Law of uneven development

In capitalist society, the law states that development proceeds unevenly between capitals (companies), between production sectors, and between nations. Under capitalism, which is based on the principle of free competition, production is carried out according to meticulous planning within individual capitals (companies), but in society as a whole, production is carried out without planning, solely for the pursuit of profits for each individual capital. As a result, development between capitals (companies) is inevitably uneven. In addition, because capital accumulation is based on the sophistication of organic composition through constant technological innovation, among the various production sectors, the sector that produces the means of production (the first sector) tends to develop more rapidly than the sector that produces the means of consumption (the second sector). Uneven development between sectors is the general basis for the ultimate cause of depression (the contradiction between production and consumption).

In the age of imperialism, where monopolies are the dominant principle, uneven development intensifies as competition between giant monopolies leads to leaps and development on the one hand, and price control by monopolies leads to stagnation and decay on the other. Furthermore, at this stage when every region on the globe has been divided up by advanced imperialist countries, the rapid development of underdeveloped countries makes wars (imperialist wars) over the repartition of colonies inevitable. It was Lenin, the leader of the Russian Revolution, who argued for the possibility of a socialist revolution in one country based on the inevitability of imperialist wars.

After the Great Depression of 1929, the law of uneven development was suppressed and the waves of the business cycle weakened due to the increased political intervention in the economy through Keynesian policies. The emergence of socialist systems after World War II and the establishment of the Cold War system pushed the rivalry between nations into the background. However, the rise of the EEC (European Economic Community, later the EU = European Union), Japan, and the East Asian NICS (Newly Industrializing Countries, later the NIES = Newly Industrializing Economies) during the Cold War, triggered by two oil shocks in the 1970s, forced the UK and the US to switch to neoliberal policies and revived market fundamentalism through the deregulation of finance and other areas.

Especially after the Cold War when the socialist system collapsed, the United States promoted globalization and IT (information technology) under its unipolar dominance, and compensated for the further hollowing out of industry brought about by the rise of China and India by repatriating surplus funds from surplus countries through FT (financial market technology), creating a highly consumerist society based on bubbles and driving the global economy, building a post-Cold War world.

However, the financial crisis that was triggered by the subprime mortgage problem following the collapse of the US housing bubble in 2008 exposed the overproduction that had resulted from uneven development that had been intensifying under market principles, once again leading to the failure of neoliberal policies.

[Shinichi Kubo]

"Modern Business Cycle Theory" by Seiichi Nagashima (2006, Sakurai Shoten) " "Research on Reproduction Theory" by Ryozo Tomitsuka (2007, Chuo University Press)" "The Great Financial Collapse: The End of the 'American Financial Empire'" by Kazuo Mizuno (NHK Publishing, Seikatsujin Shinsho)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

資本主義社会では、諸資本（企業）間、生産諸部門間、諸国家間の発展が、不均等に進むという法則。自由競争を原理とする資本主義のもとでは、個別資本（企業）内部では綿密な計画によって生産が行われているにもかかわらず、社会総体としては無計画で、もっぱら個々の資本の利潤追求のために生産が行われる。そのため、諸資本（企業）間の発展は不均等にならざるをえない。また、資本の蓄積が不断の技術革新による有機的構成の高度化を基調として行われるため、生産諸部門のうち、生産手段生産部門（第一部門）が、消費手段生産部門（第二部門）よりもより急速に発展する傾向にある。部門間の不均等発展は、恐慌の究極の根拠（生産と消費の矛盾）の一般的基礎となる。

　独占が支配的原理となる帝国主義の時代には、一方での巨大独占体間の競争による飛躍・発展と、他方での独占の価格支配による停滞・腐朽を生み、不均等発展はよりいっそう激化する。また、地球上のあらゆる地域が、先進帝国主義国によって分割され尽くしたこの段階では、後進国の急速な発展は、植民地の再分割をめぐる戦争（帝国主義戦争）を不可避とする。帝国主義戦争の不可避性から一国社会主義革命の可能性を説いたのは、ロシア革命の指導者レーニンであった。

　1929年大恐慌後、ケインズ政策による政治の経済への介入強化によって、不均等発展の法則は抑制され、景気循環の波も弱まった。第二次世界大戦後の社会主義体制出現と冷戦体制の成立は、諸国家間の対抗を後景に退けた。しかし、冷戦下におけるEEC（ヨーロッパ経済共同体、後のEU＝ヨーロッパ連合）や日本、東アジアNICS(ニックス)（新興工業国、後のNIES(ニーズ)＝新興工業経済地域）の台頭は、1970年代の二度のオイル・ショックを契機に、英米に新自由主義政策への転換を迫り、金融の自由化をはじめとする規制撤廃を通じて市場原理主義を復活させた。

　とくに社会主義体制が崩壊した冷戦後、アメリカは一極支配の下でグローバル化・IT（情報技術）化を推し進め、中国、インドの台頭がもたらした産業のいっそうの「空洞化」を、FT（金融技術）によって黒字国の余剰資金を還流して補填(ほてん)し、バブルに依拠した高度消費社会を創出して世界経済を牽引(けんいん)する、ポスト冷戦世界を築きあげた。

　しかし、2008年アメリカの住宅バブル崩壊によるサブプライムローン問題が引き起こした金融危機は、市場原理のもとで激化していた不均等発展が生み出した過剰生産を露呈させ、ふたたび新自由主義政策の破綻(はたん)を招いた。

［久保新一］

『長島誠一著『現代の景気循環論』（2006・桜井書店）』▽『富塚良三著『再生産論研究』（2007・中央大学出版部）』▽『水野和夫著『金融大崩壊――「アメリカ金融帝国」の終焉』（日本放送出版協会・生活人新書）』

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