The War of the Classes

This war of the classes has raged throughout the ages and not always have the participants even been conscious of their parts in it. It is nevertheless universal and bitter. The class struggle will end when the causes that give rise to it are removed. The economic structure of society must be remodeled before the basis for a real civilization can be laid, formed with knowledge and power. The working class will change the economic basis of our life and establish equality where exploitation and misery now reign supreme. The workers are obliged to  fight for their own existence and for the future of all society.

According to our capitalist society the owners of the means of life are under no obligation to see that their fellow beings, who do not possess such means, are provided with the opportunity to make a living. When the capitalist cannot make profits out of the labour of the workers he turns them out, cuts off their source of bread without the least compunction. They may starve to death for all he cares. He is not their keeper except while they keep him in fat dividends. While differing in many respects from previous forms of exploitation, capitalism is no less cruel and merciless. The capitalists own the means by which we live and thus we are at their mercy in no less degree than were our ancestors in the days of chattel slavery. The kings of old ruled the world with an iron hand, but they had a much smaller world to command than the industrial monarchs of today. Modern capitalism leaves a trail behind it as bloody as that of its predecessors and a record of cruelty and injustice just as brutal.

The truth of the matter is that this is a rich man’s State and a rich man’s Government. The State is there to act on behalf of capital and to protect its interests against the people. The government is the executive committee of employing class. The State is an instrument of power in the hands of the industrialists, bankers and landlords, who by this token are the ruling class. The State is there to effect the exploitation and oppression of the workers and the poor. The government, its laws, its agencies: the military, the police, the courts, the jails— all are there to effect the exploitation and oppression of you and millions like you. The capitalist desires to squeeze more sweat and blood out of the workers, and there is the wish of the workers to fight back against their enemy, who feeds upon them. There is war, a class war. It is waged by one class, the oppressors, against the other class, the oppressed. In this war, the State is always and invariably on the side of the oppressors. Some of its representatives may try to achieve the ends of capital by cajoling and wheedling. But they always keep the big stick ready. The State — that is the big stick of the owners of wealth, the big stick of the corporations. Every one who tries to persuade you that the State is a friend to defend you, that the State is neutral and impartial and only the honest broker and mediator offering fair regulatory legislation is lying.  Under capitalism you cannot protect both  the capitalists and  the workers.  When you protect “industry” you give it freedom to exploit “labor”. When you protect labor you make it possible for labor to get more out of industry. Socialists  recognize the true nature of the capitalist State. The State may change its appearance and its appendages. It may use the parliamentary system, with a limited freedom of speech to opponents — as long as this opposition is not too dangerous. It tightens the screws and tries to silence the opposition when the situation becomes disturbing for businesses.  Under different circumstances it may do away with parliamentary procedure altogether and institute a dictatorship when a danger to capitalism becomes particularly acute.  The forms change and the language  differs according to time and place. But the essence remains. The essence being the capitalist State is in the employ of capitalism for the preservation of capitalism.

“Who are the Socialist Party of Great Britain ?” We would like to answer immediately, “It is the political organisation to be used as the means toward gaining socialism” But alas that is only our own aspiration and not yet the reality. Too often many look upon the party as the ultimate end we are striving for, and not the means to that end. We are accused that we are a  merely a theoretical propaganda party and this policy stands in the way of success. “Practical politics” is to-day in ascendance everywhere. Principles have naught to say on the matter. The point is to win, and to win at all costs. We have no monopoly on the use of the word socialism.  But in the end the cause will know its own. We will continue to say until we are proved wrong that democracy has prepared for the workers all the means necessary to achieve socialism. Let the workers use universal suffrage to send socialists into all the legislative assemblies. Let the socialists form a majority in these assemblies and when this is done, the way is open to abolish the capitalist system. To make socialism possible the workers must take hold of the State machinery of capitalism.

 There is no room for any collaboration or co-operation of any kind with the ruling class which must be dispossessed, both politically and economically. There can be no bond or union between  those in Government, and we, who wish to overthrow them. There can be nothing in common but the battlefield and the struggle. If this class war successfully carried out by the working class brings about a victory, then with an end of the class system it will enable us to attain true social peace. The SPGB, therefore, calls upon all the workers to mass round the banner of socialism.