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agreement of businesses and labor unions, capital flows from north to south, class changes within Germany, Class conflict, David Ruccio, Greek debt negotiations, Michael Pettis, nation-state-based models, Real-World Economics Review Blog, Relative productivity, Surplus capture, there is no “Germany”, there is no “Spain”
from David Ruccio
Most of the commentary on the ongoing euro crisis, especially the current Greek debt negotiations, has been couched in terms of a conflict between nations. This is particularly true of mainstream economists, whose nation-state-based models downplay or ignore class, even as the policies they advocate have tremendous class implications.
So, it’s fallen to—however ironically—financial strategist and professor of finance Michael Pettis to remind us the current conflict is not between nations, but between classes.
The whole piece, beginning with the French indemnity of 1871-73, is worth a careful read. But I want to focus here on what Pettis writes about the class conditions that led to and follow on from the current crisis.
First, Pettis makes the important point that the capital flows from north to south within the euro zone were based on important class changes within Germany (he uses his native Spain throughout as his…
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