dominant and controls the entire US Empire.
In preparation for justifying the Invasion of Iraq, the invasion of Afghanistan (the longest war in US history which accomplished none of its stated goals: the Taliban controls more of Afghanistan than it did in 2001. And, we accomplished no effective diminution of al Qaeda: our primary goal for invading Afghanistan.
After the Iraqi debacle, came the destruction of Libya—now a failed state which regularly holds “open air slave auctions” and has two competing governments. Curiously this devastation was accomplished using elements of al Qaeda posing as Libyan insurgents.
Next, the attempted removal of al-Assad—Syria. This involved the importation of Salafists and Wahhabists primarily from Sa’udi Arabia to act as Syrian insurgents. (Note that the bulk of al Qaeda came from these same two sects of Islam. They formed the core of ISIS and other Jihadist groups, eg Boko Haram—the Sahel and al-Shabaab—Somalia.) Few, if any, actual Syrians were members of the so-called “Free Syrian Army”. However, many of those who were in the “Free Syrian Army” formed ISIS.
These examples of Military Adventurisms have proven disastrous to the US reputation in the Global South, to our economy and to the constitutional rights and guarantees which must be curtailed to maintain support for these imperialist adventures.
I’ll wait for another article to address the implications of the Ukrainian Proxy War with Russia and the Genocide in Gaza—both of which only exacerbate the destruction of democratic processes like freedom of press and other violations of the Bill of Rights required to maintain and enrich of the War Industries Eisenhower both helped create and warned us about.
What is needed is a total restructuring of US Capitalism for as long as Capitalism remains intact we will never remove the corrupting influence money has on our political leadership class.
I know of three individuals who are vying for our votes as President who have the gumption to tackle both the system of economic exploitation and the Imperial War Machine which it uses to maintain its dominance of citizens and the world’s population alike.
Those three are Claudia dela Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation; Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party and Dr. Cornel West who is running as an independent. Each of these folks are dedicated to the dismantling, not only, Imperialism but of starting the process of dismantling the Capitalist System that profits from and maintains the Empire.