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Title: Lumpenbourgeoisie Author: Stuart Jan Date: Oct 14 2016 Language: en Topics: Lumpenproletariat, Lumpenbourgeoisie, class, class struggle, crime, organized crime Source: http://libcom.org/library/lumpenbourgeoisie-stuart-jan
Karl Marx defined the lumpenproletariat as members of a class below that
of the proletariat. This included vagabonds, homeless, criminals,
disenfranchised military and similar portions of society. Generally
deemed unfit to participate in the revolutionary efforts. A principle
which was greatly adapted by the Soviet Union and even Maoist China.
Typically the largest portion of this group were the peasants. Who
suffered a great deal of agitation and repression from the Soviet and
Maoist Vanguard.
There were, however, countering ideologies within communism. Such as
Makhnovism, lead by Nestor Makhno, a peasant himself. Who amassed the
Black Army, who at first aligned themselves with the Bolsheveiks in the
fight against the Tsarist White Army forces. This alliance quickly broke
apart after the October Revolution. As infighting and sectarian violence
began. Both with the Ukranian Makhnovists, but also with the libertarian
communists who were membered by the Black Guard in Russian metropolitan
regions.
There were several motivators for this attack on the Black communists.
Especially the exercise of Russian soverignity against Ukraine. But also
the notion that the peasants and criminal classes of the Black Army were
unfit revolutionaries.
Today, with the rise of the neoliberal establishment, however, classes
have begun to develop internal hierarchies. The war on drugs, combined
with housing segregation and ghettos after WW2 have partitioned classes
into separate microsocieties. These societies in turn then develop their
own regional bourgeoisie structures. The lumpenproletariat is no
exception to this.
So who are the lumpenbourgeoisie? As we have already defined what lumpen
signifies. We must then define what bourgeoisie means. Most people
mistake it to refer to the middle class. But in Marxist contexts it
refers to people with enough amassed capital to override the policies
demanded by democratic powers. It refers to the plutocrats of the world.
As such, the lumpenbourgeoisie are the plutocrats of the underworld.
They come in several shapes and forms, and have strong ties with the
power structure purported by capitalist and sometimes even vanguardist
states.
A good example would be the Front Nationalé in France. A mainstream
far-right political party guarded by institutional policies of free
expression by the state. Who would enlist gangs of Neo-Nazis to agitate
and terrorise people on the streets of Paris in the 1980’s in an effort
to curb immigration and opposing political ideas. Even high ranking
police officers would sympathise and oft times overlook crimes committed
by Neo-Nazi gang members according to interviews with members of
opposing vigilante groups. Who intimately describe how the police would
take Neo-Nazis into custody only to release them shortly after. Charges
dropped, and they would not even confiscate their weapons. [1]
These gangs ruled by violence, and would greatly influence the
democratic process in the region. As such they may very well qualify as
lumpenbourgeoisie.
Another example is chronicled by former US Army intelligence worker and
activist Stephen Kangas. In the same year as the CIA “Office of Policy
Coordination” is created, in which a secret charter specifies its
purpose to be “Propaganda, Economic Warfare, Preventive Direct Action,
including sabotage, antisabotage, demolition and evacuation procedures;
subversion against hostile states, including assistance to underground
resistance groups, and support of indigenous anti-communist elements in
threatened countries of the free world.”
Kangas then goes on to describe how in this year, 1948, the CIA proceeds
to use covert tactics to influence and rig the Italian election. Tactics
include buying votes, broadcasting propaganda, violence and intimidation
and also infiltration intended to disrupt rival political groups.
Considering the tactics the charter specifies. It is not unlikely that
they indeed delegated some of these tasks to lumpenbourgeoisie elements
in Italy. [2]
However, there are also historical examples of the lumpenbourgeoisie
operating as an independent authority. That rivals the power of the
surface bourgeoisie. One such example are the South American cartels.
The Medellin Cartel in Columbia had a cocaine industry with an annual
GDP measuring to about 2 billion US dollars. [3][4]
Keep in mind that this is an American billion. However, another article
by the Wall Street Journal estimates this figure might have been
doubled. [5] There are also other articles that dispute this claim and
say the organisation had a revenue of 420 million dollars every week at
it’s height. Indicating the annual GDP might have been as high as almost
23 billion dollars.[6][7] Meaning they controlled over 60% of Columbia’s
national GDP at the time.
Regardless of the sum, such a strong industry could have the capital to
rival the influence of surface bourgeoisie institutes.
