Written by: Contributed on 2 September 2026
It is relatively easy to use the term barbarism when referring to specific acts of violence such as those occurring in parts of the world today. This is particularly relevant to what is taking place in Gaza. However, this view of barbarism is limited and limiting in terms of understanding what Marx meant when in 1853 in “The Future Results of the British Rule in India,” he referred to the “profound hypocrisy and inherent barbarism of bourgeois civilization.”
Definitions
There are several definitions of the term barbarism. For example, Marx in “The German Ideology” and Engels in “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State”, referred to the order of stages of social development as primitive communism, savagery, barbarism, feudalism and capitalism, with the latter two representing civilisation. The word “primitive”, and the two stages following it, came from Euro-centric, early studies of ethnography which Marx and Engels had studied and drawn from. They are now recognised as inadequate, inaccurate and insulting to Indigenous peoples.
Another common use of the term barbarism addresses the aspect of regression associated with the collapse of a society, such as the collapse of the Roman Empire.
The 1853 quote from Marx on inherent barbarism is much broader and may be applied to all class societies where the State, in meeting the particular needs of the class(es) it represents reflects an inherent contradiction within the society. Under certain circumstances this can lead to fundamental change, (e.g., the collapse of the Roman Empire). The emphasis is on recourse to force and violence with which bourgeois society deals with its contradictions with others, not on the implied intelligence levels of those it has conflict with.
The following comments relate to this particular use of the term in the current situation of capitalism and the decline of US imperialism.
Different Manifestations of Barbarism
Dealing with barbarism within capitalist society requires a clear understanding of what Marx and others have determined and an appreciation of how it is both manifested and latent (disguised) within different situations and countries with the development of capitalism and its higher form of imperialism. For Marx the fundamental contradictions within capitalism provide a latent basis for barbarism and under certain circumstances result in its overt manifestation. As he stated, "Beneath the thin layer of culture and modern civilization, there are forces that resemble barbarism at its worst." At the time of writing, he was highlighting the role that capitalism was playing in other countries through colonial rule as well as the subjugation and exploitation of the British working class.
The overt manifestation of barbarism within capitalism occurs when the ruling class can no longer maintain control through ideology and indoctrination. It occurs when the contradiction between the relations of production and the means of production reaches a point where the weight of capitalist exploitation results in mass dislocation and rebellion. The contradiction becomes so overt that the transparency between what is promoted through the existing channels of propaganda and what is taking place reveals the disconnect referred to above.
In the early 1900’s Rosa Luxembourg stated, “All the riches of the earth” would be subjugated to capital; and the world’s population converted into wage slaves. The “civilized world,” which she properly placed in quotes, had turned into the fiercest, most brutal form of barbarism the world had ever seen - armed as it was with weapons of fearsome destruction and propelled forward by an insatiable urge for economic expansion.
At that time in history the manifestation of the latent barbarism within capitalism was clear. Her observation applies equally to capitalist relations of production today. We are witnessing acts of violence and genocide in other parts of the world. While such developments have not occurred on such a scale in recent times within Australia, we are seeing an increasing emphasis on the suppression of demonstrations and actions aimed at exposing these acts of overt barbarism.
A very important question is the extent to which the real potential for overt barbarism is manifesting in countries like Australia and how an understanding of it can be applied constructively to achieve socialism. This is an issue of how explicit the contradiction between the ruling class and workers in general have become. It concerns the question of how this contradiction can be related to the role of US imperialism at this stage of its decline and the impact on class struggle in Australia.
The International Situation
What we are seeing in the current international situation is the decline of US imperialism and the impact that is having in particular on western capitalist civilization. The relationship between US imperialism decline and proxies such as Australia requires ongoing study and interpretation. (This is also closely related to the rapid growth of Chinese social-imperialism).
Marx and Lenin describe the proletariat as being international in nature. This doesn’t mean they don’t live in particular countries with their specific history and nature of class struggle. It does mean the very essence of their struggle is international in that they represent the common interest of the proletariat worldwide. The focus and outcome are conditioned by the international nature of imperialism and reflects the necessary establishment of a world order that is no longer focused on the specific interests of the capitalists in their pursuit of profit.
