Anti-capitalism

{{Short description|Political ideology and movement opposed to capitalism}} {{about|the political movement opposed to capitalism|arguments against capitalism|Criticism of capitalism}} [[File:Pyramid of Capitalist System.jpg|thumb|right|The "[[Pyramid of Capitalist System]]" cartoon made by the [[Industrial Workers of the World]] (1911) is an example of a socialist [[Criticism of capitalism|critique of capitalism]] and of [[social stratification]].]] {{Capitalism sidebar}}

'''Anti-capitalism''' is a [[political ideology]] and [[Political movement|movement]] encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose [[capitalism]]. Anti-capitalists seek to combat the worst effects of capitalism and to eventually replace capitalism with alternative [[economic systems]] such as [[socialism]] and [[communism]].

== Characteristics == Anti-capitalism can range from a [[reformism|reformist position]], which aims to limit corporate power and oppose neoliberal policies, to a [[radical politics|radical position]], which entirely rejects [[capitalism]] and seeks to replace the existing [[social order]]. Key principles of anti-capitalism, as outlined by the charter of the [[World Social Forum]], include a committent to [[democracy]] and [[egalitarianism]].{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=76}} Anti-capitalists view capitalism either as a [[social relation]] or as a distinct [[economic system|economic]] and [[political system]], and how they view it informs their methods of opposing it. Reformist anti-capitalism places itself in opposition to specific economic practices, including [[commodification]] and [[capital accumulation]], and seeks to combat the [[Externality#Negative|negative externalities]] of capitalism without fundamentally altering the economic system; on the other hand, forms of [[revolutionary socialism]] see capitalism as a fundamentally flawed social system that needs to be overthrown and replaced. Although the reformist and revolutionary perspectives differ, they are not necessarily distinct, with anti-capitalists often taking aspects of one or the other depending on the material conditions they are faced with.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=76-77}}

Various economic systems have been proposed as an alternative to capitalism. American economist [[Michael Albert]] proposed a system of [[participatory economics]], a kind of [[democratic socialism]] which would involve [[social ownership]], [[workers' self-management]], [[participatory planning]] and system of remuneration [[To each according to his contribution|based on contribution]], among other factors.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=77-78}} [[Neozapatismo]] emphasises the [[self-determination]] of [[indigenous peoples]] and a form of [[participatory democracy]] that stands in contrast to the [[centralisation]] and [[vanguardism]] of [[authoritarian socialism|authoritarian socialist tendencies]].{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=78}}

== History == Early opposition to the rise of capitalism first arose during the 17th century, when [[Feudalism|feudal]] [[landlord|landowners]] first came under threat from the increasing power of [[businessperson|business owners]]. During the 19th century, the [[Industrial Revolution]] gave rise to [[mass production]], which accelerated the shift away from [[mercantilism]] as the predominant economic system and the [[globalization]] of capitalism. The [[division of labour]] within this industrial capitalist economy led to the rapid growth of the [[working class]], who were increasingly drawn towards anti-capitalism and organised themselves in [[trade union]]s and [[Socialist Party|socialist parties]].{{Sfn|Wallerstein|1974|p=410}}

== Contemporary anti-capitalist movement == ===1960s–1980s=== Contemporary anti-capitalism finds its roots among the [[New Left]] and the [[counterculture of the 1960s]], which infused anti-capitalism with a [[postmodernism|postmodern tendency]] by the end of the [[Cold War]].{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=80}} During this period, anti-capitalism began to developed within the [[environmental movement]], with [[green politics]] drawing a lot of its influence from the New Left and groups such as [[Greenpeace]] aligning themselves against [[economic growth]] and pioneering new methods of [[direct action]] which had previously been advocated by [[anarchism|anarchists]].{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=81-82}} [[Radical environmentalism|Radical environmentalists]] such as [[Earth First]], which infused their green politics with anti-capitalism, used [[decentralisation|decentralised]] [[clandestine cell system]]s to carry out large-scale acts of [[sabotage]]; tactics which would later be taken up by the wider anti-capitalist movement.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=82-83}} Capitalism was increasingly seen as responsible for [[environmental degradation]], leading to the adoption of anti-capitalism by those who aimed to stop it.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=84}}

