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America's Road
To Socialism .~v
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. by JAMES P1ANNON '
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Six lectures I'iven at the
_ Los Anples Friday Night Forum. J)e(!ember, 1952 ,
January, 1953
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New York
Pioneer Publishers
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PUBLISHERS
PIONEER
New York 3, N. Y.
118 University Place
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Published October 1953
on the oceasion of the 25th Anniversary of the American Trotskyist movement
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Th"",., lecturt8 wer"
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fir~t
prjnt~
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th e we-ekly newspaper THE MILITANT
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Set Up, Printed and Bound by Un ion Labor in the United Stales of America
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CONTENTS
LECTURE 1 - America Under Eisenhower ..... ..... p. 5 •
the Roosen lt-Truman E r • .• illnified for upillli ad 1.!x>r and ... hy it ume to an ~nd . .. •Analysis of t he ,,1...,1;0" rn "lt" and the prOSPKIK for la bo. and war alld p.r.U f i .. the new Eisenhower Er •• Wh ~t
LECTURE 2 - The International Pro,pl!cu
0/ Capitalhm "and Sociali,m ............................. p. 16 Analytical review of world nent .. and trends in the flrat h."lf of the 20th eentury•••• The dual role of American im_ ~ri.li ..... chief ilUlti,lttor of revolution in forel,.1I lands and (jIlef or •• ni~er of «>,n.ter.uyolulion .• . . Pre"; e'" or th . lied 61&"" of developmellt on the 1nl" ..,.I;on,1 fi eld.
LEC'I1JRE 3 - Prtnpect. oJ Capitalism ami ,J, . , .
SDew..' .
In .... ~rKW ..... ..... .. ...... ......... ... .. ...... .... p.
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The eonlradidiollB of A"'erinn domination or a d td inin. tapilaliB! work!. . • . Wlo.t th e U"iutl Stat.... won . and 10>01 i_ World War Jl and ilB dt ermath. The uisl~ latent in the arl'llB ·l'COIIomy and War pro......... Can A~ri~.n tapilali.. ", rfm ft in stable In a world of /Iocial re\'oIution and folonial rnolt!
LECTURE 4 _ The Coming Struggle for Power p. 36 Ho .... the impendlnll' IOClal crisis will nI/se the bruk,"p 01 Ihe two-party sY8tem. Deeline and deuy of traditional American democr.cy. . . Prospecti"e paraliel d~v.lopment of Ame";" ... f."cis III and a radicallu:d t.bor mo .. emenl. Co ndit ions and pro~ pects for the worku .. ' victory nnd the Inalllllr.li"n of a "oTken government.
LECTURE 5 - America Under Worke-,.,· Rule
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Ho .... the Ameli.,." of lite will be ch. nlled snd reor«.nlnd in th e transition period from ca pit. li$m to .ociali~ m.
LECTIJRE 6 - Whot Socialut America Will Look Like .. .......... .... .......... ......... .... .... ......... .... .. .... .. .. p. 65 •
H ..... transformation of the ,,
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To •
THE LOS ANGELES COMRADES •
who inspired and sponsored these lectures
and cave me all the help and encouragement I needed to "fiDi8h them and to prepare them for publication
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LECTURE 1
Under I _Id like to ~I'in by exp ....IOI c..atilade to tbo LOll Anrete. Frid..,. Nicht Forlllll for pl'Gridi01' thi~ .rella (or .. free dilleuulOllo of haport •• t aod.1 qUNtiolUl thl'Olll'h the wintu - - . The ""P"lt foram" la .n old_Dd r Npeded A.erk.n In"million, !lOt _0 .!left al.,. more in tllI.n d.,.. of co ..Cormlty ellfor«d b,. ..Hell huots and hysterlL All u.. JIIon! llhollld we .ppnet_te Ut... one 70U han
