Capitalism - Humanity’s Enemy

 

"I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me." Abraham Lincoln 

Our task as socialists is to persuade others that our analyses of current events reflect reality and that our vision of the future is desirable. In other words, we aim to seduce our fellow workers with a consistent case for socialism. Peace is possible but not unless we put an end to the cause of war by organising to uproot the capitalist system.

The Socialist Party does not accuse individuals of deliberate efforts to engineer wars. Instead, we say the capitalist class generally, will do whatever they believe is necessary to protect, strengthen and preserve the capitalist system, the system that in the final analysis is the cause of war. For it is the economic facts and factors that control leaders and their actions - leaders rarely control events, or at any event, not for long.

Conflicts are propelled by forces beyond the immediate control of individuals, regardless of the prior hopes and intent of individuals, leading to a termination of the precise nature of which even the most far-visioned cannot perceive at this moment.

 

We believe that  working people must come to understand that the competitive capitalist system is, in fact, the basic cause of the present state of world anarchy, and of wars, declared and undeclared. Militarism is integral to the capitalist system. Accordingly, an effective antidote to militarism can only be fashioned by a working-class movement that organises workers to effect a basic transformation of society. This is the programme of the Socialist Party - to organise workers into mass organisations capable of wresting control over society from the capitalist minority and of creating a worker-controlled economy that will serve our collective needs and free us once and for all from the unspeakable horrors of militarism. To avoid future wars, therefore, capitalist society must be abolished.

 

Sympathy and emotion for the anti-war cause are laudable. But without a sound premise and attainable goal, they can only lead to failure and despair. The crying need of our time is not protest marches for peace. but determined, unrelenting action to awaken the working class to the imperative need for a socialist reconstruction of society, and to enlighten them on the principles and programme for accomplishing that social change in a peaceful, civilised manner. At this late hour, it is the only way to strike a decisive blow for peace and freedom for the workers of all nations. All else is futile and hopeless.

We want peace instead of violence and destruction. We want security instead of insecurity. Without capitalism and capitalist profit, we can put an end to these horrible wars caused by nationalist rivalry and by the lust of every capitalist to dominate the wealth of the world. Our marvellous machinery performed the terrible miracles of weapon production. We can make it perform far greater miracles to provide plenty for all, homes fit to live in, comforts and prosperity, self-respect and human dignity.

Those are the things we all want. They are the things socialism stands for. They are the things that we, the Socialist Party, stand for.