If the endless stream of apocalyptic movies Hollywood pumps out is any indication, it’s true what the American Marxist theorist Fredric Jameson once said: "It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.”
That’s not a flaw of the system—it’s a feature. The rich want us to believe that maximizing private profit is the only and best way to organize an economy; that it’s the natural outcome of greedy human behavior.
But that story is starting to fall apart.
All over the world, people are chipping away at capitalism’s foundations—reclaiming ownership, rebuilding public systems, and rejecting the idea that every part of life should be bought and sold. These aren’t far-off fantasies. They’re already happening.
In this NOTICE News Deep Dive, we’ll break down:
Real-world experiments that prove we don’t need capitalism to function
How these cracks in the system are growing—quietly, steadily, from below
And what we can do to widen those cracks and push the break even further
Because capitalism might seem inescapable—just as chattel slavery and feudalism once did. But it’s not eternal. It’s just a story we’ve been told. And all stories can be rewritten.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth and final article in our four-part series on the root cause of America’s decline: capitalism. Previously, we exposed capitalism's fundamental flaw, we examined capitalism's most pernicious lie, and looked at what a world without capitalism would actually look like.
Deep Dives are usually just for our members.
Every Sunday, our paying members get exclusive Deep Dives that connect the dots behind the headlines. But more than that—they’re the reason we can keep producing uncompromising, anti-capitalist journalism without corporate gatekeepers.
But this week, it’s totally free. We believe this message is too important to keep behind a paywall—but we still need your support. Consider becoming a NOTICE News member today.
➡️ Already under new management
When most people think of abolishing capitalism, they picture violent revolutions, guillotines, or Chinese-style struggle sessions. They think the mass seizure of land and wealth from the ruling class—often with violence.
(This is a lie propagated by the ruling class, btw, like what Chris Matthews said on MSNBC when Bernie was picking up steam in 2020.)
But movements all around the world are proving that’s not how it has to happen.
Capitalism can be dismantled gradually—from the inside out—by changing who owns what. By shifting control away from CEOs and shareholders and giving it back to the people who actually do the work.
FOR EXAMPLE: In the 1970s, Sweden’s powerful labor movement came up with a radical—but entirely peaceful—way to phase out capitalism: the Meidner Plan.
Under the proposal, companies above a certain size would be required to issue new shares of stock each year—not to wealthy investors, but to worker-controlled “wage-earner funds.”
Over time, these funds would accumulate a controlling stake in the companies, effectively transferring ownership from capitalists to workers without a single riot or gunshot.
It wasn’t about nationalizing industry overnight—it was about socializing corporate profits and building democratic control from within.
IT ALMOST HAPPENED, BUT: As the plan started to pick up steam, the rich panicked.
In the mid-80s, Swedish business leaders launched a full-scale assault—funding propaganda campaigns, threatening capital flight, and aligning with conservative forces to crush the plan before it could fully take hold.
Still, for a moment, one of the world’s most advanced economies was on the brink of a peaceful, democratic transition out of capitalism.
And it showed that with strong labor power and public support, systemic change doesn’t have to be violent—it just has to be organized.
MORE RECENTLY: Fast forward to the 2019 UK general election, where the progressive Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn put forward a bold, peaceful strategy to shift control from bosses to workers.
He proposed the introduction of Inclusive Ownership Funds (IOFs)—a plan that would require Britain’s largest companies to allocate at least 10% of their equity to funds controlled by employees.
Corbyn also proposed supporting the conversion of private businesses into worker cooperatives, where employees collectively own the company and make decisions democratically—including how to use the profits. His plan would have created a Co‑operative Development Agency to provide workers with the financing and expertise needed to take over their workplaces.
The objective was clear: democratize the company form, not just redistribute income.
YET, AGAIN: This proposal rattled the establishment. The conservative press wailed about a £300 billion “cost.”
But as socialist economist Matt Bruenig argued, IOFs wouldn’t wreck companies—they’d simply share wealth more equitably while preserving profitability
Though the Labour Party lost the election, the IOF proposal remains one of the most serious blueprints to date for embedding worker ownership into mainstream corporate governance—proving again that the end of private capitalist control doesn’t require riots or expropriation: it can be written into the rules and funded over time.
BOTTOM LINE: Together, these plans prove something the ruling class doesn’t want you to believe: capitalism can be undone not with chaos, but with coordination—by rewriting the rules of ownership, one company at a time.
