It is often argued that no matter how desirable socialism may
be, it could never be made to work, because, whatever changes are made in the
form of society, human nature will always remain fundamentally the same: there
must always be rulers and ruled, rich and poor, employers and employed. This
argument springs from ignorance. The study of history, and the observation of
primitive communities still living in the world, prove that in the earliest
kind of society not only were the land and the tools (what are called the means
of production) regarded as the common property of the tribe, but everyone
shared in the common tasks of production. Because of the low level of technique
such communities were necessarily rudimentary, but because there was common ownership,
and therefore no classes, they are correctly described as “primitive
communism.” Gradually, however, as mankind achieved greater mastery over the
forces of nature through increased society the exploitation of the vast
majority by a small privileged section, and the class struggles resulting from
that, were unavoidable because of the low technical and productive development.
Now, however, capitalist society has led to such a tremendous improvement in
technique and to such a vast increase in the productive forces that there is no
longer any need for the division of society into classes. Moreover, by
explaining how the capitalist class exploits the working class, socialists are
able to show that the very existence of the capitalist class, instead of helping
forward the development of the productive forces, is now increasingly hindering
such development. It follows, then, that the next step forward in the
development of human society can only be taken by the working class. By taking
this step, the socialist revolution the working class, being itself the great
majority of the people, will end the exploitation of man by man.
Capitalist society is
a society divided into two main classes: the capitalists, (or bourgeoisie); and
the working class, (or proletariat.) The former own the land, the factories and
the machines, and all the means by which wealth is produced (the means of
production), and are therefore the ruling class, though they do no productive
work themselves. The latter though they do all the real productive work of
society, own neither the means of production nor the wealth they create; and,
therefore, are forced to sell to the capitalists their ability to work and
produce. Numerically, the capitalists are an insignificant minority, while the
workers constitute the vast majority of the people. Capitalism is not based on
plenty. Though it has developed, for the first time in history, the possibility
of providing enough for everybody, it has always condemned a great part of the
people to live in poverty and insecurity. This is because the capitalist class,
who decide what is to be produced, base their decisions not on what people need
but upon how much profit they will make when the goods are sold in the market.
Capitalist society is not a peaceful, international society, but, on the
contrary, nationalist in a narrow, selfish way. Just as within each capitalist
country the various capitalists and groups of capitalists compete with each
other in order to sell their goods at a greater profit, so capitalist countries
as a whole enter into competition with other capitalist countries. This
competition inevitably leads to wars: on the one hand to enslave more backward
countries; and on the other, to re-divide the countries which have been
enslaved between the different capitalist countries. Such wars are not in the
interests of the working class, but only of the capitalists. Because capitalism
is a class society, in which the small class of capitalists exploits the great
majority of the people—not only the manual workers, but also the professional
and technical workers and the small farmers it is necessary for the capitalists
to impose their will upon the people. It does this, partly by filling all the
key posts in the armed forces, the Civil Service and all legal institutions
(that is, in the State) with members of its own class; partly through its
control of the media and so on, by which public opinion is influenced. Thus,
while in a capitalist democracy it is true that the majority of the people have
the opportunity of taking part every few years in the election of the
Government and of the local authorities, and in addition have won a number of
democratic rights such as the right to organise in trade unions and political
parties, freedom of the press, etc., nevertheless the real power of the State
remains in the hands of the capitalists. The strength of this power has been
shown in fascist countries, where the capitalists, threatened by the growing
strength of the working class, were able to sweep away all the people’s
democratic rights. Under capitalism human society is condemned to a series of
bitter struggles; class against class, nation against nation, and individual
against individual. Inevitably, therefore, the great majority of the people,
instead of being inspired by a common social purpose, are forced to struggle
for their own individual and selfish interests. Moreover, since capitalism
condemns the majority of people to poverty or insecurity, there is a continual
waste of human talent and ability.
The first and fundamental contrast between socialist and
capitalist society is that under socialism all the means of production—the land, factories and mines—are owned in common. Thus the
exploitation of one class by another is ended. Instead of one small class being
able to live on the labour of the majority of the people, everybody is obliged
to undertake some form of productive or administrative work on behalf of
society as a whole. In socialism, production is organised to meet the needs of
the people and not to provide profit for a single class. It will, therefore be
possible to plan production; and so to increase enormously the amount
produced. With the ending of
exploitation people’s attitude to work will change; instead of being merely a
means of living it will become a necessary part of a new kind of social living.
Similarly their attitude to property will change, family life will take on a
new significance, etc.; and with these changes a new code of morality will
develop.
