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Introduction:

After World War II, USA emerged as the leading superpower of the world. It controlled much of the world&rsquo;s gold reserves, it produced 50% of all industrial goods in the world and it had an immense military might as demonstrated by the nuclear bomb.

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At the same time, the Soviet Union was recovering from the devastating war, China was leaving the capitalist world and European colonies were gaining their independence. From 1946-1991 a cold war persisted between USA and the Soviet Union as an expression of a major contradiction in the world. But while capitalism developed production and many new technologies were spread worldwide from tractors to televisions to computers to chemicals there were also contradictions within capitalism: contradictions between rich and poor people, consumer life style that alienated people (made them feel as living in a strange world), pollution of the environment, between rich and poor nations, between a growing world population and limited production of food, between the need for water and the lack of water for a great many poor people, between different groups of capitalists, between the need of people and the fortunes wasted on military production, between desperate poverty and extreme opulence and consumption of the elite of superrich as well as financial contradictions as banks and companies pursued endless profits leading to instability of the economic system.

Lenin who was leader of the Russian revolution in 1917 defined imperialism as a new stage of capitalism following the era of competitive capitalism. During the age of imperialism very large companies dominate capitalism. These he called monopolies. Today we use the term multinational companies because they now operate all over the world. They are so very large and powerful that they dominate the capitalist market and often hinder or distort the development of productive forces. This state of capitalism is a major driver of the many crises and contradictions we can observe in the world today, more than 100 years after Lenin made his analysis of imperialism.

In January 2017 Oxfam International reported that just 8 men own the same wealth as half the world population, 3.6 billion. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, said:

&ldquo;It is obscene for so much wealth to be held in the hands of so few when 1 in 10 people survive on less than $2 a day. Inequality is trapping hundreds of millions in poverty; it is fracturing our societies and undermining democracy.&rdquo;

In this course the team will read &ldquo;The Face of Imperialism&rdquo; by Michael Parenti. The book gives a good insight into the contemporary corporate global hegemony over people and nations.
To get through all 10 chapters of the book you will divide the chapters among you to read and then present to each other the main facts, examples and your understanding of the messages.

Directive:

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1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The teacher introduces the course using contents from the first chapter and reading aloud the introduction and the directive for the course. 30 min.

2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The team organizes in duos that read 2-3 chapters. Divide the chapters among you. Read and take notes in your duo. 3 hours

3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When you have finished reading you start to prepare to present for the others.

4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Prepare your presentation by writing up on 3 posters. One poster with facts you want to present, one poster with examples and one poster with concluding statements. 3 hours

5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Present for each other. Use the posters in your presentation to explain and elaborate further on the content you have read.

6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After each presentation comment and debate the theme together in the team.

7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Conclude the course by discussing what you have learned from the course.

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