We must establish a society in which the means of life will be socially owned and democratically controlled; in which production will be carried on for the benefit and use of all. This is the only way we can end the ruling-class rivalries that lead to war. The Socialist Party appeals to workers to take a stand against the capitalist system that repeatedly causes senseless acts of war. It is not in the interests of workers to support the military ventures of their exploiters. On the contrary, it is in the interests of workers to oppose the ruling class’ military machinations throughout the world. In doing so, workers would support the struggles of their fellow workers.
Capitalism is a predatory social system. The capitalist class and its political parties couldn't care less if the government of any other country is democratic or anti-democratic. Its governments will "wheel and deal" with any foreign tyrant if its purposes are served. That may seem inconsistent or hypocritical to some, but it was not. Supporting or opposing foreign governments has nothing to do with political principles or ideologies and everything to do with the material and profit interests of a nations capitalist ruling class. Capitalism needs foreign markets; it needs foreign sources of raw materials for its industries; it needs large supplies of cheap labour; and it needs strategic control over those markets for the trade routes, supplies and sources of raw materials. Getting and securing them is the fundamental "principle" at work. How they are gotten and secured is a secondary consideration.
We believe that the working class must, at last, come to recognise that the competitive capitalist system of private ownership of the land and plants of production, means of transportation, mines, etc., is, in fact, the basic cause of the present state of world’s conflicts and chaos, and of wars, declared and undeclared. To avoid future wars, therefore, the capitalist cause must be abolished. Society must be reorganised on socialist lines, replacing private (and state) ownership and competition with common ownership and cooperation. We must make the factories, mines, transport and all the other means of social production the collective property of society so that we can produce things to satisfy human needs instead of for the profit of the few. Only then can the competitive, war-breeding struggle for international markets, spheres of influence and sources of raw materials be ended. Only then will the peoples of the world have an economic foundation for lasting cooperation, harmony and peace. Socialism—genuine socialism—is literally the hope of humanity. The capitalist industrial-military complex has been preparing the wars of the future. It’s up to us, as potential victims, to stop it by building not just a renewed peace movement, but a deeper one for fundamental change to a new society.
The Socialist Party supports the campaign against the capitalist system that needs armies and armaments. While workers have austerity cutbacks on social services imposed upon them, politicians eagerly approve increases in the budget of the military. The ruling class will continue its escalation of militarism as long as there are profit interests, which benefit from it. Accordingly, active opposition to the profit-motivated capitalist system, which underlies militarism, is needed. The Socialist Party stresses the fact that militarism is rooted in the capitalist class’ private ownership and control of the economy. The Socialist Party seeks to organise working people politically and economically to replace the economic chaos and militarism of capitalism with a worker-controlled economy that will serve our collective needs. A socialist transformation of society would create an economic order under which the means of production would be socially owned and democratically controlled by workers through their organisations. Socialism places power in the collective hands of the working class. With the elimination of the profit motive, the principle of social use would guide production. The need would no longer exist for military spending artificially to stimulate the economy, or to maintain a large military machine to enforce access to foreign markets. Under capitalism, even relatively small cutbacks in military spending could lead to increased unemployment and the creation of economically depressed areas. Under a social system based on production for use, the elimination of unnecessary production would simply reduce the workweek of the entire labour force because the entire industrial process would reflect the needs of the whole population.
Take the time to look carefully at the issues and at the socialist alternative to a world of continuing mindless slaughter, oppression and exploitation. The tremendous waste of labour-power and natural resources on the production of weapons reflects the imperatives of the capitalist economic system. Capitalism pursues its economic objectives with sheer military might. Militarism is not a mistaken policy that can be reversed merely by voting into office a different set of capitalist politicians. It is the established policy of the parties of capital that exercise control over governments.
Socialism, unlike state ownership systems, would place power in the collective hands of the working class, not in those of government bureaucrats.
With the elimination of the profit motive, the principle of social use would guide production. The need would no longer exist for military spending artificially to stimulate the economy, or to maintain a large military machine to enforce access to foreign markets. Under capitalism, even relatively small cutbacks in military spending could lead to increased unemployment and the creation of economically depressed areas. Under a social system based on production for use, the elimination of unnecessary production would simply reduce the workweek of the entire labour force because the entire industrial process would reflect the needs of the whole population.
To resist the drive toward militarism and to abolish its capitalist cause, workers must organise economically and politically. This organisation must lead to the development of a new workers’ movement that can mobilise the full measure of the political and economic power of the working class. It must set in motion a political party of the working class to challenge capitalist power in the political arena. The success of such a revolutionary socialist movement would eradicate forever the dangers of war.
In the name of all that is decent and humane, the Socialist Party calls upon the working class to demand a complete and immediate stop to wars. Working people need to consummate a peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism. It calls upon the working class to organize a political party of its own to express its will to abolish capitalism, and to organise itself in the workplaces of the country to enforce that decision by taking, holding and operating the economy in the name of society. Only then can the working-class majority take control of its own destiny to ensure permanent economic prosperity, to uproot the cause of international conflicts, and to lay the foundation for international cooperation and lasting peace. Militarism is part and parcel of a capitalist system based on profit-motivated production, the private ownership of the economy by a tiny capitalist minority, and the exploitation of working people. It is the means by which the capitalist minority enforces it's political and economic will both at home and abroad. Accordingly, an effective antidote to militarism can only be fashioned by a working-class movement that organises workers economically and politically to effect a basic transformation of society. This is the policy of the Socialist Party to free us once and for all from the unspeakable horrors of war. Working people always pay the price with their pain and blood. Our sons, fathers, wives and daughters are plunged into a seething ferment that fosters ruthless and barbarous conduct toward distant and impoverished people in the interests of capitalism. In the cause of capitalist wars, our young are trained not only as killers but torturers as well. If the working class does not act to end capitalism, capitalism will destroy us, both physically and morally.
The Socialist Party holds that the working class must, at last, come to recognize that the competitive capitalist system of private ownership of the land and plants of production, means of transportation, mines, etc., is, in fact, the basic cause of the present state of world anarchy, and of wars, declared and undeclared. To avoid future wars, therefore, the capitalist cause must be abolished. Society must be reorganized on socialist lines, replacing private (and state) ownership and competition with social ownership and cooperation. We must make all the means of social production into the collective property of society so that we can produce things to satisfy human needs instead of for the profit of the few. Only then can the competitive, war-breeding struggle for international markets, spheres of influence and sources of raw materials be ended. Only then will the nations of the world have an economic foundation for lasting cooperation, harmony and peace. Socialism—genuine socialism—is literally the hope of humanity. The way to prevent war is to build a class-free, socialist society, which would end the compulsive ruling-class interests that fosters militarism generally.
The Socialist Party, an organisation that has devoted 117years to the study of the social question, offers a process to accomplish this change to socialism peacefully. In the name of sanity, we urge you to help us bring to birth a society in which all of humanity can live in peace and freedom. Our objective is a global cooperative commonwealth.
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