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A. far loa I know it i. the only place in Los An~lu, and one of tbe tew plaoe. in the whole eomr· try today, whe~ people are tree · to ask questlon8 and speak ~Ir minds W'lthoot aigning a loyalty oa\lb. I thank you (or your Invitation to 8peak here, and wil l try to oblel"V'" all the rules of p0lite debate, even If I break B"me Dj the current rulee of l'lOnformity. The HI62 presidential el~tlon la now under discu!lSion In. all political cireles, including OIlr own, and there is no reason to hu"" to a eonoell1lllon. We are going to have Eisenhower and Nixon for the next four yean, Wbether we like It or not, and we m/g!lt &I well take time to figure out and dil!el.les ""'at happened and why. liy remal'ks tonill'ht can be taken as a contribution to the goeneral dillCuasion, a ' personal oplnlOll with Which you mayor may not
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is pretty g-eneral agreement, lit home and abroad. that reactj"n gained the day in the election. European public- op inion
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has unanimously cbara.:teri~ the vlctcry of Eisenhower as the sign of a _ing to t'he Tight in Ame rica n p
ate. They do not tell \:ha wh
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would Bay. In thi, fundamental a coalition of th~ capitalist class, ff$pect both parti ..! are the same. or a seet\on of It, with socialid But in re«!nt )ime, their ba" of and laOOr and even Stalinbt par~upport and their forma and ties. This eOll.lltion of capitalist methcd. of fuUUlInlt this role and workers partlelll came to be have been. different. known as the "Peoplu Front," From that !tarulpolnt the the fancy decoration. bestowed on remlb of the eleetioM reprelJent t'l>ia monll.ro!lity by the Stalin· an. imp<>rta.n.t eh.nge ~ich should ists. be carefully noted and studied. In aubstane.e tfle ROO8eWllt.'l'ru. especially by people who are in. man Era in .polities and governteruted in makin&, a far moJ'e ment waa au American version Important ""-.n&"e. . of the Peoplu Front. To be lIUr9., Tile g<>r the I'.epubiicans, b a caplta1!!t leaden. who are no doubt busy government a»nrina- the rule of with a worldful of Wi:lnderlul Big Capital in this I!()Untry. But thinel , haven't yet had time to Intern...tional experience h •• organiu an Independent Labor dearly demonstrated that bour- Party. The best they have been ~I. class rule can be exercised able to do so far bas been 10 in a number of different WIlY", constitu~ a faction in tte Demo. and through a number of dif. cratic Party. feffnt political forma. depending It b wilh thil t.ction of Jabor on t!lle degree of stability of the leaden and also with the reform· rocial system and the tenaion of Lrt lesde ... of. the- Negt"o movedass relations at a given time. tflent, that Roose....e4t. the best When it feel9 .trong snd ture polltieal repffsentative and leader of itM!lf, Bil" Capital CM rule in of American capitalism. fonned its own name, through Its own the cor,!itlon upon whkh the gov· preferred party, un
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or more often pro mised , in payWit'h 2ll million. unemployed; ment for labor's participation in busines s para.l yzed. banks c1<>sinlf the coalition. SociaJ reform . , how- on every aide and tro end In sight, ever, are not the determinin&' the outrlght rule of Big Capital in ItJJ own name wu badly dis_ feature. F'or example, there have been credited. The new times requi~ virtually no Important social new measures and new men. It reform measure. enacted in this beeame neceS3&ry to get a broader <:iIuntry sine~ 1938. In fact, the bas is of popula r support in ordeT trend has been the other way. to prop up the shaken regime of There ha~ only been talk about capitalism and ward off the reforms nnd proml!H!s ·of <:iIn- danger of popular reV'C>lt, which cessrons by the Peoples Front at that time waB by no means governmen t since 1938. But this nn im3glnary danger. did 110t change the character of These were the big, sodal Im_ the regime ltJJelf. In thp. essence perativCll Wbicll brough