21st Century: A Century of Self-determination

Definition of terms: Capitalist- Rich legal persons focused on profit making.

Nearly 100 years ago, Vladimir Lenin predicted the collapse of capitalism and the rise of communism across the globe. His main argument was that capitalists' accumulation of financial capital would reach a saturation point, leading to the collapse of economies and, finally, the destruction of capitalism. Many economists agree that the 2007-2008 Financial Crisis marked the saturation point of the accumulation of financial capital by capitalists that Lenin had predicted, almost leading to the collapse of the major capitalist economies.

Several government interventions that led to the bailing out of capitalists made capitalism survive this predicted collapse. However, many middle and low-class people felt disappointed by their governments because they bailed out these capitalists who had dug their graves by driving their economies into this crisis. They were disappointed because their states quickly gave these capitalists billions of dollars to save them from bankruptcy. Yet, the many poor or middle-class masses do not have adequate social welfare programs to assist them in getting by each day.
Unfortunately, the laws that try to provide for the social welfare of the poor and the middle class are met with unnecessary debate and rejection due to the capitalists' unwillingness to spend on social welfare. On the other hand, the laws that bail out the capitalists are quickly drafted and passed because capitalists are deemed more critical than proletarians. This example perfectly depicts capitalism's unjust nature, which increasingly irritates more people as time passes.
The wealthy (capitalists) are the ones who matter under capitalism. They control the governments and the fate of everyone, undermining the individual right to self-determination across the globe.

The selfish nature of capitalism has promoted all forms of vices that threaten its collapse. If not the destruction of capitalism, then this skepticism endangers the existence of most capitalist governments. Capitalism has led to the rise of petty politics marred with corruption that hinders service delivery to the masses. Corruption comes in the form of nepotism, tribalism, ethnocentrism, racism, xenophobia, religious discrimination, and much more, as capitalists accumulate more capital while locking out the competition or fair distribution of resources.
This occurrence undermined our forefathers' dreams and agreements when they came together to create nations that offered the equal opportunity, protection, and justice for all. We are called citizens of one country or the other for these reasons (opportunity, security, and justice). A nation or a state is made by groups of people who come together and enter into an agreement to form institutions that can guarantee their protection, create opportunities for prosperity, and settle disputes among them fairly and respectfully.
The failure of capitalist governments to recognize these fundamental reasons for the creation of states by people spurs the growth of skepticism against capitalist governments in the 21st century. The selfish nature of capitalism and the greedy nature of humans has increased calls for cessation by significant pockets of populations who feel short-changed by their allegiance to their countries as citizens. Many nations are threatened by the breakup of the various units that formed them, as many people recognize their rights to self-determination. Many people realize today that they form the state and government, not vice versa. Countries are just institutions made by agreement among different groups of people. A group or groups may always feel short-changed by these arrangements. They deserve a right to opt out of the union or agreement, especially when the union fails to promote cohesion through truth, justice, and equal opportunity.
Unfortunately, political leaders, corrupted by the power excessively harnessed through capitalism, tend to undermine individuals' right to self-determination. We saw such a case recently in Catalonia, where the Spanish government shamefully thwarted a referendum for the people of Catalonia to break away from Spain.

Regardless of the occurrences in Catalonia, the time has come for capitalists and capitalist governments to realize that this century is a century where their very existence is under threat. Many struggling (economically) masses are beginning to review their relationships with the many underperforming capitalist governments worldwide. Thwarting people's determination to self-determine can never succeed. It did not succeed in the past, as demonstrated by the revolutions of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries in America, France, Russia, Cuba, and Africa.


The push for a referendum in Catalonia; the Independence referendum of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Palestinian struggle for independence; the Br-exit; the Scottish referendum; the formation of South Sudan are clear indications of the imminent collapse of capitalism or the underperforming capitalist governments. Admittedly, this century is a century of self-determination.