Thursday, October 24, 2019

Our Goal Remains Socialism


...all creatures have been turned into property, the fishes in the water, the birds in the air, the plants on the earth; the creatures, too, must become free.” - Thomas Münzer, cited approvingly by Marx

Socialists did not invent human aspirations for a just, egalitarian and free society; men and women have cherished that dream for a long time. What socialists did was to take these ideals and shape them into a revolutionary objective to achieve the better society to which all humanity desires. Socialism is not an authoritarian creed despite the history of those dictators who called themselves socialist. Socialism is a society without a government. It is a free society; a society without rulers and ruled, leaders and led, masters and slaves. Socialism is not only on the side of freedom but is equivalent to freedom.

Working people are losing trust in the existing institutions, and realize that they are defeating the very purpose they were supposed to serve. The world is at a loss for a way out. Parliamentarism and democracy are being challenged and salvation is being sought in right-wing populism and “strong man” political leaders. The employer is in business to make a profit. The lower his costs, other things remaining the same, the higher his profits. Now, labor cost is one of his principal costs. Therefore, the lower the wage, the higher the profit. The primary function of racism is in keeping wage and salary earners split, economically and politically. It is one of the principal weapons on the “divide and conquer” arsenal. If their ability to join together in unions is cut down, then their ability to raise their wages or prevent cuts will be impaired. Thus, their wages and working conditions will be worse than if they worked together. The lower wages represent higher profits for the employer. Racism benefits the bosses and hurts the wage earners of all races.

The function of the Socialist Party is to expose and fight false ideas, to open minds to the possibility of the construction of the free and class-free society. We are convinced that socialism is the only hope of the workers. Neither reforms nor palliatives can in any way remove the great economic contradictions inherent in capitalism. The time has now arrived when all revolutionary workers must either join hands with the Socialist Party or strengthen the hands of the reformists. Socialism can only win the workers when the Socialist Party has been so strengthened that it can carry out its work upon an even larger scale. To that end our organisation appeals for members where he or she can best assist the socialist movement. Outside the Socialist Party your efforts are probably being exhausted in a wrong efforts; inside the Socialist Party your energy will be directed upon the greatest work in history—helping in the emancipation of the working class and the freedom of humanity. Our goal is to lift the working class everywhere from wage bondage to dignity, and self-liberation. Capitalists are on one side of the class war, workers on the other. To inaugurate the era of freedom, harmony, and love involves a social revolution. The land and their resources and the machinery of production must become the property of the people, owned in common by them and democratically controlled by them. 

To make the means of production common property, the only possible solution of the problem, the working class must secure control of the government machine. Then only can it exercise its political power and execute its will. This is why the class struggle is a political struggle and why the lines must be shaped and uncompromisingly drawn between the Socialist Party, representing the exploited working class, and all others, including reformist parties, that represent the exploiting capitalist class. Socialism alone promises escape from the despotic and grinding exploitation of the present system. It is in the workers' own enlightened self-interest to secure to the collective people all the means of wealth production, thus achieving industrial democracy and creating the socialist commonwealth.

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