Maailmantalouden kriisi ja kansainvälisen politiikan voimasuhteiden muutos 1970-luvulla

Authors

• Jyrki Käkönen

Abstract

The article first describes the general features of the crises in the world economy and also the changes in the world political system during the 70s. But the main object of the study is to determine how far it is possible to explain both economic and political phenomena from the point of view of marxist theory. The theoretical framework is the classical marxist theory of imperialism and the principal focus is thus on the process of the extended accumulation of capital. — It can be stated that the crises in the world economy are crises of the capitalist mode of production and they stem from the unequal development of the different national capitalist systems. One of the basic results of this unequal development has been the erosion of the US hegemony in the capitalist world system. That change is also reflected in the crises in international »régime» institutions, which function as a political base for capitalist accumulation on a world scale. — The arguments advanced in the study suggest that there are three possible ways of resolving the crises of the 70s. First, the revitalizing of the US hegemony in the international system. Second, the reorganization of the international system, without introducing structural changes into that system. This, however, would require a new hegemonic centre. Third, the changing of the structures of the international system and also the strengthening of the role of the international organizations.