Socialism means a class-free society, and a class-free society means that a privileged minority of the population are not in a position to enjoy the wealth the majority’s labour produce. It means especially that privileged individuals cannot invest it in the instruments of production with which others work, thus reducing them to a position of fixed subservience. It means an end of rent, profit, and interest on stocks and bonds, an end of “surplus value,” an end of the exploitation of labour. Socialism will solve the problem of poverty by abolishing it. Socialism will not make us angels upon earth; it will only encourage and nurture our better qualities instead of upon our baser, as is done by capitalism today. Bankrupt capitalism has survived beyond its time, and inflicted untold evil on the world.
Socialism will not fall from the skies, nor will it be gained by any appeals to the good will and compassion of the capitalist exploiters. Socialism will not come of its own accord. Socialism can be realised only by the class struggle of the workers. There is an irreconcilable conflict of class interests between the workers and their capitalist exploiters. There can be no greater crime than to miseducate or deceive this working class upon whom so much depends for the salvation of mankind. It is a crime to offer them a program of reformism under the label of socialism. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) today represents not a continuation of Eugene Debs’ tradition but a complete break with this tradition. While these “socialists” still talk a great deal about socialism and revolution, this talk merely serves to conceal their actual service to the capitalist class as a force for misleading and taming the revolutionary movement.
We believe that workers all over the world, no matter what their nationality, have common problems and common bonds, that the rich men who control General Motors, for example, robs all working peoples and that therefore we share common interests with the workers of other lands against the common enemy. We rejoice when we learn that the workers of other countries have had victories which improve their standard of living or widen their liberties, we sympathise with them in their defeats.
Of all political parties or groups the Socialist Party are the most open and frank about their aims and objectives. In 1848 Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, declared: “The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims.” This is still our position.
The system of profit-making, the ownership and control of industry by a few industrialists and bankers for their own gain and not for the benefit of the people. The solution for the ills of present day society is the social ownership of the industries and production for the common good, instead of profits for the few. We desire a happy contented life, which we think only socialism can bring. We know that socialism will succeed capitalism as sure as day follows night. This small minority is actually a dictatorship which decides, on the basis of whether it is profitable for them or not, whether a man will work or not and how he will work. The worker himself has no say whatsoever in this vital matter. We are not “prophets of gloom”. On the contrary, we have our eyes set on the future for mankind. To introduce a system of society where industries are run not for profit but for the good of mankind, a system of society where unemployment will be unknown, where children will be able to secure the maximum education irrespective of the financial position of their parents.
In socialism, the wealth will really belong to the people and be used for their benefit. Socialism will not only guarantee a more equitable distribution of the world’s goods but an enormous increase in the production of all that is necessary to make humankind happy.
Capitalism is a wasteful, irrational system which operates not on the basis of producing what is good for the people, but only what shows the biggest profit. Great inventions and new technologies are held back because they would affect the profits of the capitalists, while millions of pounds are spent every year to convince people to buy what they don’t want. It is impossible to estimate what genius is lost to our society today by the inability of the average working man to give his children advanced education, or allow them to develop their artistic talent. So once the shackles of private profit-making are removed our society will march ahead to unheard of production of goods and men and women’s talents, and this will provide plenty of everything for everyone. Human selfishness will disappear. We are working for such a society and although our numbers and our influence are growing, there are not enough of us yet to make the progress. The nurse, the doctor, the scientific research worker know the thrill of achievement for others and they will understand how we feel when we see socialism advancing with mighty strides, knowing that every little success brings closer the world socialist system which will benefit all humankind.
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