Organise for socialism

WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE

The world needs socialism and automation and the new technology gives added weight to the argument for socialism. In the hands of capitalism it can only bring social chaos but with socialism it would bring immeasurable benefits. Yet there are a majority in the labour movement for whom common ownership holds little appeal, and they are content to follow orthodox labour leaders' paths and by-ways of social reform. In part, this contentment stems from a simple failure to grasp the fact that socialism without common ownership is an absurd contradiction in terms. It is surprising that the notion of common ownership, of the planned and rational use of society’s resources for the greatest good of the greatest number, should not exercise a powerful appeal to workers. There is no point in socialists thinking that the present indifference to our society’s economic base is going to change miraculously and overnight into a mass enthusiasm for its transformation that will suddenly make common ownership the policy of the labour movement. This is not to say that more favourable circumstances for the propagation of the socialist case will never occur but what it does mean is that it will take time. Socialists are in r the politics for the long haul. There is the need for socialists to make clear why common ownership of the means to life is the key to social change. This demands more than a pious repetition of the ‘common ownership of the means of production and distribution’ formula. The other task is to carry this clarification to the workers themselves. In other words, to make socialists.

Socialism is that form of society in which there is no such thing as a property-less class, but instead the whole community owns the means of production—the land, factories, mills, mines, transport and all the means whereby wealth is created and distributed to the community. Socialism is also the name given to a body of scientific and philosophic thought which explains why the socialist form of society is now a necessity, the forces upon which its achievement depends, the conditions under which and the methods whereby it can be achieved. Socialism is not a particularly complicated doctrine. Socialism stands for social (property owned in common.) Capitalism stands for private property. Socialism is a society without classes. Capitalism is divided into classes—the class owning property and the property-less working class.

It is impossible to provide more than this basic picture now of what socialism will be like, for it will depend in the particular details on the actual conditions at the time. For as long as anyone can remember, the ruling class have paraded one political representative after another before the people promising a lifetime of “peace with prosperity,” while they have subjected millions here and hundreds of millions around the world to agony and waged wars of plunder.

Most workers accept capitalism, believing it cannot be changed, and they view socialists who want to change it as idealists. We can easily understand, therefore, why the great majority of landlords, employers of labour, financiers and the like are opposed to socialism. Their very existence as the receivers of rent, interest and profit is at stake. They do not merely reject the theory of socialism, but actively and bitterly fight any movement which is in the slightest way associated with the struggle for socialism. But how do we account for the support of workers for a system built upon the exploitation of workers? The basic premise of socialism is that the development of capitalism itself drives workers into revolt against the system and in a revolutionary situation, workers change their ideas very, very quickly.

Capitalists disagree from time to time. They argue about tactics and squabble over their ill-gotten gains. But in the face of workers’ resistance, they join ranks and coordinate their forces. If the workers are to prevail, they have to organise.