The Servile State · Theme
The Inevitable Tendency Toward the Servile State
How The Servile State develops The Inevitable Tendency Toward the Servile State.
The central thesis of the book is that capitalist society, due to its inherent instability, will inevitably transform into a 'Servile State' where the non-owning majority are legally compelled to labor for the owning minority, exchanging freedom for security.
Where it surfaces
- The Servile State
The chapter's core argument: capitalism's instability drives society toward a new form of servitude, not socialism.
- I: Definitions
The chapter defines the servile state and argues that modern industrial society is tending toward its reestablishment.
- II: Our Civilisation Was Originally Servile
The chapter argues that the servile state is a natural and recurring form of society, as seen in pagan antiquity, and that modern experiments may lead back to it.
- IX: The Servile State Has Begun
The chapter demonstrates that recent laws and projects are actively establishing a servile status for the proletariat, marking the conscious entry of servile institutions into the state.
- Conclusion
The author asserts that societies breaking with Christian civilization tend toward reestablishing a servile status, and that this tendency is currently upon us.