Changing the World

 Organise, agitate and educate for a better world

 

There is something wrong in our social and economic life, and ignore it as we may, its problems don’t disappear. The system which has thus been evolved is known as the capitalist system. That is to say, a comparatively few individuals own the capital, including land, factories, mines, transportation, and machinery of production, and by virtue of such private ownership control the destinies and the very lives of the toiling millions of our population Without this capital labour is helpless. The working-person is denied access to the land, and machinery of production, unless he will agree to the terms fixed by capitalists, and as they invest their capital solely to make profits, the wage allowed the worker is, as a general proposition, no larger than is required to maintain his or her subsistence. And even were the capitalist disposed to allow a liberal wage, he is in competition with other capitalists, and the wage of the worker tends irresistibly downward to the point of subsistence. The great body of wage workers, the active producers of wealth, are at its mercy. They are essentially slaves under this system. They are compelled to accept what is allowed them, and must work under such conditions as capital imposes or pay the penalty of idleness, starvation, and death. There is no possible escape from, economic servitude under this system.

 

We live in a world dominated by capitalism, a system which allows a small minority of capitalists to oppress and exploit the great majority of humankind. It is capitalism that brings about great inequalities in living standards with more poor people now in the world than ever before, starts murderous wars to steal the resources of other countries and causes the growing devastation of our natural environment. Either we get rid of this outmoded and decrepit system or it will devastate humanity.

 

We, the homeless, the benefit claimants, the employed, the precariously employed and the unemployed, – in a word, the dispossessed – must fight back if we are to survive. We are reaching out to all from all walks of life. We have no choice but to create a new society free of expoitation and want. In order to do so, we need an organisation that can educate and agitate. The prescription for the cure is nothing less than democratic control of production by the working people. The real power must be exercised through assemblies, committees, councils freely elected and with the right of recall of any delegates at all levels by the manual and intellectual workers of city and country.

 

Under capitalism, where everything enters the field of exchange and becomes the object of buying and selling, a person’s worth comes to be estimated, not by his or her really praiseworthy abilities or actions, but by their bank balance. A person is “worth” what he or she owns and a millionaire is “worth” incomparably more than a pauper, all genuine human values and standards are distorted and desecrated. The working class anthem, the Internationale, says: “We need no god-given saviours.”  

 

 The only viable way forward is to achieve socialism, a class-free and state-free worldwide society where people do not oppress and exploit each other and where we live in harmony with our environment. Socialism is a system of real, popular democracy that sets about the reconstruction of society.

 

To create world socialism it is necessary to overthrow the rule of capitalism. Although many recognise capitalism as no good only a few can see a way forward to a better type of society.

 

Societies without a state do not lack social regulation; life within them can be orderly. We keep each other ‘in line’ by various forms of social pressure. Socialists who wish to maintain the state are simply not socialists.

 

Within the World Socialist Movement there exists a widespread sincere belief in and commitment to equality and justice. There is absolutely no room for any discrimination, based on race,colour, ethnicity, caste, gender, or other such considerations. Top priority of a socialist society should be given to meeting the essential needs of all people, respecting the dignity of all people.