t ...bout the of tile matter it was a coalition Rooa evelt-Iabor coslition, brought regime, with the labor movement the organized labor mov..ment supporting the adm inistration, into tile administration all a sup_ tak ing responsib!Jity for it and porting partner and cleared the • U P ply i n g the predominating way for the social reforms of tlie sha1'e of popular IlUpport. New Dui. The 1',,{orm8 and eOnPrior to Roosevelt, when Amer- ceuions grsnted to the Jabor ican eapitali$J1l. waa prospering, movement, el!pecially In tne early developing and expanding in all period of the Roo!levelt Era, were directions and the workel'!l in the quite 9IIIbstantlal. Only a country buie industries were unorgani~ as rich as America cou ld hsve ed, weak and helplel1s, the big afforded them. capitalists saw no n~ of any 'By a 'bu~e program'of go""'mcoalition with the \abor move- ment spending for relief, publie ment. As a rule tire conve ntion~ works. made.work and boondogof both the big parties even dis_ gling, some of the Mge waa taken regarded the moderate plen of off the worst Buffering! of the Gompel"! fn .. the promi"'" of Il unl!JYlpkly~d worke",. The NegTo fp.w piddling reforms and con- pe~e, who were hardest hit by cessions In their election plat- the crl!is, as by every other social forms. The op en shop and the evil, were Wan OVer by the ROOfle_ Inbor Injunction _"' the official veIl refonns and concessions and American gospel, ",rcnci>ed by the moved over en MUse in to the Nationa.! Auoci ation of Manu- Peoples Fron t coalition. factureJ'll and supported by all the Legislation favorable to orpower ot the government. lI:anized labor. and 11. gene rnl1y clellchtful era was Int~r_ benevolent a ttitude of the ad_ rupt"". b,. a little inddento known ministration, undoubtedly be ili to hiMor,. &11 the "Hoover inp",,*- -lated ~ growth and deVelopment • i........ The clevutatlnl eri.ta of the org1lniu.d labor mQvement . whidl shook A.erka ... Honom,. The militant stri1ce movement in In the IIl'f!t year of the Hoov~r the Thirti~ s was the decis ive .cI.lnistratlon, Incl Will atill faotor in stl'f.'llgthemng the vasid~penlnl' and war_1nl three t ion ot the worker! and lmp",v.ncI a half ,.eare laler when ing to"eir living abndal'()s. But at R 0 •• e" ~ I t inaoll'urated, the same time the workers felt, and not wi thout Stlme reMon, chanced the sltua1l0
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_ that the IrQvernmmt helped the · UniODI.
But llIe workers, and to a eertain u:tent "the Negro people, were not the only benelkiarles of the honeymoon period of dUll cou.b.lration in the Rooaeveltian Peoples Front. Compared to what , the his monQpo!laU!: got out of the deal, labor's than WII.II veI'J' ... eager indeed. The RooIIevelt program of liOllll ,..sa ~pit&lism
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and COIlCe$-
just what American ,needed in its boIlr 01
_ mortal m'is. The bi&, capitali ltl;s reeognized bhb, ..:ut while they we~ Jltill reeli"i' under the IIlwek ..I th e _crisil, they generally aUPJXlrted the New De&!. It wu only later when they had
regained
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· ,,&I1-l'>l,mlldence. that . they hegan · to eomplain ·about the cOllt. Aa ,. result of the R00genlt , pro.gram, the great trend tuward · bbor radiealiam, whieh,.l'Olle up sO promisingly in the Thirties,
diverted into re:lonniBt chan_ · nellll. The Communlat Party be_came anadvertiling &«e~Y for _ the administration. The Soeialiat Party, whi~h bad b~n to grow WIUI
again in the first yeln of the
criail, was yirtually wiped out by m&&ll dnertioM to the Roosevelt camp. The movement for an independent Labor Party wq behlladed and diaembooweled. The organized lab'Or mOV6l1Wllt became a faction i n the Demoeratk Party, with R.oosevel t himself be
but in return for that, .urrendered its lndq.endellee aad· became 5Ilb~ervient