The political power of the Medellin Cartel is certainly a matter of
public knowledge. Being able to at one point participate in open war
against the state and even collaborate with the FARC paramilitary group.
This shows how the prominence of a lumpenbourgeoisie institution can
grow beyond the ghettos and it’s class framed microsociety. To the point
where they have their own military resources.
This is not exclusive to the developing world either. An even greater
establishment of lumpenbourgeoisie can be found in continental Europe. A
network of smaller gangs operating as phalanges for an inner circle of
organised criminals. This ”hand” of the underworld economy, and who it
is that exactly controls it remains unknown to even the most powerful of
it’s participants.
This began in Russia during the early 90’s, as the Soviet Union
dissolved and transitioned into a neoliberal economy. This transition
was detrimental to the Russian people, particularly in small towns and
rural areas. As a result, crime became it’s own industry. With drug
distribution, firearms, human trafficking and bootlegging fuelling what
would become a strong industry with it’s own independent financialist
interests and institutions. As thousands of ”Bratvas” began to work
together.
The structure of the criminal underworld seems too chaotic and
unorganised to be considered an economy. However, when you look at the
core mechanics of capitalism. A similar pattern emerges, as thousands,
possibly millions of companies, corporations, conglomerates,
manufacturers, investment firms and other institutions work
independently and still remain tied together by the market forces. It is
an unorganised and arbitrary system orbiting around one guiding force.
Much like entire galaxies, who in their chaotic formations, orbit around
a black hole. A fitting metaphor to describe an economic model that will
eventually swirl into a vortex of endless consumption demand.
When you look at capitalism in this way, it becomes far more credible to
think that the underworld would manufacture their own parallel market
and create similar institutes to orbit it. Using bruisers, thugs, hitmen
and other enforcers to maintain the same hierarchy of violence as the
state would otherwise do.
So who created the European market for the underworld? It was a man by
the name of Semion Mogilevich. Semion was born in the U(krainian)SSR,
and established a criminal empire. However, unlike men before him in
similar situations. He was going to change the structure of organised
crime. Unlike the traditional Al Capone approach to running a mob, he
simply saw organised crime as step 1.
A way to get seeding money for legitimate investments.
Thus creating a bridge between the lumpenbourgeoisie and the surface
bourgeoisie. Starting his career with the Lyuberts Mafia group in
Russia. At this point he committed smaller crimes and counterfeiting. As
well as running a side business for funeral arrangements. In the 1980’s
he moved on to work with the Solntsevskaya organisation and at this
point he also ran a business of smuggling items for Jewish migrants. A
few years later he moved to Hungary and bought a nightclub in Budapest.
Which would serve as his headquarters. After this he began to purchase
other establishments in places such as Prague and Moscow to establish an
international network. This was important as we now see the transition
between new and old organised crime. He started his own company called
YBM Magnex and falsified documents in order to raise the value of stock
prices by 2000%.
This investment scheme was his first step into the financial world.
After that he invested into and controlled a company known as Army Co-Op
using one of his other firms. This company would then allow him to do a
takeover of the Digep machine factory. Formerly owned by the Hungarian
state. Digep was used to manufacture armaments, as we now see the
lumpenbourgeoisie actually appropriate not only industry belonging to
the surface bourgeoisie, but actually even appropriate vital state-run
industries through privatisation. At this point, even members of the
surface bourgeoisie work for Semion. Including Alexei Alexandrov. Who
holds degrees in economics and engineering, and was once a director of
BP Tradeproduction.
The industrial complex flourishes and a domino effect of investments and
takeovers, combined with an underlying industry of drug trafficking and
smuggling, eventually makes Semion one of the key figures in Russia’s
large natural gas industry. Owning several pipelines in Eastern Europe.
Semion is a free man to this day, supposedly living in Moscow without
ever facing prosecution for any criminal charges aside from one charge
of tax fraud.
Making him only an alleged figure of the international organised crime
industry. This may have to do with a confession made by a KGB agent
named Alexander Litvinenko. Who recorded himself on tape speaking about
Semion’s close relationship with Vladimir Putin, and by extension, the
Russian Federation. One year before his assassination. [8][9][10][11]
Which concludes the possibility and demonstrable presence of the
lumpenbourgeoisie. Who stands at the top of the hierarchy of violence,
within their own parallel capitalism. Much like the surface bourgeoisie
stand at the top of the well known and established hierarchy of violence
in legitimised capitalism.
