Levers of Power: How the 1% Rules and What the 99% Can Do About It

by Kevin A. Young, Tarun Banerjee, Michael Schwartz

Understanding the power of the corporations and how to take the struggle directly to them

It's no secret that "the 1%" - the business elite that commands the largest corporations and the connected network of public and private institutions- exercise enormous control over U.S. government. While this control is usually attributed to campaign donations and lobbying, Levers of Power argues that corporate power derives from control over the economic resources on which daily life depends. Government officials must constantly strive to keep capitalists happy, lest they go on "capital strike" - that is, refuse to invest in particular industries or locations, or move their holdings to other countries - and therefore impose material hardship on specific groups or the economy as a whole. For this reason, even politicians who are not dependent on corporations for their electoral success must fend off the interruption of corporate investment.

Levers of Power documents the pervasive power of corporations and other institutions with decision-making control over large pools of capital, particularly the Pentagon. It also shows that the most successful reform movements in recent U.S. history - for workers' rights, for civil rights, and against imperialist wars - succeeded by directly targeting the corporations and other institutional adversaries that initiated and benefitted from oppressive policies. Though most of today's social movements focus on elections and politicians, movements of the "99%" are most effective when they inflict direct costs on corporations and their allied institutions. This strategy is also more conducive to building a revolutionary mass movement that can replace current institutions with democratic alternatives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, The United States Of America

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ricky Bevins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary read for leftists that fall into into cyclical trap of optimism and disillusionment with electoral politics. To force revolutionary change, do not pressure politicians or elected officials, but rather corporations and institutions that fundamentally govern the structure and hierarchies of society. That is the key message of this book, laid out clearly and consistently proven with historical examples. The meat of the book looks at the failures of Obama era progressive reforms in USA, but the lessons learned in this book are easily applicable to other countries around the world. A well written and researched book that should force a paradigm shift in the minds of activists everywhere.

[Laura M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend everyone read this book. I was a progressive who thought we could change things by a few boycotts and voting. Boy, was I wrong. The disillusionment with the Obama administration to affect meaningful change & the failure of the Democratic Party to give Bernie Sanders a level playing field in the 2016 election really opened my eyes to the intransigence of political change. But this book took it to a whole new level! I've always been anti-corporate but seeing the amount of political sway the big industries and some state institutions have in proposing and implementing legislation is unbelievable. I didn't realize how deep the rot went. The power of just the threat of capital strikes, which they constantly do, was amazing to read about. It's gotten even worse with the rise of Big Tech and the power they are trying to wield over our economy and our lives. This book is indispensable reading for anyone trying to figure out how to fight back. I really learned a lot. You need to read this book and pass it on to all your friends and fellow travelers.

[Radha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An approachable read for someone who operates very much outside of the field of politics. Gives an accurate, and therefore very depressing, analysis about how the politics of the US is really run by power and money hungry corporations who care nothing about the masses, and who cannot be stopped eve by the government. The only solution? Mass disruption targeting corporations, and a revolution!