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Saturday, June 22, 2019

Solidarity and Unity

If the workers of the world do not awaken in time then a terrible fate awaits for all. Long hours, low wages, misery and war—these have been the offerings of capitalism in the past but now we face the existential threat of global warming and climate change. The greatest need of the workers is world socialism, the cooperative commonwealth.

The workers of the world have endured years of slaughter, starvation and suffering. Many millions of men, women and children have died of want while fat capitalists have lived in luxury. Present-day life means nothing to you except the same daily grind of hopeless toil, poor food, poor clothing, poor housing, and an early death. Wake up! Show yourself to be worthy of more than a slave's position. Sweep away the capitalist class; conquer supremacy for the working class; and then get down to the serious business of building up institutions necessary for carrying on the business building a society where the people will own and control all means of wealth production and distribution in common. You must now choose between revolution for the establishment of socialism or degradation. The capitalists of the world are aiding and abetting one another. The workers must unite and overthrow them. The issue is clear—either revolution for socialism or more misery under capitalism.

The Socialist Party desires to impress upon you the practicability of the action we urge. No abstract theories are necessary. All that is necessary is that you, workers, should recognise that while a few men own the means whereby you live, you must be slaves to these men; once you see this then you must be prepared to take action to accomplish your freedom. You know that the government uses the police and military force to repress you every time you try to do anything for yourselves. These men are members of the working class like you are, efforts must be made to win them over to the side of the workers. This is your first step, and it is not so hard as it may appear; the workers in the army suffer under a system which is worse than factory life, also, and they are coming to understand that when they are discharged from the army they can only expect a miserable pension. Everything about which they only dream now could become a practical certainty through the co-operation of workers for the defeat of the capitalist class. 

You must show fellow-workers that the only ones who have interests in common with them are their own fellow-workers. We have everything to gain by the overthrow of the capitalists and nothing to lose. This is the way the workers of the world should be moving, and succeeding in their task of ridding the world of the system of society which means only misery for the workers. Nothing short of the complete overthrow of the capitalists and their institutions can prepare the ground where the workers shall control their own destiny. Workers, upon your shoulders rests this mighty work, your whole future depends upon its success.


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