to the govom>tnen.l:. I t is easy to _ who got the but III the barga in and why Big Capital found It e~>err.t to IIlIpt>Ort the Rooaevettian Peoples Front In Ill; vernal se&llon. The . Roonvel.lian Ne... Deal" hoW'n'er, liner NlYed the economie crilill, .. tile o..oen.tie Part,. poUtlcla.. _Dd llIe le) " Iftoden el.l.ed la the last .elee_ tiorr.. It took the araz3'!.11I h and the war ex, 77 'itarea to . . that. By 1937, four ye&n after the begilH"Jing of the ItIoOlII!ve&t.l... New Deal, the eoonomk nostrums of the "Brain Trult" had run their course and fa iled to eIIre the liek economy. Production .... in )Hummeted dow' ....rd at an ominOll. rate. The banlmlpt:oy <:If the paJ... liative me'9're!l <:If the RooIe"9f!li admini.n.tion, as • meanl vr o...-en: oming the htndameT>ta1 efilii. of Ameriean economy, was becoming mlnifest. It wu then dI ..t ROOIIevelt turned toward the 1.·nUtments and war pro>g"I"am, partly U I cure for the depression. It wu the Itf:ppf!d-UP expehditures for a..."a meonb! in the prepan.tion for th e 'Wllr, IInd lawr in the _war itself, whieh Tesl»rf'Id- full produetlon and full employment 'in thll ~ntry ... in GermlUlY undu tile Nuis. Ro-oaevtlt·s eeonomk remedi el turned O\It in th e · ~ to be the ume ... Hitler's. It ......1 the political method that was different. The Roo~lt-TroR'\"n 'coalltlon with the organized labor mOVement Wl8 extended through World War U and rendered la g"l'I!lIte5t services m Ameriolwl c.pita;lisDI in the waT. The worke", were .Uowed to ahll.re moderately in· the 1'l"Oaperit,. engendered by the .ar and arma-
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:mentll economy. The union. were t ntal1 in alienating labor', ~n· permitted even to exp.a·nd during thusias!!e and unl'(!l!erved sup· the wal' under the "maintenance port of tile galition refl exes may be slow and dull, pollcy of the Roosevelt.Trnmln their moral reflp.:o;p.s may be arEra. It ~i~iti.e8 a decision on the rested by paralysis of the ethical part cl Big Capital to rule nerve. but their financial refluel di~tly in Its own name in the are quiek and sharp and kept iQ. , coming period. shape by c:on&tant e:o;er cise. Wu thi~ deci ,ion of the ruling The ' eap itali 3t world ha5 fallen capitlLlista in thi~ inatance a wi5e int<) tl>f:ir lwo.nd~ like a banknipt one from the sta ndpoint of thei r n...on. the auetion block, long.range intereslnmake a shi ft in governmental r.lled to> it. But they ""ould dear_ forms, deApi te the ri.ks it may ly love to get it cheaper. They [9] 0."", 01 ""'"
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,...nt somebody to "get it for th= wiIohlllh." And wt.ile spluqring on fOHign aft.i.... they are becinnlng to think JNlnimol>ioudy of cutting aU pollllible expeneea in domestie affain. 00 r1etel,. a ......are 0( the co.k 8 ....,.., tIo.e,. will eut iD 1r.ifIotory, tlM,. freeI.r .....H
to the
.SPIT 'iture of .dron_kat ._11 fOl' war and cGnquest abroad, uuI. thftl ever every doll... to be er Lilt at Mm. to 1leC1Ire tlIeI.r b_ of operatipu.
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They ,.ant lower taxes. ,..ant eeon.om.y in I'Ovemment. Tbey .....ant to 'I\It out all item! of gmt alld colTllption in II"C'ftrn. Ment, wJ1ieh, noeuured by th.! total upeuditureH, are mere chieken feed. And "bon &)1, they have besrun · to Jooil: with jaundi«-d eyes .t the prop<>rtil)tl of tile ...tional _ ineome taken by the .....,rkei. in · the form of ~". They WIIDt to cut w~ and "ocia.! benefil.il with !.'he help of the government. - Tlllrt "'a. the thief motivation of tIIew election policy. The barrier in the _y of this program is the QrK&Iliztd labor movement. That'. quite. barrier: ita remO"laJ will take a bit of doing, as our EnglMlh cousins In order w. cut ",.goes would d ..... tieally .nd rNu<:e the living standards of the workers, the trade onlonl must be beaten and ",. a hed. That's the long and short of it. Such a dI1l stic program can't.be eArTied out all at onee. Then fll"llt must be preparatiOn! and a plan for a drawn'O\It eampaign, · then preliminary ooeration8. U GlIe were to de!M'TibtI the pro_ jected campaign of the monopolista aplrost Ameriean labor in m mtary terml, the Tecellt elee· - tiona eould be eonsidered 18 B tremendl>US artillery bard«e deann" the ground ror lattr ad-
