Abstract

The article describes the analytical framework that is key to understanding this new phase of capitalism. To this aim, four elements are leveraged. The first examines the intrinsically multinational nature of capitalism, from both an industrial and a financial point of view. The second analyses the transformations of the working condition characterised by fragmentation and the tendency to focus only on one’s own firm. The third focuses on the servitisation process of all industrial activities. The fourth examines the enormous expansion of human activities subject to the capitalist accumulation process, as well as the need to redefine the concept of working class. As regards this fourth element, the topic of platform capitalism is analysed in depth. This analytical framework outlines the need to reconsider trade unions and their practices thoroughly. At political level, the importance of alternative perspectives is stressed.