Primitive Accumulation/Colonialism

Primitive Accumulation/Colonialism
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Primitive Accumulation/Colonialism
The world’s history is anchored on changing regimes. Socio-economic and political changes have all contributed to the present systems of governance, trade, or even education. Presently, capitalism remains the primary operational platform for most world economies. That raises questions on how many changes the world has experienced since the end of feudalism. From an analytical point of view, the world still operates within primitive accumulation and colonialism bearing present-day inputs in social classes, labor relations, and governance.
Importance of Primitive Accumulation
The importance of primitive accumulation in the US stems from the position in which the US is placed, bearing its adoption of the principles of capital accumulation through Marxian economics. Marx argues that primitive accumulation is purposely structured to privatize the means of production (Jacques & Rebeyrol, 2010). In that sense, exploiting individuals within an economy can accrue more resources from the surplus labor and resources from the individuals who lack and must work or provide for them through labor or material resources. The US remains a primary beneficiary of this economic model, especially with the abolition of feudal economic systems in favor of capitalism. As such, the US has created a free market with innovation as its principal driver. The value of this model is also anchored on capital accumulation based on efficiency, thereby allowing consumers to enjoy lower prices. In David Harvey’s interpretation of primitive accumulation, the US has further benefited from primitive accumulation by instilling a system that is skewed to strengthen its key industries. Take, for instance, the pharmaceutical industry that seeks inputs from how herbs can be turned into medicine before patenting the innovation to create more resources for their growth.
Primitive accumulation bears links to settler colonialism and slave trade, a principal element of the West’s economic growth. Based on Marxist understanding, both settler colonialism and slave trade bore one significant similarity, which was the dissolution of private property based on the labor of its owner (Jacques & Rebeyrol, 2010). It is also worth noting that the chief moments of primitive accumulation or the moments where feudalism was abolished for the new economic model were accompanied by significant activities surrounding settler colonialism and the slave trade. Some of such activities included the revitalization of Africa into a hunting ground for black-skins, the onset of conquest and looting of East Indies, entombment and enslavement of the mines of the aboriginal population, and the discovery of gold and silver in the UZS. Combined, such activities marked the onset of economic classes and the development of possessors and non-possessors in the US.
The importance of both Indigenous Genocide and African Enslavement
The advancements in primitive accumulation were set on a range of activities, including the indigenous genocide and the African enslavement. The indigenous genocide was the mass destruction of the communities of the indigenous people in North America (Stevenson, 2017). Colonial expansion is noted to have triggered the elimination of the indigenous people from their resources. The genocides ended ...