Our time seems to be the time of fusions of big companies. News of such fusions
and megafusions reach us more or less once per week. The stock market reacts
to these news with enthusiasm, the public opinion seems to be somehow confused
and concerned. The situation is unprecedented in several aspects. The mega-companies
are gaining more and more power, their economic potential nullifies the political
power of small and medium-size states.It means that new power centres are emerging
that are outside the control by democratic mechanisms. Instead of strengthening
of the democracy in the world we are witnessing its downgrading. As there are
less and less big firms, important changes are about to occur in the market
regulation. The statistical rules of competition that allowed the consumer to
control the producer to some degree are not effective any more. It becomes more
and more difficult to avoid the rise of monopolies, cartels and dividing of
the markets between the megacompanies.
Something has decisively changed in the psychological climate of the economy.
The competition has become struggle where less and less attention is paid to
the choice of means. It is a struggle for life and death: the aim is no more
maximizing profits but getting rid of the enemy, either by liquidating it or
swallowing it: for the loser its nearly the same. The number of players in the
big business is decreasing rapidly.
The victorious megacompanies as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, MacDonalds or Boeing can
often ignore both the market rules and laws. Their financial power is sufficient
to kill any potential competitor. And the legislators are more dependant on
them than they on the legislators. The competition between companies is being
replaced by the competition between the nations for the favours of big companies,
for their investment. A nation that takes steps against the interests of Microsoft,
Coke or MacDonalds sooner or later end up in financial difficulties and sooner
or later their government is replaced by one that pays more attention to the
interests of the big business. The times when megacompanies toppled and installed
governements, organizing coups with the help of armed groups, are over. Nowadays
the capital has in its hands more powerful weapons that can bring even the governments
of big nations to their knees. The aggressive takeover of Mannesmann by Vodafone
against the will of the German government, and probably also of the German people
shows us what are the forces who are now endangering the German democracy. These
forces have a different origin than the Nazi-ism that once destroyed democracy,
however, their impact can be similar.
We can find many similarities between the propaganda techniques worked out and
used by the Nazis and the advertizing techniques used by the present rulers
of the world. But these techniques have also parallels with the Soviet propaganda.
A former Soviet citizen can easily notice how the Party agitprop that had such
a central role in the mass media has now been replaced by an agitprop by big
companies , their advertizing. In the place of Communism that was the name of
our happy future, we now see the slogans, logos and flashes of cosmetics firms,
whiskey sellers, sanitary towels makers, toothpaste manufacturers and travel
agencies that display much more ingenuity and technical skill. Still the basic
message of both the Communist Party and the big firms is the same: believe in
us and do what we teach you to do, and you will be happy. This message is of
course not an original one, both Communist propaganda and the Coca-Cola company
have borrowed it from the Christian gospels. Communism and Consumerism are two
secular sects, originating in Christianity. As the former one is now vanishing
from the world scene, the latter is enjoying an unprecedented success, conquering
one nation and one continent after another and subjecting even the religion
itself to its interests.
What is the result of this globalization and concentration process? A former
Soviet citizen already has a name for the coming New Brave World. He or she
will call it Soviet Union, the second coming of the Soviet Union. Indeed, the
world seems to be moving in the direction that was taken by the Soviet Union
before its fall. In the USSR, the economy was run by some monopolies fused with
the state and the party and on whose production and its prices the people had
no control. This amalgamated power dictated the people its way of life and consumption.
Critizising the power was a harshly punished crime. There was no middle class
in the USSR, only executives of one huge corporation and the proletarian masses
under their authority. In the USSR the main task of the press was to advertize
the state, its monopolies and its ideology, there was no free press. How long
will there be a free press in this new brave world? - thinks the former Soviet
citizen. Probably until the megacompanies have gained control over main papers,
TV channels and the internet. But the process is going on, and the time when
a group of magnates will have in their hands the finaces, the industry, the
communication and information, the time when a journalist will no more be able
to publish critical materials about Microsoft, Coca-Cola, MacDonalds or the
Rupert Murdoch empire, is approaching at a fast pace.
Is it inavoidable? Cant we do something to oppose such a development? - asks
the former Soviet citizen. He or she sees that most people around him or her,
especially in the former East dont ask such questions. It seems as if the people
have become smaller, resigned, are doing what the new rulers of the world are
expecting them to do. Where are the rebels, the dissidents? - asks the former
Soviet citizen. Arent there really any forces capable of stopping this second
coming of the USSR from the back door?