===1990s=== By the 1990s, [[neoliberalism]] had asserted a [[hegemony|hegemonic influence]] over the [[world economy|global economy]]. In reaction against the rise of neoliberalism, a new anti-capitalist movement began to take shape.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=75}} The contemporary anti-capitalist movement first emerged in January 1994, with the [[Zapatista uprising]] against the implementation of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA).{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=78}} Zapatista spokesperson [[Subcomandante Marcos]] explicitly expressed [[solidarity]] with [[minority group]]s throughout the world, seeking to make a common cause with others who experienced [[oppression]] under globalized capitalism.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=79}} The [[Zapatista territories|Zapatista autonomous region]] in [[Chiapas]] inspired a new generation of anti-capitalists worldwide.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=79-80}} Anti-capitalists began to defend [[cultural pluralism]] and stand in solidarity with [[indigenism|indigenous rights movements]], breaking from the 20th century's anti-capitalist movement, which had few links with the [[Decolonization|decolonial]] and [[anti-racism|anti-racist]] movements of its period.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=80-81}}

In 1995, the establishment of the [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO), which sought to promote a neoliberal policy of [[economic globalization]], met with opposition from the nascent [[anti-globalization movement]] (also known as the [[alter-globalization]] movement or [[global justice movement]]).{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=75-76}} Other opponents of neoliberal globalization included [[nationalism|nationalists]] and [[fundamentalism|religious fundamentalists]], although these tendencies differed widely from anti-capitalism in their principles and objectives.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=76}} The anti-capitalist movement provided a [[militant]] opposition to the WTO and its [[General Agreement on Trade in Services]], distinguishing their [[progressive politics]] from the prevailing [[liberal democracy|liberal democratic politics]] which upheld these institutions and had resigned to a belief that [[There is no alternative|no alternative existed]].{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=77}} English philosopher [[Mark Fisher]] referred to this phenomenon as [[capitalist realism]].{{sfn|Fisher|2009|p=2}}

Towards the end of the 1990s, the British environmentalist group [[Reclaim the Streets]] sought to build ties with the anti-globalisation movement, culminating with the [[Carnival Against Capital]] on 18 June 1999 in [[London]]. Although the protest precipitated a decline in the British anti-capitalist movement, following the rise of [[Tony Blair]]'s [[New Labour]] government, it also renewed contacts within the international anti-capitalist movement and accelerated a shift towards revolutionary anti-capitalism.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=83-84}} During the late 1990s, confrontations between militant anti-capitalists and the police became commonplace at [[G8]] summits and [[Ministerial Conference|WTO conferences]], which were regularly targeted for protests by a diverse and decentralised coalition of organisations.{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|pp=84-85}} The largest of these were the [[1999 Seattle WTO protests]], where [[anarchism in the United States|anarchists]], [[Environmental movement in the United States|environmentalists]] and [[trade unions in the United States|trade unionists]] caused conference negotiations to collapse; this inspired a new wave of anti-capitalist [[activism]] in the 21st century, with large protests taking place against the [[26th G8 summit]] in [[Prague]] and the [[27th G8 summit]] in [[Genoa]].{{Sfn|Gilbert|2008|p=85}}

===2000s=== {{Empty section|date=April 2026}}

===2010s=== During the 2010s, anti-capitalist ideas became synonymous with the a broader wave of global protest movements with regards to [[Financial crisis|economic crises]], policies on [[austerity]], and growing inequality following the [[2008 financial crisis]]. Mass mobilisations, including occupations of public spaces and large-scale demonstrations, were a defining feature of the decade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arts |first=The |date=2019-12-29 |title=A look back at 10 of the biggest social movements of the 2010s, and how they shaped Seattle |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/a-look-back-at-10-of-the-biggest-social-movements-of-the-2010s-and-how-they-shaped-seattle/ |access-date=2026-04-26 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

Movements during this period differed in form from earlier anti-globalization protests. Rather than focusing primarily on international summits, more began to adopt sustained occupations and “movement of the squares” tactics, [[Flat organization|flat organisation]], and [[participatory democracy]]. Protests framed their demands in terms of [[majoritarianism]], presenting themselves as representing “[[We are the 99%|the 99%]]”, or any part of the broader population affected by inequality.<ref>Gerbaudo, P. (2022). From Occupy Wall Street to the Gilets Jaunes: On the populist turn in the protest movements of the 2010s. ''Capital & Class'', 47(1), p.030981682211372. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/03098168221137207</ref>

