Neither Democracy without Socialism, nor Socialism without Democracy

To urge the workers to rely upon their own organized strength does not mean to neglect political action. Socialists differentiate themselves from the reformists in their conception of the state and the road to power. The Socialist Party has never accepted the concept of gradualism where we shall introduce one good law after another; and one fine day the workers will wake up pleasantly surprised to find themselves in the midst of a socialist world. We take it for granted that socialism cannot be introduced by legislative changes. Socialism will not come into existence unless the majority of the people are willing to struggle for socialism. The working class always tends to take what appears to be the easiest path.

 Needless to say the supposed shortcuts and detours offered only constant disappointments. It is folly to struggle for anything less than  socialism. Our campaign has one fundamental purpose which is to teach the necessity of the destruction of the capitalist system and the substitution of a socialist society. We make no promises of immediate reforms. Of necessity we make criticism of every other party asking for the support of the working class. It is necessary to tell the truth about every group and party misleading the working class and as our party represents a campaign of education for socialism, then it follows that we must show why every other party is wrong and cannot solve the problems of the working class. We must distinguish ourselves from those parties that claim to represent the interests of the working class as well as those parties that are openly against the idea of socialism.

The Socialist Party is the only party that points out that there is no alternative for the working class other than socialism and that  the problems confronting the working class cannot be solved in a fundamental manner except through this destruction of the capitalist system. Simply put,  it is socialism versus capitalism. One can abstractly argue that socialism is necessary and that it is better than, capitalism but our task is to educate the workers by explaining  the significance of great events that agitate the minds of vast numbers of people. Knowing the basic cause of society's illnesses, we are in the position of a doctor who knows the cause of the sickness of a human being. We can prescribe the cure. The cure is socialism.

Also anyone who attempts to convince a group of workers that socialism offers the only solution for the problems of the working class suffers a severe handicap. For he or she is immediately confronted with the task of explaining  the Soviet Union. Most people are under the false impression that socialism existed in the Soviet Union. Despite socialism being confused with the type of society the Soviet Union had, we socialists are convinced that a real socialist society is practicable and will actually solve the problems of mankind. Contrary to the theories and ideals of socialism, what happened in the Soviet Union, instead of disproving socialist theories, actually confirm them.

The basic idea of socialism is that all the means of production and distribution be owned in common by all of the people, and that every person, who is not too young, or too old, or too sick cooperate in producing those things which every member of society needs and uses. Instead of having individuals or corporations or the state own all the factories and hire workers to produce goods only when a profit can be made from their sale, society as a whole will own the factories, and the workers will produce the things required to feed, house and clothe all of the people, and to satisfy all of their cultural needs, Administrators elected by the workers at various levels and in a variety of ways will figure out approximately how much of each article will be necessary to satisfy the needs of society and the factories will be set into motion to produce
 more than enough of each item.  Instead of the anarchy and competition that prevail at the present, production and distribution will be thoroughly planned. The plans will be constantly subjected to analysis and revision. It is impossible, of course, to furnish a complete blueprint indicating every detail of the functioning of society under socialism.

The validity of socialism is based on the idea that technology has developed to such a point that more than enough can be produced to satisfy all the reasonable needs of the population. For it is certain that if, after the industries are taken away from private ownership, not enough will be produced under social ownership to give every one a high standard of living, a struggle is bound to arise between different sections of the population and the stronger elements, and those in more privileged positions will ultimately succeed in gaining economic and political power over the masses and we shall then have the same struggle over again.

If there are a thousand apples to be consumed by ten people with the assurance that more apples will be forthcoming whenever necessary, no one will hoard the apples. But if the number of apples in proportion to those ready to eat them is small, we can be certain of a conflict arising between the would-be eaters. In the last analysis socialism will succeed only if it guarantees a high standard of living to all people. We socialists contend that industry has developed to a point where actual abundance can be produced to assure everyone a very high standard of living. In socialism the forces of production no longer function as before under the system of capitalist private property. They are no longer hampered and chained by the struggle between competitors, vying interests of the different classes and different rival nations. They are released from these fetters. It can be shown that even at the present time enough can be produced in  to enable every person to live in a decent manner. A change from capitalism to socialism, by eliminating the waste inherent in capitalism, would easily raise the standard of living of all people. And what waste there is under capitalism! Eliminate all the waste under capitalism and the present standard of living is immediately raised  without requiring to even increase production.

With the production of goods in sufficiently large quantities, socialism will solve the problem of the standard of living and at the same time solve the problem of insecurity. Since things will be produced for use and not for profit, planning will be possible and feasible, the vagaries and vacillations of the market disappears. Over-production will merely mean more leisure time!

How will socialism actually be realised? Although our theory is the correct one our attempts to bring socialism into being have so far failed.

Firstly, it is necessary to convince many more people, than are at present convinced, of the desirability and necessity for socialism. Throughout the ages those who owned the wealth of society surrounded themselves with guards to protect their wealth against the propertyless and exploited masses. The capitalist class is no exception to the rule. It has created many forms of protection for itself, tangible and intangible, and it will not hesitate one moment to use them all whenever necessary. Ponder the fact that rarely, if ever, is a boss ever arrested during a strike. The duty of the police is to protect the property rights of the owners and not any rights which the workers are supposed to have. The state as Karl Marx said, the executive committee of the capitalist class. The mailed fist of the state says in effect: "I am here to protect the property of my master. I do not care how much misery and suffering the people must undergo; capitalist property must be defended. Dare to touch that property and I will crush you."

