Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy

In juni organiseerden we het Marxisme Festival – een trefpunt voor activisten en een weekend van politieke discussie. Verspreid over deze zomer plaatsen we één voor één de opnames van de inleidingen online. We hebben de vaak levendige discussie na afloop van de inleiding niet opgenomen.

Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy

As European empires crumbled in the twentieth century, the power structures that had dominated the world for centuries were up for renegotiation. Yet, instead of a rebirth for democracy, what emerged was a silent coup – namely, the unstoppable rise of global corporate power.

Exposing the origins of this epic power grab as well as its present-day consequences, the book Silent Coup provides an explosive guide to the rise of a corporate empire that now dictates how resources are allocated, how territories are governed, and how justice is defined. In this meeting Claire Provost will address questions such as: How corporations were able to assemble so much power? What works – and what doesn’t – to build counterpower?

The introduction to this meeting will be provided by Claire Provost. Claire is an investigative journalist, editor, feminist and co-author of the book Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy (2023). She has worked for The Centre for Investigative Journalism and The Guardian.