“Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission
of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears,
and vitalized by agitation be also found, unfurling its class-struggle banner
and proclaiming its mission of emancipation.” Eugene Debs
The fear and loathing of socialism by the powerful elite,
stems from its attention to the unanswered questions in the minds of humanity. Socialism,
engages with the central problems of philosophy, political economy and
sociology. The philosophy of socialism is materialism. Against religious
superstition, materialism is a means of conceiving the world in change. Marx
and Engels repeatedly exposed the way people fell victims of deceit and
self-deceit in politics. They argued that the supporters of reforms and
improvements will always be fooled by the defenders of the old order, no matter
how barbarous and rotten it may be. The task of the Socialist Party is not to
concoct utopian schemes but to enlighten and organise for the overthrow of
capitalism. The major problems of the day are practical problems. We must stop
relying on a faith in “the inevitability of socialism”, that things will turn
out all right in the end, so long as we repeat the right slogans.
The capitalist class, in their never-ending grasp for higher
profits, are willing to make the world a misery for a majority of working
people. Capitalists are the most class-conscious people in the world. Despite
their family squabbles over how to divide the wealth that is produced by labour
and appropriated by capital, the capitalists all stand shoulder to shoulder
when they sense any danger to their system of robbery. All capitalists standing
united, regardless of politics, race or creed in the defense of their “sacred”
system of “private enterprise,” as they hypocritically call it – or; the system
of capitalist exploitation, as honest people call it. They are right in defending the system of free
enterprise. It is THEIR system; they thrive on it. It is THEIR government which
protects a system, which breeds insecurity and want on one side, and incredible
wealth and indulgence on the other. They only hope that they can succeed in
hoodwinking enough people to trust capitalism to provide work for everybody.
They hope that the working class will be meek and submissive. They hope that
they can convince enough workers to hunger in silence while waiting for the
“private enterprise” paradise that has been promised
In contrast, the working class, if it were united, could
turn the world into a storehouse of plenty for all. Will the workers learn in
sufficient time also to stand shoulder to shoulder? The problem is that people
accept capitalism and its logic and therefore see no alternative. The truth is
that the attacks on the welfare state point to the need for revolution. Even at
a time when the system could afford concessions, “welfare” never meant raising
people out of poverty and providing a better life for them and their families.
It is one thing to defend all the crumbs, like welfare benefits, that have been
won. It is quite another thing to pose more or better welfare as a real
solution. The answer to poverty is not welfare but a new society which will
have real solutions for all, a new society based on human needs, not profits. Faith
that capitalism can be reformed is prevalent but reformism today means
acceptance of austerity. There can be plenty for all –but only by socialising
the means of production and placing production under common ownership.
We live in a modern society. We have vast industries all
over the world. We have undreamed-of natural resources. We have millions of
trained and skilled workers. We can produce in one day. what it once took years
to produce. Yet we do not have security and prosperity. It is the social system
that stands in the way, the system of capitalism or, as it is sometimes called
to make it sound better, the system of “free enterprise.” Under that system, a
handful of capitalists control all the wealth and power. This handful owns
industry, banking, mining, transportation. It owns our jobs. Whoever owns all
these things, controls our lives, the lives of you and me and tens of millions
of others.
We are not reformers — we are revolutionists.
By revolution the Socialist Party does not mean violence or bloodshed. It is
safe to say that every member of the Socialist Party would regard it a calamity
to the cause, as well as to humanity, to have a violent upheaval in society. Socialism
offers a possible, a peaceful solution. So, then, by “revolutionary socialism”
we do not mean an appeal to insurrection. We mean the capture of the political
powers of the nation by the working class as opposed to the capitalist class.
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