Brad’s Reviews > History and Imperialism: Writings, 1963-1986 > Status Update

Althusser presents a "contradictory couple" of the "conditions of existence/conditions of non-existence" of a mode of production in a social formation. In other words, to truly understand the emergence of capitalism for example involves looking at its abortive examples in 'city-states' as much as its successful emergence.
This allows for generative thinking about conditions for socialism prior to its fait accompli.

It is on the basis of the nation-form, hence of the national market, that the 'global', 'international' and 'continental' (Europe) forms of contemporary imperialism are being constituted.

For more on this, see also
Empire of Capital.

The capitalist class will never voluntarily cease to impose its domination even on the working class's theories and ideology in order to wrest from its hands and mind the very weapons it has forged for itself in order to carry its class struggle to a victorious conclusion.

Yet another reminder to order Gabriel Rockhill's "Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism"!

We have 'developments' of Marxism involving one or another 'object' (for example, imperialism, by Lenin), one or another domain (for example, the superstructure, by Gramsci). These 'developments' of Marxism are plainly enrichments of Marxist theory...These developments, however, can by no means be called scientific rectifications [revisions!] of Marx's formulations.