Revolution – Why we need it

Ideas stand no longer against ideas, but against a PR machine ruthlessly worked from ulterior motives. The notion that the end justifies the means has become a dogma of all the main political parties. Their principle consists in having no principles, propagating policies in which they do not themselves believe.

The crises of capitalism have made the re-organisation of society on socialist lines an imperative necessity. The theory of reformism is very different from the actual struggle for reforms. It is that repeated success in achieving reforms could, over time, will completely transform society, peacefully and without the sharp break represented by revolution, into another type of society. The idea was that capitalist society could grow gradually into a free socialist society. Socialist critics of reformism are not, of course, opposed to the struggle for reforms. But they do understand that no gain is permanently guaranteed so long as the means of production remain in the hands of the capitalist minority. But the struggle for socialism is not for something far-off. The first obligation of the Socialist Party is that its adherents should explain its aim and its essential characteristics clearly so that they can be understood by everyone. We must do away with many misunderstandings created by our adversaries and some created by ourselves. The main idea of socialism is simple. A multitude of human beings possesses nothing. They can only live by their work, and since, in order to work, they need an expensive equipment, which they have not got, and raw materials and capital, which they have not got, they are forced to put themselves in the hands of another class that owns the means of production, the land, the factories, the machines, the raw material, and accumulated capital in the form of money. And naturally, the capitalist and possessing class, taking advantage of its power, makes the working and non-owning class pay a large forfeit. Socialism stands for social or community property. Capitalism stands for private property. Socialism is a society without classes. Capitalism is divided into classes—the class owning property and the propertyless working class.

Wages are a badge of slavery. If to-day workers receive wages, it simply means that they are slaves. It is true that the capitalist cannot sell the body of his employees to another capitalist; it is true also that a worker may refuse to work for his or her present master and leave him. But, if they do, what happens? Like the plundered peasant, he or she is compelled to seek someone else to employ him, for we workers are propertyless and cannot live on air. Therefore, the wage earner is dependent on the capitalist class and the slave of that class. If the working class wishes to end its slavery, it will have to take those means of production from the present owners and convert them into the property of all society, i.e., establish socialism. But in doing this the workers will abolish the wages system, for then there will be no employer to say: “Sell your labour power to me and I'll give you enough money to buy the necessaries of life."

“How will the members of the Socialist commonwealth get food, etc., if they have no wages?" someone usually asks. Here is the answer: Since private ownership will be done away with, no one will be able to say, "These goods are mine, I'll sell them.” On the contrary, the wealth produced (like the means of production) will belong to all society and every member will have free access to that wealth.

One last objection is possible. Will there not be a scramble? Production, having advanced to its present level, has made it possible to produce goods in abundance and in quantities enough to satisfy everybody. Furthermore, since profits will not be the aim of production under Socialism (there being no profits), goods could be turned out in still greater quantities without fear of a crisis.

Everyone is an expert on human nature, especially politicians, who make remarks about the nature of people such as that humans are an inherently greedy, selfish, violent, nasty species. This is both wrong and unscientific. When most people talk about human nature, they are referring to human behaviour—two different concepts. The selfish, cruel, anti-social conduct that is laid at the door of human nature is really only the outcome of systems based on private property, which compels people to engage in predatory conduct in order to survive. We cannot afford to let an erroneous view of ourselves as human beings prevail. There is absolutely no reason why we cannot live in peace and harmony. That this will mean that we must make a fundamental change in our system of society is something we will come to when we know about ourselves as humans.

The Socialist Party’s aim is socialism because socialism is the only way to solve the problems of capitalism is to end the class divisions in society. The Socialist Party has therefore always been focused to take the means of production and distribution out of the hands of individuals, and to transfer them to the ownership of the people as a whole so that they can be used for the common good. Common ownership means an end to the chaos and wasteful competition of production for profit. Socialism does not mean the levelling down of living standards. Nor does it bring bureaucracy and tyranny. On the contrary, socialism draws more and more people into planning and making their own future, and frees their creative energies for great economic, social and cultural advances. We mean by Socialism what the pioneers meant—the ending of the exploitation of man by man, the abolition of the system of rent, interest and profit, planned production for use instead of private profit, and the ownership of the means of production and distribution by the working people.

“The word Revolution, which we Socialists are so often forced to use, has a terrible sound in most people's ears, even when we have explained to them that it does not necessarily mean a change accompanied by riot and all kinds of violence, and cannot mean a change made mechanically and in the teeth of opinion by a group of men who have somehow managed to seize on the executive power for the moment. Even when we explain that we use the word revolution in its etymological sense, and mean by it a change in the basis of society, people are scared at the idea of such a vast change, and beg that you will speak of reform and not revolution. As, however, we Socialists do not at all mean by our word revolution what these worthy people mean by their word reform, I can't help thinking that it would be a mistake to use it, whatever projects we might conceal beneath its harmless envelope. So we will stick to our word, which means a change in the basis of society." —William Morris (How We Live and How We Might Live.)