Class Struggle Reality

The class struggle arises in the economic field, but that the workers can only be victorious in that struggle by becoming conscious of their class interests and controlling political power. The objection is often raised that the workers are "robbed” in the process of production and that it is on the industrial field that we must fight for emancipation. These objectors do not realise that economic systems are controlled politically and that material conditions give rise to political institutions by means of which ruling classes dominate the economic world. The materialist view of history shows that the material conditions of production, etc., make necessary political machinery to govern or control the economic life of society. Every class struggling for control of the economic basis of society has to become politically supreme in order to maintain or obtain economic possession.  On the political field, the class struggle can be explained and driven home far more effectively than in the factories and offices, where the sectional rivalry between workers obscures the class line.  Practically all political activists who talk about socialism gained their ideas about the nature of socialism outside the work-place and inside political agitation.

We are often told that "economic power” is the key to the situation. The working class, however, have no economic power. The working class cannot live except by being employed by the masters. The instruments of production, as well as the products, belong to the employers, which leaves the workers in the position of constantly struggling for a job and wages in order to exist. It has been claimed that because the workers are necessary to production, their "indispensability" is an economic power. But the workers can’t live on their quality of being necessary to industry. And as soon as they enter into production, they do so on the employers’ terms. If “economic power” depends upon possession, as in the employers’ case, then it at once rules the workers out from “economic power. ” The employing class have to "back up” their economic possession by controlling the political machine.

The age-long efforts to prevent the workers having a vote, and the huge funds and resources used to maintain a capitalist majority, show how important a machine Parliament is for the ruling class. It is the seat of power. It is the main machine of the modern State, through which the armed forces are controlled. Before the workers can do anything with the State machinery, they first of all must win possession of it.  If that Parliamentary control is left in the hands of our enemies, the workers are without any means of taking possession of the machinery of wealth production, etc.

Our life in capitalism becomes more and more fragmented, more and more specialised. Capitalism is a system of society which divides people rather than unites them — capitalist from a worker, men from women, blacks from whites, nation from nation. It teaches us competition not co-operation competition for jobs, housing and something that approximates to a bearable standard of living. The division between capitalist and worker is inherent in capitalism — their interests are totally opposed and can never be reconciled. But the divisions between workers are not inherent —they are encouraged by the conditions in which we live and work but could be overcome through a recognition of our common class interests, our mutual inter-dependence and, above all, the need for radical change. The Socialist Party is striving for the real emancipation of humanity.