Finance Capital

work by Hilferding

Also known as: “Das Finanzkapital”

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Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

Rudolf Hilferding's work, Finance Capital (1910), describes a stage of capitalism where financial institutions and financiers, rather than industrial capitalists, hold economic and political power. Hilferding, a prominent Marxist theorist, argued that the increasing influence of banks over industry led to monopolies and cartels. This concentration of economic power, he contended, fueled economic warfare and imperialism. His ideas significantly influenced Vladimir Lenin's analysis of imperialism. This concept of finance capitalism represents a shift from earlier forms of capitalism, emphasizing the dominance of financial interests in the economy.1234

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Rudolf Hilferding
…the way Marx expected, Hilferding’s Finance Capital (1910) pointed to the role of banking and finance, arguing that the banks’ increasing influence over industry led to monopoly and cartels and through them to economic imperialism and war. This work foreshadowed his role as the party’s chief theorist and financial expert.…
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…the way Marx expected, Hilferding’s Finance Capital (1910) pointed to the role of banking and finance, arguing that the banks’ increasing influence over industry led to monopoly and cartels and through them to economic imperialism and war. This work foreshadowed his role as the party’s chief theorist and financial expert.…
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Marxism
The Austrians
…known especially for his work Das Finanzkapital (1910), in which he maintained that capitalism had come under the control of banks and industrial monopolies. The growth of national competition and tariff barriers, he believed, had led to economic warfare abroad. Hilferding’s ideas strongly influenced Lenin, who analyzed them in Imperializm,…
Read More
…known especially for his work Das Finanzkapital (1910), in which he maintained that capitalism had come under the control of banks and industrial monopolies. The growth of national competition and tariff barriers, he believed, had led to economic warfare abroad. Hilferding’s ideas strongly influenced Lenin, who analyzed them in Imperializm,…
Read More