===2020s=== {{Expand section|date=June 2025}}

== See also == {{Portal|Anarchism|Communism|Politics|Socialism}} {{cols|colwidth=16em}} * [[Accumulation by dispossession]] * [[Adbusters]] * [[Anti-Capitalist Convergence]] * [[Anti-consumerism]] *[[Anti-system politics]] *[[Anti-politics]] * [[Christian views on poverty and wealth]] * [[Culture jamming]] * [[Economics of fascism|Fascist economy]] * [[Degrowth]] * [[Distributism]] * [[Eye of a needle]] * [[Foundations of Real-World Economics]] * [[Humanistic economics]] * [[Islam and poverty|Islamic views on poverty]] * [[List of anti-capitalist and communist parties with national parliamentary representation]] * [[New Anticapitalist Party]] * [[Post-capitalism]] * [[Real utopias]] * [[Real-world economics]] * [[Religious economy (disambiguation)|Religious economy]] * [[Religious views on capitalism]] * [[Social democracy]] * [[Solidarity economy]] * [[Syndicalism]] {{colend}}

== References == {{Reflist|2}}

== Bibliography == * {{cite book |last=Fisher|first=Mark |author-link=Mark Fisher|date=2009 |title=[[Capitalist Realism|Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?]]|location= |publisher= [[John Hunt Publishing]]|isbn=978-1846943171}} * {{cite book |last1=Gilbert |first1=Jeremy |title=Anticapitalism and culture: radical theory and popular politics |date=2008 |publisher=Berg |isbn=978-1-84788-451-0 |url=https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-273844 |chapter=Another World Is Possible: The Anti-Capitalist Movement |pages=75–106}} * {{cite journal|last=Latham |first=Robert |year=2018 |title=Contemporary capitalism, uneven development, and the arc of anti-capitalism |journal=Global Discourse |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=169–186 |doi=10.1080/23269995.2018.1461339 }} * {{cite journal |last1=Wallerstein |first1=Immanuel |title=The Rise and Future Demise of the World Capitalist System: Concepts for Comparative Analysis |journal=[[Comparative Studies in Society and History]] |date=September 1974 |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=387–415 |doi=10.1017/S0010417500007520 |s2cid=73664685}}

