We are living in a period in the history of mankind in which the course of history is taking a decisive turn towards world socialism or face unimaginable tragedies. The class struggle is the central, underlying feature of economic, political, ideological, and social life. At times, this struggle, which is the real substance of our everyday, ordinary existence, inevitably erupts in great events and crises which become pivotal punctuation marks of our history. Before us lies unlimited possibilities. Go to your brothers and sisters at your work or in your neighbourhood and talk to them openly that socialism will be a classless system, where goods are produced for use. not for sale, and because there will be no buying or selling so there will be no need for money, banks, insurance companies, salesmen, ticket collectors, check-out cashiers, stock brokers and all the rest of the cumbersome junk and paraphernalia which involves people in soul destroying, non-productive, non-creative activity so necessary in capitalist society. Socialism will mean that the problems of world poverty, hunger, disease, can be tackled and overcome in a coordinated way, that people will move freely over the face of the globe and that the roots of racism will be destroyed. Socialism will mean harnessing of all the world’s resources for the benefit of united humanity. Bring them to our meetings. Get them to join our movement. The Socialist Party is calling on all who want to see this system of minority rule of capitalists ended once and for all to join us. For the words of Karl Marx still hold good: “The emancipation of the proletariat must be the work of the working class.” The working class must constitute itself as an independent political force in order to advance its interests. This will be made a reality.
Socialism cannot be built in one country. Capitalism is a world system, and it can be thoroughly destroyed only on a world scale. The Socialist Party is internationalist because it considers nationalism and patriotism reactionary. It is internationalist because it considers that national frontiers have become obstacles to further economic and social progress and a direct contributing source to conflicts and wars. It is internationalist because it understands that the classless socialist society cannot be established within the framework of one country alone. The workers of one country can begin perhaps the preparatory tasks. They can lay the foundations of socialism. But socialism cannot be established. If capitalism has developed a world market and become the dominant world order, socialism cannot conceivably be restricted to one country, no matter how big it is. Socialism is world socialism, or it is not socialism at all. Just as a socialist economy could not exist side by side with a capitalist economy in one country, so a socialist nation could not exist side by side with capitalist nations in one world, one or the other would have to win in the end. That is why the Socialist Party endeavors to promote the worldwide organisation, unity, and solidarity of the working class and created the World Socialist Movement, more an aspiration than reality at the present time.
Overthrowing the whole of capitalism seems such a daunting task so is it possible? It is impossible to give any guarantees but, nevertheless, socialists are confident that it can be done. The global nature of the capitalist economy makes its conditions of exploitation and the recurring crises international too. The political impact of a socialist revolution will send shock waves that will circle the world. The very existence of an example of real workers’ power and workers’ democracy will challenge our rulers. The revolution will give inspiration to workers’ movements everywhere and the many divisions and splits in the workers’ movement will be healed, because there will be concrete proof of the actual correct strategy and tactics necessary to achieve victory. The working class taking power into its own hands make the case for socialism infinitely easier to argue. All of this will be greatly aided by modern communications, the internet, and social media. As the revolution unfolds the reality cannot be censored from our television screens.
Capitalism, by its method of production, has brought isolated workers together and constituted them as a class in society. Capitalism has made the workers a class in themselves. That is, the workers are a distinct class in society, whether they recognise this fact or not. Historical development calls upon this class to reorganise society completely and establish socialism. To do this, the workers must become a class for themselves. They must acquire a clear understanding of their real position under capitalism, of the nature of capitalist society as a whole, and of their mission in history. They must act consciously for their class interests. They must become conscious of the fact that these class interests lead to a socialist society. When this takes place, the workers are a class for themselves, a class with socialist consciousness.
How are the workers to acquire this consciousness – this clear, thoroughgoing understanding of capitalist society, their position in it, and the need to replace this society with socialism? The thinking of the workers is based on the ideas of the capitalist class, acquired directly from the capitalist press, schools, churches and the like. What the workers still lack is a fundamental and thorough understanding of their real position in society and of their historic mission to establish socialism. This lack of a socialist consciousness reduces the effectiveness of their organization, of their struggle, and prevents them from accomplishing their mission in society. To imbue the workers with this class consciousness, or socialist consciousness is the role Socialist Party has taken up. Its members are no cleverer, no more superior than any other worker but we have already come to understand the nature of capitalism and the historical task of the working class. Our aim is to develop the same understanding among our fellow-workers by persuasion and education, so that they no longer fight blindly but with the clarity of who their class enemy is, of what the working class itself really is and of what it can and must do in society. The Socialist Party, therefore, have no interests separate from the interests of the working class as a whole. We try to educate fellow-workers the full meaning of the class war to show how even the local struggles, against one capitalist, are really class struggles against capitalism by pointing out the political meaning of the economic struggle. The Socialist Party endeavours to teach how the workers must organise as a class to take political power, and use it to inaugurate socialism. The purpose of our party is to improve the position of the working class, to strengthen it, to clarify it and supply it with the most effective weapons in the struggle – knowledge.
The Socialist Party is the only political organisation which solely advocates socialism. There are several parties which proclaim to share the same goal and we can sympathise with those ask: “How can I tell which party is right?” Or, “Why don’t you all unite because if you cannot agree among yourselves, how do you expect others to agree with you?” To judge different parties, check their words and their deeds. See if what they do in practice corresponds to what they say in words. Read carefully the claims made for each party and the description given of what it can do, and judge from experience which one really serves the purpose best. Examine the different parties, what they are for and what they are against. The Socialist Party possesses a long history and rich tradition. It is proud of the fact that its principles are founded on the teachings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as well as other such as William Morris. The Socialist Party differs from the other parties in its conception of the road to socialism. The democratic structure of the Socialist Party corresponds to its political principles and its aim. A party that aims for an open free society must be constructed accordingly. Socialism cannot be achieved without class consciousness. Class consciousness means an understanding working class, a self-confident and self-reliant working class. A party leader or bureaucracy cannot substitute for the self-reliance of the working class and they are an obstacle to it. It seeks to preserve its special privileges by curbing and stifling the workers and preventing them from acting independently with their organised strength. Socialism means peace and freedom for the entire world. The Socialist Party, therefore, has never ever given support to capitalism’s wars and has opposed them at all times.
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