It is not possible to have real democracy in a society where one class has all the economic resources at its disposal. In essence democracy under capitalism furnishes the workers no more than the doubtful right to choose between different groups of politicians who, in the end, will protect the property rights of the capitalist class.

If the capitalists were to depend upon force alone to guarantee their privileged position, their situation would be precarious indeed. All the force in the world would not avail the capitalists if they could not deceive and confuse the masses. What the capitalist class must depend upon, more than on force, is deceit.

Real democracy cannot exist for the workers so long as th basic means of production are owned and controlled by a small minority, the capitalist class. Democracy must of necessity be very limited under conditions where the possession of wealth affords a group all opportunities for the exercise of freedom of the media, while that group, which is composed of poor people, cannot exercise such a right for the simple reason that it has no television or radio or daily newspapers. Day in and day out the capitalist media turns loose a veritable flood of lies and half-truths, the sum and substance of which is that capitalism is the best of all possible systems and that only unreasonable, irrational malcontents  would want to change that system. And there is very little that those of us, who want to establish a new system of society , can do in order to counter-act the propaganda of the capitalist media. Even to just publish a paper or a magazine that can hope to acquire a large circulation requires tremendous capital. The press is owned and controlled by wealthy capitalists and depend for their advertisements on Big Business. They hire the best writers who are willing to prostitute their talents for the highest price.

From early childhood every person is subjected to the influence of ideas which tend to make him or her respect authority, and to believe in things as they are. Obedience is the virtue stressed by religious teachers and by school teachers. Here and there, of course, there are teachers of more independent thought, who influence their students to question accepted doctrines and practices, but they are few and far between, and have no influence in the molding of general opinion. necessary. system. Above all, the educational system attempts to imbue the young people with an intense patriotism. To be ready to fight and die for one's country (which, of course, means the country owned by the capitalists) is regarded as the highest of all virtues. The average student graduates firmly convinced that the economic, political and social ideas and ideals that they have been taught are correct and necessary. They are prepared to fight, not in the interest of their class, but for things as they are, for the benefit of those who exploit them

It is also because of your early learning that you feel religion is necessary  for your peace of mind. Capitalists contribute heavily to the churches and who pay the piper, calls the tune. There are, of course, exceptions to all general rules and at times one finds a minister of a church coming out in favor of the workers, but as an institution it is undeniable that the church is one of the most powerful guardians of the interests of the capitalist class. Almost invariably the same type of people are trustees of the churches as are directors of business corporations.

Influenced by the false ideas propagated by the capitalist class, the workers not only fail to struggle against their real enemies but actually allow themselves to be arrayed against one another. They allow themselves to be divided on racial, national and religious grounds. Prejudices are fostered amongst the workers and thereby the struggle against the common enemy is weakened. False ideas of superior and inferior races or nations are cultivated in their minds, all for the purpose of destroying the solidarity of the working class.

History teaches that when a system of society outlives its usefulness and when the problems confronting a people cannot be solved by the ruling class, when the people are compelled to suffer without getting relief, when they behold an arrogant minority wallowing in luxury, indifferent to the fate of the masses, then they are in a mood to listen to those who propose a radical solution. The ideas which the ruling class pounded into the minds of the masses lose their hold and new ideas are accepted. The  blind-fold the is lifted from their eyes and they realize that they must take their fate into their own hands. No force on earth can stop them. Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come. And once the majority rally around the ideas of socialism, nothing in the world can halt their progress. Neither the state, nor the church, nor the press, will save the present system.

‘Radicals' generally express opposition to corporate and big business. The class-conscious worker has no reason to oppose big business because it is big; there is nothing to be gained and a lot to be lost by splitting up one big industry into a lot of small businesses. It is far easier to convince workers that what should be done is not to destroy the huge multi-nationals but once taken over, use their interlocking structures and supply-chains to operate them for the welfare of the people.

To achieve socialism labour must first gain political power. The workers under capitalism have no economic power (except in the sense that they can bring industry to a halt by withdrawing their labor power) and neither have they political power. Before they can take over the industrial machinery and proceed to construct a socialist society, they will have to capture the power of the government machine. It is a struggle to wrest the political power away from the capitalists, and to establish the political power of the workers, a power which will build socialism. All previous forms of state served the minority of the people against the majority but once the workers' have used the state to expropriate the wealth of the capitalist class, the state as the instrument of class rule is abolished.

Socialists subscribe to the idea of a peaceful revolution which will be best achieved by the democratic ballot, where it exists. In dictatorships other means will be necessary and the method chosen may vary depending on circumstance.

What is absolutely necessary is an oganisation of workers who, regardless of their skill or lack of skill, regardless of any secondary differences, agree upon the necessity of solving the problems of the working class through the overthrow of the capitalist system and the establishment of socialism. Without a party the working class would be like a body without a brain but to co-ordinate actions. Workers can do the thinking for themselves. Our aim is to create a socialist party with sections in every country, for the purpose of guiding the struggles of the working class on a world-wide scale.