Date: Wed, 15 May 96 10:34:55 GMT
Subject: Re: crisis



Crises can occur over extended periods of time.

Rome wasn't built in a day, but nor did it fall apart in a day.
But it is still valid to talk about the rise of feudalism out of
the crisis of slavery.

Why were the Incas conquered by the conquistadors ? Allowing for
the difference in military technology, they were still vastly
outnumbered. The reason was that the Incas were too busy fighting
amongst themselves to effectively gang up on the conquistadors.
Perhaps there weren't enough Incas sufficiently motivated to
throw themselves at the conquistadors' bullets to allow others
to get at them. All this indicates that at the time of the
invasion, there was some sort of social crisis going on.

This is certainly case for the Roman Empire - the burden of taxation
on the previously well motivated citizen / soldiers had basically
demotivated them. But this burdern of taxation indicates an 
appropraited surplus to small for the Roman ruling classes needs -
for whatever reason. The vandals, goths or whatever were just the
straw that broke the camels back.

But, crucial to my idea of crisis, over whatever time scale, is that
the only solution is a new class imposing a new set of social relations
on society, and whether or not this happens is a matter of class struggle,
whose outcome is not predetermined, and if the new, progressive, revolutionary
class does not break the fetters of the old social relations, the society
collapses. This is why I said that there was no option, after a certain
point, of technological progress without the rise of class society.

I forget what they were called, but I visited an old archeological site
somewhere near the New Mexico / Arizona / Colorado border, where a 
whole civilisation does seem to have literally dissappeared for no 
apparent reason - do you know what I'm talking about - it's quite
near neck of the woods, sort of.

Adam.


Adam Rose
SWP
Manchester
UK


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