Mankind and Socialism

Under the capitalist system, a few crumbs must be given to sections of the workers to keep them sweet.  Capitalism, with its system of production for profit – its system of international rivalry for domination of foreign territories and trade, produces one war after another. The capitalists keep millions subjugated and exploited, by its wage system. This system cannot give peace and plenty to its people but socialism will. Socialism means production for use and not for profit. Socialism means internationalism. It means that one working class is not pitted against others. It means that one worker is not pitted against another in the fight for a job. It means that one worker is not cutting the throat of the other by producing at lower wages than the other. The reformers all seek to do the impossible: make capitalism work. Untold misery, poverty, and unemployment are the living facts that prove that capitalism doesn’t work – not for the working class, anyway.  Reformers refuse to see the truth: that capitalist society does not function to achieve social goals the community as a whole regards as desirable, but rather operates to achieve the goals considered desirable by a small part of society, the ruling capitalist class, which places its profits as the paramount concern of society. Society does not exist to satisfy the requirements of the community but the profit needs of the capitalist class. The government’s purpose is to ensure the rule of the capitalist class, and by its policies to assure their returns. When the needs of the great majority of society come into conflict with the capitalist system and the capitalist class, the government’s role is to ascertain that the latter triumphs. Capitalist class parties may differ and sometimes do differ deeply on how to achieve the purpose of the state, but despite these differences, all capitalist parties represent the capitalist class.

 Socialism is based upon the planned organisation of production for use by means of the common ownership and democratic control of the means of production, is the abolition of all classes and class differences. Production would not be organised on the basis of the blind push and pull of the capitalist market but in accordance with the needs of the people. Production for profit would give way to production for use. The waste of capitalist competition would be overcome. Capitalism produces bombs for the destruction of homes just as readily as it constructs homes. It produces luxurious palaces while millions live in shacks. Its motive of production was, is, and always will be profit. It is not the needs of the people that dictate its production.

If, however, production were carried on for use, to satisfy the needs of the people, the question immediately arises: Who is to determine what is useful and what would satisfy these needs? Production for use, by its very nature, demands constant consultation of the people, and the democratic direction by the people would guide the course of production and distribution. Decisions made by committees of planners, no matter how well-intended and benevolent they might be, cannot plan production for the needs of the people for it would lead to the regimentation of the people and would be for the workers, but not of and by the workers. Instead of being regulated by the blind market, as under capitalism, production would be regulated by a bureaucracy. Production for use, aimed at satisfying the needs of society and of freeing all the people from class rule, would be impossible. Democratic control, the continual extension of democracy, is, therefore, an indispensable necessity in socialist society. Socialism is not a blueprint for society that exists in the minds of some people. It is a practical necessity. It is the direction that working people must take in order to save society from disintegration. The Socialist Party intends to make our fellow-workers conscious of this necessity and to work for the realisation of the goal. The workers cannot rid themselves of their sufferings without abolishing capitalism and proceed with the complete reorganisation of society. The abolition of private ownership would remove the last barrier to the development of production. Production would be organised, rationally carried on and expanded, and aimed at satisfying the needs of society. Men and women would no longer be wage-slaves of the employers. Every introduction of new technology and an increase in productivity would bring comfort and even luxury of all; and an increase in everyone’s free time, to devote to the cultural and intellectual development of humankind. Mankind will not live primarily to work; we will work primarily to live.

Even today, with all the fetters that capitalism has placed upon production, industry properly organised can produce the necessities of life for all in a working day of four hours or less. Organised on a socialist basis, applying robotics and automation we are talking of a society of leisure and abundance. There is free access for all. There is ample opportunity for the intellectual development of all. There will be no need of a public coercive force to maintain the power of one class over another, to protect the property of one from the assaults of the other, to assure the continuation of oppression and exploitation. There will be the simple administration of things, but no longer the rule of one over another. The State itself will die out for lack of any social need or function. 

Mankind will prove that class conflict, poverty, hunger war, and oppression are not unavoidable and that capitalism and the state are not indispensable. In the socialist society we will show that abundance, freedom, and equality are not only possible but the natural condition for the new history of humanity.