[lbo-talk] agricultural productivity (was Thatcherism)

[brad bauerly]

Alan wrote:
>unequivocally arguing that increased agricultural productivity under capitalism is an unalloyed good verges on
farcical when advanced by someone who calls themsevels a Marxist.
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I don't think anyone argued anything like that.  Clearly, saying that
it benefited humanity is different from saying that it didn't have
problems (which is what I wrote in my post!).  I am quite aware of the
problems of capitalist agriculture and no one said that there weren't
problems.

There is simply no way to explain the demographic boom that occurred
over the last 200-300 years other than giving credit to capitalist
agricultural productivity advances.  Without that than what is it that
makes capitalism so different?  Why has it expanded so rapidly,
altering the lives of billions of people in a short historical time
period?  Why couldn't feudalism do this?

Brad