I would even go further and suggest that one of the purposes of
neoliberalism is to create a symbiotic relationship between these new
and old bourgeoisie forces and to satiate a particular demand for
manageable institutes of violence in a world that is becoming more and
more democratic with each generation.
Long gone are the days of Pinkertons and corrupt police officers who
would do the bidding of the rich. As influences such as direct action,
journalism and acitivism demands more government transparency. While
there are certainly still abusive law enforcement agencies that are
often overlooked, fact still remains that large reformations have taken
place in the past two decades. As the police have become a weaker asset
to the bourgeoisie. Mainly maintaining class gaps and cultivating
climates of private property without direct involvement in bourgeoisie
agendas.
As such, to enforce the interests of financialist and capitalist forces
in the developing world, and lower class societies, organised crime is a
welcome substitute that remains directly obedient to the forces of
capital. Without any hindrance of public scrutiny. This can even be
demonstrated, as such an event took place not long ago in South America.
As in July 24, 2001, the Coca Cola Company was involved in contracting
far-right paramilitary hitmen from the Autodefencias Unidas de Colombia
to slay labour union activists in Columbia. The Autodefencias call
themselves a militia, but have been involved with drug trafficking and
are known to operate like a gang. [12][13][14] Generally persecuting
left wing groups in the Columbian region. Both peaceful and militant,
and will sometimes even slay family members and children belonging to
their proclaimed enemies. [15][16]
Much like the Mexican cartels, they exploit a climate of terror to
assert sovereignty in the underworld. [17][18] Having been known to use
chainsaws and machetes to torture, dismember and mutilate people in
order to inflict large scale intimidation upon neighbouring communities.
[19] The Columbian government admitted in court that they had sanctioned
these actions. [20][21] Further proving the fusion between the
lumpenbourgeoisie and surface bourgeoisie elements.
Coca Cola have adamantly denied their association with this group.
However, Javier Correa who is the president of the affected union,
Sinaltrainal, have testified to similar murders occurring since 1989.
The number of unionised labourers have also dropped by over 60% and he
proceeds to say that 14 union organisers have been assassinated. [22]
Many might wonder why Coca Cola is so involved in Columbian industry. It
is because they are the only company in the United States who have legal
sanction to use and process coca leaves as a flavouring for their
signature beverage. The bottles or cans omit listing this ingredient in
their contents, however. [23]
As the power dynamics change on a global scale. The uniformed
peacekeepers who would commit dark deeds behind closed doors when the
security cameras are turned off, are being assisted by the same groups
they claim to protect us from. As the new proletariat, and it’s lumpen
equivalents are faced with a new force of the ruling elite. If the
lumpenbourgeoisie and surface bourgeoisie have allied themselves, we
must ask ourselves if the lower and working classes will find the means
to do the same.
[1] ANTIFA: Chasseurs de Skins
[2] A Timeline of CIA Atrocities by Stephen Kangas
[3] http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303960604575158203628601096
[4] World bank estimate of Columbian GDP in 1987.
[5] http://www.wsj.com/ad/cocainenomics
[6] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/03/pablo-escobar-s-favorite-hitman-is-on-facebook-and-spilling-dirt.html
[7] http://www.businessinsider.com/pablo-escobar-and-rubber-bands-2015-9?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
[8] http://www.businessinsider.com/semion-mogilevich-relationship-with-putin-2015-1?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
[9] https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/october/mogilevich_102109
[10] http://www.businessinsider.com/tape-reveals-poisoned-ex-kgb-spy-making-accusations-against-putin-2015-1?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
[11] http://www.larryjkolb.com/file/docs/fbimogilevich.pdf
[12] http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/auc.htm
[13] http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/85
[14] http://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/auc
[15] https://www.crin.org/en/library/legal-database/mapiripan-massacre-v-colombia
[16] http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/articulos/seriec_134_ing.pdf
[17] https://www.crin.org/en/library/legal-database/mapiripan-massacre-v-colombia
[18] http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/articulos/seriec_134_ing.pdf
[19] http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/articulos/seriec_134_ing.pdf
[20] http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/casos/articulos/seriec_134_ing.pdf
[21] http://www.globalresearch.ca/declassified-documents-1997-mapirip-n-massacre-coordinated-in-advance-with-colombian-army/31962
[22] http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/26/world/union-says-coca-cola-in-colombia-uses-thugs.html
[23] http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obtains-its-coca.html