The feudal lords had to surrender to the ascending capitalist class. There is no escape from the inevitable result that they too are fated to be relegated to history. It all seems so solid and permanent right now, as once did slavery and then feudalism after it! But within the capitalist system, the force is being created and organised that will destroy capitalism and usher in socialism—the working class. The frantic appeals and clamour of reformers will not in the least affect the course of events. The working class have a historic mission to perform; a mission that they will carry out, despite the bribery held out to them that a restoration of past conditions would accrue to their benefit. The workers of the world, conscious of their historic mission, will learn to avoid the mistakes they would make should they depend on other forces than their own industrial power for the solution of the world’s problem. Agencies and institutions deriving their lease of life from the political and industrial masters of today cannot be looked to for support. They may feign being in favour of radical changes in the effects. They will, however, strenuously, even violently oppose any attempt at destroying the cause. They will strive to perpetuate the wages system at all costs.
Most people wonder what the future holds for them. They want to know if it is possible to share a future free from poverty and the anxiety that their pay will be able to keep up with prices, the payments on the house, the furniture and the car. They want to be assured that there will be work to be had for themselves and their children. People seek a secure and happy future for all without the rat race. They don’t agree that a small number of privileged rich folk should cream off the benefits of technology, while the rest of us spend our days in drudgery and boring monotonous work. Many no longer consider such things arranged because of “human nature”, of his “natural greed”. More and more people think that life can be improved to make it better for all. Lessons have been learned from experience and also from the study of what life was like in the past, how it has changed and what made it change. People are increasingly understanding that it is not “human nature” that is the cause of the problems people face today but the way society is organised where a small minority of people owning and controlling the wealth can exclude the vast majority of us from any real say in the running of society. This is what lies at the root of the problems that working people face. It is this system, which we call capitalism that cannot guarantee security nor provide the good things of life for all. It is this that must be changed. The working people who have produced all the wealth around us must come into ownership and control of what is their own by right so that they can then build the society and produce the things they want. With the ending of capitalism, the people would decide how the world should be run. The vast majority of the people gain nothing from capitalism and would lose nothing with its passing.
Class struggle is built into capitalist society because it is not possible to satisfy the capitalists’ aspirations and those of the workers at the same time. The workers fight for better wages and conditions, and the capitalist lives to make the maximum profit out of the labour of the workers. Profits can only come from the value created by the workers. Hence the conflict. The capitalist is interested in organising the production of those goods alone which will make him a profit, while the worker is interested not in profit, but in being able to buy what he wants and needs. The higher the wages paid to the worker, the greater the threat to the capitalist’s profits.
The ruling class have kept a tight check on the mass media, allowing no real opposition viewpoints to try to control people’s thinking and to withhold information. Men and women cannot be fooled by lies and false promises forever, however. The working class has always fought the injustices of the capitalist system. The trade unions organises the workers for the day to day struggle under capitalism. The trade unions were formed to improve the living conditions of the working class through struggle. They are defensive organisations, to stop the capitalist reducing working conditions and to stop workers undercutting one another for jobs. Other organisations of struggle on particular issues have been by the whole course of the struggle for a better and more secure life for the people to win housing, education, a health service reforms. To change the system, however, bodies are needed that can generalise the experience gained in all the struggles, and give a perspective to the working class as a whole – a political party for the workers, a socialist party. While people think and act as individuals, they are effective as a class, organised together and conscious of what needs to be done. This is the lesson of hundreds of years of struggle. To be put into practice, to become reality, ideas must be adopted by the people. To bring about change, therefore, demands an explanation of the facts. Man’s struggle for a better life cannot be confined to just fighting for increases in wages, more to eat and better housing. Today workers can defend living standards but they cannot end exploitation and wage-slavery while capitalism continues. All the reforms that have been enacted to date have not taken us one inch closer to socialism. No reform will end in socialism.
No leader, no political party can do the job of ending capitalism and building socialism. This can only come about when the majority of the people engage in action themselves. The Socialist Party believe that no progress in improving the lot of the working class will be brought about without the struggle of the people themselves. Decisions can never be left to others. The emancipation of the workers must be achieved by the working class itself. This is the call to all the downtrodden all over the world. Helping to build a new society is the aim of the Socialist Party.
No comments:
Post a Comment