The manifestation of barbarism in the current world situation exists within this context and can be understood in the same way. The uneven development of nations and class struggle means that barbarism is manifested in different forms and to different degrees due to the essential social and historical nature of each country and their position and role in relation to the imperialist powers. It is an international phenomenon and does reflect the current stage of capitalist imperialist development.
At the international level we have the declining US imperialist power that has accrued a debt of massive proportions. Currently the US debt is well in excess of 100% of GDP and growing in the form of billions of dollars each year. We have seen how the US is trying to address this with the tariffs introduced recently (this is just one example) and through overt forces and intimidation internationally.
In terms of the manifestation of the contradictions between productive forces and the relations of production leading to overt barbarism it is important that this debt is understood. While it is not the focus of this article, it is essential that the economic developments are analysed. This relates directly to the relationship between industrial capital and finance capital and the role the latter is playing in facilitation the massive and growing debt in so many countries. As shown recently the Australian debt is now in excess of 1 trillion dollars and growing.
Very briefly, the focus of capitalism is on capital growth. What this means is that there has to be a continuous reinvestment of “surplus capital” year on year and this capital expansion is expressed in terms of an annual percentage (e.g., 3%). For this growth to be substantial it is essential that there is increased investment in industrial capital. What we are seeing is the inability to realise this investment and an attempt to enable the necessary growth through the use of manipulative financial initiatives and programs. However, debt is debt and this has to be addressed. At the moment the bottom line is an attempt to cover this debt by attacking the basic needs of the working populations. For example, flat and declining wages, increased cost of living, programs that favour non-productive investments (e.g., existing housing).
The ongoing and rapidly increasing decline of US imperialism is apparent in so many ways. We have a leader who is clearly identifying with the interests of a cohort of billionaires with no obvious concern for the welfare of the working people within the US. This is resulting in a growing class consciousness through the overt manifestations of the contradictions referred to above. However, this does not necessarily lead to socialist revolution (more shortly). We have increasing international conflict with what is now recognised as a complete disregard for international law and the institutions that exist to protect such laws.
A particular threat of barbarism is posed by AI, which has both a positive and a negative side to it.
An article in the Wall Street Journal last August compared AI’s capacity for efficient economic planning and the allocation of resources with the chaos and social polarisation of market forces which were given full play under neo-liberalism. The article observed that AI “could serve as the handmaid of the socialist planned economy that so many dreamt of in the 20th century but that was never remotely realistic — until now.”
The bottom line is always "AI for whom?" If AI is being presented by the capitalist media as a promise for the social salvation of the workers, and sold to them on that basis, then capitalist relations of production will always stand in the way.
This is the theme of a recent book by Gil Duran titled The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley and the War on Democracy. Duran systematically examines the pro-fascist values of “men who believe their money and technology entitle them to rule”, and the merging of tech billionaires with Trump’s MAGA authoritarians. His warning is that “Current AI models are designed to extract and enslave, not share and liberate”, and while he sees AI as a potential to be used for humanity, as did the author if the WSJ article, his conclusion is that unless capitalism is ended, AI will only result in the furthering of those whose interests are best served by barbarism. Capitalism, he says has “reached the end stage. Today’s capitalists openly plot to destroy the planet and extinguish human life for the sake of endless quarterly growth.”
When looking at US imperialism's decline it is essential to see how this relates to the rapid growth of China’s social-imperialism. Again, it is not the intention of this article to cover such a development in detail but history demonstrates that when you have a situation such as this, outright conflict is a very real possibility. And the possibility of conflict is enhanced when the capitalist nature of China and its role in establishing itself as the replacement imperialist power is not addressed.
The National Situation
To say that overt barbarism is a possibility in Australian society is not to suggest that the majority of the people are engaged in or explicitly support this development. However, barbarism is always in the background, a latent capacity that the ruling class draws on from time to time as contradictions sharpen. It will become the norm when those contradictions make the ruling class unable to rule in the old way, having run out of all other options. Of course, lacking its own independence, the bourgeoise here attaches itself to, is complicit in, and openly supports the barbarism with which the US imperialists seek to maintain their hegemony.
To understand how overt acts of barbarism occur it is necessary to understand the dislocation between the social needs of people in general and the complicity of the ruling class in the promotions of policies and programs that contribute its development. As previously stated, in Marxist terms this is based on the dislocation between the rapidly developing productive forces and the existing relations of production. While understanding this provides a necessary basis for revolutionary work it does not in itself enable a practical, constructive approach.
