Modern world trade has its roots in colonialism and is determined by the economic interests of powerful governments and transnational corporations. Free trade is a trade policy that is supposed to bring more growth and prosperity for everyone involved. But who really benefits from it and at what cost? We examine how and why free trade came about, how trade could be made fairer and highlight movements that oppose the current world trade order.
In the name of aid, progress, growth, empowerment or sustainability, development has always had the sense of being something "good" or "positive". But poverty and inequality are outcomes of the systematic and unequal integration of "poorer" countries into the global economic structures. Learn more about this with a timeline of western development politics, its criticism and movements fighting for alternative concepts to improve and change the world.
Authoritarian politics are on the rise worldwide. At the same time, humanity needs to fundamentally change the prevailing model of production and consumption (especially in the global North) to overcome inequality and exploitation and prevent ecological collapse. Using the examples of Colombia, the USA, Chile, India, France and Germany, we show how workers are opposing authoritarianism, racism and exploitation.
With the neoliberal reforms that Macron has rapidly implemented, social dialogue between social movements, unions and the government has become more difficult and fragmented. The French trade union movement is split along political lines into several umbrella organizations, and the level of organization has stagnated. The yellow vests have not been able to decisively change Macron's course. But they have rearticulated positions critical of capitalism and class struggle, also taking migrant struggles into the equation.
Labor struggles have a long tradition in Germany. Over time, they have not only focused on the demand for better working conditions, but have also been linked - albeit in a rather shy form at the beginning - to the anti-racist and anti-fascist struggle. Within the trade union political education programs, right-wing agitation was increasingly countered with a realistic picture of asylum and migration policy after the "Summer of Migration" in 2015.
Since 2014, a coalition led by the right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP, Party of the Indian People, has ruled under Narendra Modi. India competes as a location for manufacturing companies. To attract international private capital, layoffs and crackdowns on unions have been made easier, and state-owned enterprises (including railroads, telecommunications companies and airlines) are to be privatized. In this complex situation, not only traditional unions and federations are organizing, but informal and migrant workers are also becoming part of a movement facing a major socio-political challenge.
During the Trump presidency, U.S. unions initially opposed the rise of authoritarianism only symbolically. Over time, they acted more decisively. Where union members became active in the workplace, they succeeded in slowing the trend toward authoritarianism and sometimes achieved significant successes.
In 2019, Chile was swept by the largest revolt in its history. The uprising fundamentally changed the political situation. The right-wing government under billionaire Sebastián Piñera responded with military repression. At the height of the protests, there was a massive general strike that paved the way for a constitutional referendum. After two years of work by the constitutional convention, the new draft constitution was rejected in a referendum.
Heads of state and presidents of the most powerful industrial countries and emerging economies enjoy complete privacy at regular G20 summits, where they meet to negotiate economic interests. But the guest list is exclusive: poorer countries and representatives from social movements are not invited. In this four-minute video, learn about the backdrop of the G20 summit in Hamburg, which took place in the summer of 2017.
Colombia is considered the oldest democracy in Latin America. In fact, it is an authoritarian regime that has waged war against the population for over 100 years. How does the population resist? How do workers organize against injustice? Colombia: More than labor struggle!
In the learning worlds Fashion.Power.People we dive into the world of fast fashion and put the puzzle together. With infographics, portraits, puzzles and interactive elements, we focus on the various social, environmental, labor and economic aspects of the fashion world.
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