== Further reading == {{Library resources box}} * {{cite book|last=Adamovsky|first=Ezequiel|author-link=Ezequiel Adamovsky|year=2011|orig-year=2008|title=Anti-capitalism: the new generation of emancipatory movements|url=https://archive.org/details/anticapitalismne0000adam/|url-access=registration|publisher=[[Seven Stories Press]]|translator-first=Marie|translator-last=Trigona|isbn=9781609800871}} * {{cite journal|last=Blackledge|first=Paul|year=2005|title='Anti-Leninist' anti-capitalism: a critique|journal=Contemporary Politics|volume=11|issue=2–3|pages=99–116|doi=10.1080/13569770500275114}} * {{cite book|last=Gilbert|first=Jeremy|year=2006|chapter=Cultural studies and anti-capitalism|editor-last=Hall|editor-first=Gary|title=New Cultural Studies: Adventures in Theory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pHsxEAAAQBAJ|pages=181–199|publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]]|isbn=978-0-7486-2208-5}} * {{cite book |last=Harvey|first=David |author-link=David Harvey|date=2020 |title=The Anti-Capitalist Chronicles|url= |location= |publisher=[[Pluto Press]]|page= |isbn=978-0745342085|access-date=}} * {{cite journal|last=Heartfield|first=James|author-link=James Heartfield|year=2003|title=postmodern desertions capitalism and anti-capitalism|journal=Interventions|volume=5|issue=2|pages=271–289|doi=10.1080/1369801031000112996}} * {{cite book|last=Lowes|first=David E.|year=2006|title=The Anti-Capitalist Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ufPPkAwVOgC|publisher=[[Zed Books]]|isbn=978-1-84277-682-7}} * {{cite journal|last=Malherbe|first=Nick|year=2023|title=A Psychoanalytic Case for Anti-capitalism as an Organisational Form|journal=Theory, Culture & Society|volume=41|issue=6|pages=77–94|doi=10.1177/02632764231178648|doi-access=free}} * {{cite book |last=Mattei|first=Clara |author-link=Clara Mattei|date=2026 |title=Escape from Capitalism: An Intervention|url= |location= |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|page= |isbn=978-1668085141|access-date=}} * {{cite book|last=McNally|first=David|author-link=David McNally (professor)|year=2006|title=Another World Is Possible: Globalization and Anti-Capitalism|url=https://archive.org/details/anotherworldispo0000mcna|url-access=registration|publisher=[[Arbeiter Ring Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-85036-585-6}} * {{cite book|last=Morland|first=Dave|year=2012|chapter-url=https://www.manchesterhive.com/downloadpdf/display/9781526137289/9781526137289.00008.pdf|chapter=Anticapitalism and poststructuralist anarchism|editor-last1=Purkis|editor-first1=Jonathan|editor-last2=Bowen|editor-first2=James|title=Changing anarchism: Anarchist theory and practice in a global age|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|isbn=9780719066955|pages=23–38}} * {{cite journal|last1=Sayre|first1=Robert|last2=Löwy|first2=Michael|author-link=Michael Löwy|year=1984|title=Figures of Romantic Anti-Capitalism|journal=New German Critique|issue=32|pages=42–92|doi=10.2307/488156|jstor=488156 }} * {{cite book|editor-last=Schalit|editor-first=Joel|year=2002|title=The anti-capitalism reader: imagining a geography of opposition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8GlSVoiOdzwC|publisher=[[Akashic Books]]|isbn=1-888451-33-5}} * {{cite book|last=Tormey|first=Simon|year=2013|orig-year=2004|url=https://archive.org/details/anticapitalismbe0000torm|url-access=registration|title=Anti-Capitalism: A Beginner's Guide|publisher=[[Oneworld Publications]]|isbn=978-1-78074-250-2}}

== External links == {{Commons category|Anti-capitalism}} * [http://www.marxists.de/anticap/theprax/index.htm Anti-capitalism: theory and practice] by [[Chris Harman]], SWP (2000). * [http://www.fifthinternational.org/content/publications/pamphlets/rough-guide-anticapitalist-movement Rough Guide to the Anti-Capitalist Movement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707171409/http://www.fifthinternational.org/content/publications/pamphlets/rough-guide-anticapitalist-movement |date=2022-07-07 }}, [[League for the Fifth International]] * {{cite news |last1=Rifkin |first1=Jeremy |title=The Rise of Anti-Capitalism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-anti-capitalism.html |work=The New York Times |date=15 March 2014 }} * [http://www.infoshop.org/ Infoshop.org Anarchists Opposed to Capitalism], Infoshop.org * [http://economicdemocracy.org/miners.html How The Miners Were Robbed] 1907 anti-capitalist pamphlet hosted at EconomicDemocracy * Sam Ashman [http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj98/ashman.htm "The anti-capitalist movement and the war"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328211705/http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/isj98/ashman.htm |date=2022-03-28 }} ''International Socialist Journal'' 2003 * [http://www.marxists.org/ Marxists Internet Archive] * Dr. Wladyslaw Jan Kowalski {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130310044524/http://aerobiologicalengineering.com/wxk116/Anticapitalism/ ''Anti-Capitalism: Modern Theory and Historical Origins'']}} * Aufheben, [http://libcom.org/library/anti-capitalist-aufheben-10 Anti-Capitalism as an ideology... and as a movement], Libcom.org * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071206064452/http://www.studiesinanti-capitalism.net/ Studies in Anti-Capitalism] * [https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/12/erik-olin-wright-real-utopias-anticapitalism-democracy/ How to Be an Anticapitalist Today]. [[Erik Olin Wright]] for ''[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]].'' December 2, 2015. * [https://www.ibtimes.com/infographic-where-people-are-losing-faith-capitalism-2910254 Infographic: Where People Are Losing Faith In Capitalism]. ''[[International Business Times]].'' January 27, 2020.

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