Since WW2 Australia has been a proxy for the US and its implementation of a world order based on the Marshall Plan and related developments. With globalisation it became a very important “ally” of the US and this relationship has escalated with the US decline. Up until recently it has been relatively easy to obscure the contradiction between the ruling class and workers in general because of the relative affluence of Australian workers. This has enabled the promotion of propaganda and ideology that separated the concerns of people and their specific needs and the needs of workers worldwide. It enables complacency in the face of obvious acts of racism and genocide. This complacency is itself a reflection of the latent form of barbarism that exists within capitalist Australia.,
It is essential that the specific nature of Australian capitalism and the ruling classes relationship with the US is clear. We have a situation where the subservience to the US is becoming increasing overt. While it is unnecessary to address the myriads of recent developments it is important to highlight a couple.
The Force Posture Agreement with the US in 2014 is one of these. A very important aspect of this was the move from “interoperability” of the two military forces to “interchangeability”. This development means that US personnel can take control of military operations in Australia. The issue of abandoning sovereignty is apparent. We have seen a significant escalation of “joint” military facilities and US forces in Australia.
A second important example is the adoption of overt compliance with the US propaganda relating to its facilitation of the ethnic cleansing and genocide in parts of the Middle East. This is practically supported with the supply of arms components to Israel.
Such developments not only emphasise the contradiction between the position of a significant majority of the Australian population in opposing to what is happening in Gaza for example and the policy and programs of the political leaders in support of the US. The overt nature of this contradiction requires the development of measures to ensure it is “managed”.
One of the most overt of such measures is the recent Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in Australia. A Royal Commission that was prompted by a prominent pro-Zionist, and adopted her call to accept the IHRA definition of antisemitism which conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and has laid the foundation for the introduction of laws that will increase the suppression of anti-war and anti-Zionist activities.
The relevance of Understanding Barbarism
There is no guarantee that the current dislocation and growing rebellion will automatically result in constructive revolution and the inception of a socialist society.
History confirms this as can be seen after WW1 with the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty placed massive financial debt on Germany together with significant land losses. It provided fertile ground for the rise of fascism. This development in Germany was aided and abetted by the very governments and owning classes, particularly in the US for whom the repatriation of debt was identified. In retrospect it is relatively easy to see the role of US imperialism and how this unfolded.
A key similarity of what is taking place now is the transparency associated with what is in the interest of people in general and the policies and programs being implemented that fail to address these interests. The prevention of what happened after WW1 happening again has to address the specific circumstances that currently exist.
This is particularly relevant to the reaction of people to the genocide in Gaza. To fully appreciate the implications of this genocide on what it means for progressive struggle within Australia, it is essential that the specific circumstances within this country are understood.
The outcome of overt barbarism is inherent within capitalist relations of production. Understanding its development provides significant input into achieving its opposite, and that is socialism. We are part of the international community but we have a specific history and a specific relationship to US imperialism and for that matter other forms of imperialism such as the ascendant China.
The application of dialectical materialism and historical materialism is essential. This is apparent in the contradictory approaches to dealing with issues of national independence. On the one hand we have the ruling class and their representatives directly or through their proxies (for example, major political parties and others such as One Nation) fostering xenophobia and racism. These are the same bodies supporting the genocide in Gaza, the US’s illegal war against Iran and the US and NATO’s provocations in Ukraine that provided the excuse for Russia’s invasion of that country.”
They are complicit in the US imperialist role throughout the world and its exploitation of the wealth of this country.
On the other hand, the call for independence and socialism is based on the recognition that this control by the US has to be broken and Australia must define its independence and socialism in solidarity with the independence and sovereignty of all nations. This is an initial step and reflects the current growing aspiration of the Australian people and is essential if the control and influence resulting in peoples drift to conservative views is to be broken.
When we look at the current situation, we need to understand barbarism as the precursor to fundamental social dislocation and as providing fertile grounds for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of socialism. An environment where the understanding and use of the productive forces aligns with the needs of people in general. This includes the ability of humanity to manage not just its international and national social relations based on principles of equity but its relations with the material world in general in such a way as to ensure the utmost certainty in a sustainable future.
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