✊ Reclaiming public power
Changing who owns a company is a powerful first step. But if we want to truly move past capitalism, we can’t stop at ownership—we have to change the systems that shape everyday life.
That means reclaiming the things we all depend on—money, infrastructure, public services—and taking them out of the hands of corporations altogether.
LOOK NORTH: One of the clearest examples of public power in action is hiding in plain sight—in one of the most conservative states in the country.
The Bank of North Dakota, founded over a century ago, is the only state-owned bank in the U.S.
It was created in 1919 after a wave of populist organizing by farmers who were sick of being exploited by out-of-state lenders. Their solution wasn’t to beg for better terms—it was to build their own bank.
THE DIFFERENCE: Unlike private banks, the Bank of North Dakota doesn’t exist to enrich shareholders. It exists to serve the public.
It partners with local banks and credit unions to fund small businesses, student loans, and public infrastructure—all while returning millions in profits back to the state.
And it works. During the 2008 financial crash, while private banks were melting down, BND kept lending. During the pandemic, it helped small businesses get relief faster than almost any other state.
It’s proof that we don’t need to rely on Wall Street to run our financial system. We can run it ourselves—and do it better.
NOW DO HEALTHCARE: We’re often told that a fully public healthcare system—not just public insurance, but a government-run medical system—could never work in the U.S. It would be too big, too inefficient, too "un-American."
But we already have one. It’s called the Veterans Health Administration—and it’s incredibly popular.
Unlike Medicare or Medicaid, which pay private providers, the VA doesn’t just fund care—it provides it. The hospitals are publicly owned. The doctors are salaried government employees. And there’s no profit motive warping the system from the inside.
YES, AND: It works. Studies have shown that the VA delivers equal or better outcomes than private hospitals for most conditions, often at lower cost.
It’s one of the largest and most effective examples of socialized medicine in the world.
And because it’s for veterans, Republicans are afraid to gut it—so it’s one of the only fully funded healthcare systems in the country.
No endless billing fights, no skipping chemo because you can’t afford it. Just a system that treats healthcare as a human right, not a business.
THAT‘S NOT ALL: Public ownership doesn’t have to stop at banks and hospitals. In some places, the public owns actual wealth—shares of companies, natural resources, or financial capital—that generates returns for everyone, not just billionaires.
That’s the idea behind social wealth funds: large, publicly owned investment funds that build long-term value for society and return the profits to the people.
SOME EXAMPLES: The best-known example in the U.S. is the Alaska Permanent Fund.
Fueled by oil revenues, it generates billions of dollars annually—and sends a check directly to every Alaskan each year. In 2023, that meant over $1,300 per person, just for being a resident.
But the idea isn’t limited to oil-rich states. Countries like Norway have used their own sovereign wealth funds to invest in everything from real estate to global stocks—funding public services and keeping the economy stable without relying on private capital.
It’s a simple idea with radical implications: instead of taxing the rich to fund society, we could own the rich—and make their profits work for everyone.
👀 What you can do right now
The end of capitalism won’t come all at once—and it won’t come from the top. It will come from the slow, deliberate work of ordinary people reclaiming power wherever they can.
And that work is already underway.
You can help build the new world inside the shell of the old—right now—by getting involved in efforts that shift ownership, reclaim public power, and decommodify daily life.
Here’s how:
Support policies that transfer ownership. Advocate for co-op development funds, public banking legislation, or universal basic services in your city or state.
Join—or start—a cooperative. Whether it’s a worker co-op, a housing co-op, or a community land trust, these models already exist—and they need people like you.
Back local campaigns for public alternatives. From fare-free transit to publicly owned utilities, push your city to pilot post-capitalist models and prove they work.
Get involved in mutual aid. Building networks of solidarity outside the market is one of the most radical things you can do.
And most of all: talk about it. Share these stories. Challenge fatalism. Normalize the idea that this system can be replaced—and that it’s already starting to happen.
Because the cracks in capitalism are real. And with enough pressure, we can turn those cracks into exits.
Thanks for reading and supporting NOTICE News. We’ll be back next Sunday with another Deep Dive.
We’ll be back Monday morning. Questions or comments? Just reply to this e-mail.
Thank you for reading! - Andrew & Anthony