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Stamocap theory aims to define the ''final historical stage'' of capitalism following monopoly capitalism, consistent with Lenin's definition of the characteristics of Imperialism in his short pamphlet of the same name. Occasionally the stamocap concept also appears in neo- Trotskyist theories of State Capitalism as well as in Libertarian anti-state theories. The analysis made is usually identical in its main features, but very different ''political conclusions'' are drawn from it. THE MAIN THESIS The main Marxist-Leninist thesis is that big business, having achieved a Monopoly or Cartel position in most markets of importance, ''fuses'' with the government apparatus. A kind of financial Oligarchy or conglomerate therefore results, whereby government officials aim to provide the social and legal framework within which giant corporations can operate most effectively. This is a close partnership between big business and government, and it is argued that the aim is to integrate labor-unions completely in that partnership. VERSIONS OF THE THEORY Different versions of this idea were elaborated by economists of the Communist Party Of The Soviet Union (e.g. Eugen Varga), East Germany's Socialist Unity Party , France's Parti Communiste Francais (e.g. Paul Boccara), the Communist Party Of Great Britain (e.g. Ben Fine and Laurence Harris), and the American Communist Party Of The USA (e.g. Victor Perlo). POLITICAL IMPLICATION The strategic political implication of stamocap theory for Marxist-Leninists, towards the end of the Stalin era and afterwards, was that the labour movement should form a ''people's democratic alliance'' under the leadership of the Communist Party ''with'' the progressive middle classes and small business, ''against'' the state and big business (called "monopoly" for short). Sometimes this alliance was also called the "anti-monopoly alliance". NEO- TROTSKYIST THEORY In neo-Trotskyist theory, however, such an alliance was rejected as being based either on a false strategy of Popular Front s, or on political Opportunism , said to be incompatible either with a Permanent Revolution or with the principle of independent Working Class political action. The State in Soviet-type societies was redefined by the neo-Trotskyists as being ''also'' state-monopoly capitalist. There was no difference between the West and the East in this regard. Consequently, some kind of ''anti-bureaucratic revolution'' was said to be required, but different Trotskyist groups quarreled about what form such a revolution would need to take, or could take. Some Trotskyists believed the anti-bureaucratic revolution would happen spontaneously, inevitably and naturally, others believed it needed to be organised - the aim being to establish a society owned and operated by the working class. According to the neo-Trotskyists, the Communist Party could not play its leading role, because it did not represent the interests of the working class. NEOLIBERAL THEORY In Neo-liberal thought, however, anti-bureaucratic revolution means a pro-market, pro-commerce revolt by the business world against state interference in the economy; the main thrust of it is Deregulation and Privatisation , resulting in lower taxes and bigger profits for corporations. Although the amount of administrative work done in the private sector exceeds administrative work in the public sector, neo-liberals argue that corporations do not have true Bureaucracies because the administration in the private sector is done on the basis of private initiative. Or, if giant corporations do have bureaucracies, these bureaucracies are more efficient and can flexibly respond to market signals, because administrative work is customer-oriented rather than being stipulated by laws and rules. EUROCOMMUNISM The stamocap concept was to a large extent either modified or abandoned in the era of Eurocommunism , because it came to be believed that the state apparatus could be ''reformed'' to reflect the interests of the working majority. In other words, the ''fusion'' between the state and big business postulated earlier was not so tight, that it could not be undone by a mass movement from below, under the leadership of the Communist Party (or its central committee). CRITICISM Critics of the stamocap theory (by e.g. Ernest Mandel and Leo Kofler ) claimed that:
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