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ag&inst the ~e,.,..,h9d position of the union!!. The monopOl~tB wflllt about th is preliminary stage of their eampaign Vf!rY deliberMel.y and systema tically. The support of Eiaenh<>wer in tlle t.,. eirclel of American ce.pitalism "88 almoet unanimous, and every 'ono of' pressure .... as bl'Oug!1t w bear to f(leee smaioler elemeIIU and de~ndent capitaliatB, ul.;ed empl oYen. Thus 90 % of the n"'"'paper cif'r Triollne and the New Ytlrlt Ne .... and even MaCllhan Field'! Chi· cagn SlIn and the J;beral Wash· ington POIIt al! III,porled Eieermower. This Imposing mohJliut-K>n also includ..d Ruden DI~, Thae, UfO!, Ne ....... ~ and the Satllr_ da, Evf"ft.in. Poat, the.lide ",ap· tines ...-hleh blanket the country
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total eireulation of t~ns {)f million8 fill I'uden. This virtDal -unanimity of the big-monied press llpel!s only one
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tbill1l'. The decision to IIIIpport tMffwith ... enanr'" in \:fie form of eapitalilt rulo in government, wu 11. dee!. aion made in the highest circles of Amerieu capitalism. Besides this preas support, 1', hieh .".as given for no trung, the amount of money spent to ensure tb. e~tion of EllIeIIMWer runl into i~a.kulab-Ie IlIms. An au_ thority OD I"I.dio and television, writing in the Nation m_gadne, Htironles that at leut $20 million w ..-, lpent on thh item alone _ W oombard the public wil:tt every form Gf appeal from canned lipeeehu and _p opera. fIo lIPOt amiounefllnenb in television e<J'IT\lJIereiai It}>ie. Politkal tIper\.8 tra~iing around reported that the Billenhower committees in an pBrto of the ~untry. Noorth, South. Eut and Wen, .. ere load_ f!d with JIKIney- (the N. Y. 'l1me. say. over a million dollars was II!)ent to , ";Dj: Teau alone), whil e the Demoerata WeN hav;"" ... hard time and weN dependent in large mel.llUre 01'1 the wntributions of th e t rade union s, On tile evldenee, then! l! ablIOiuhly no question about it. The big capitalllta ~ not neutral in thl. .,led"'n, and wen! not fooli"lr. '11ft51' put thir money where their hearts were _ in the election of Eisenhower and the bt-eak-up 01 tile c:oalltion in government with labor and the Nsp movement. The unbridled demagogy with Bisenlto:>Wel',
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whleh the Republl.,.nl exoloi~ popular dilC'ontent for ~.ctlonary e1tds, had ma1'l7 of tlK! overtones
01· ta.el5t acitation. Th(Hlfl wt.o ,pmfIt llX4t 'tiOIIA war and inflation
h_led tM~oudeat ....lnft it. The build-uJ! ., ElHnn.-r all ...
leader who ctKIld flx eIIerythinc WAIl riibt- out of Hitler', book. The utaandin,dfeet!v_. of thil! ' a_arnlnl" COII1Ipa!f1I . _J'fd; the daJi'-hta out <>f the bewildareo:! liberala _ and 'the labor leadIIl'l1 too. SOme bave fI'Vel\ . .id orIllIJIIled bhat the" leetlon O'f EI_. no-r, by un~nlpuIO)Us . eamptdgTI; methodJl that Gol!tibtla eould h&1'dly Imp!Ove, mark,. the ber!Dnllljf of fuei .... In America. Bat· suc.h a conduloion ,,,,.,, lnOn! to ' panl .. thall to pi ,o5tntoday polit>eal reality. The 'Republ.1ean Party as at· ,,",Bent OO1'Iltituted. la by no ' mean• • fa~i.t party, and It' ..OIi\d be quite tabe to clt~, acteriu the iD<:Ominl' Eisenb6w~. adminIstration u a fallelllt reaime. The RepubKean Plarty. ho-.n)Veh. demago(l'llflll p _ Nil[on and Me- Carthy are not the pN'totype8 of' Ameriean fas"i8t doemagogut'll, they will do till the real thinl' comes 11.10111'. III the reeent election eem,palgn tbe R.epabHeans gave a good try01lt to t uei st ~papnd • methods and techniques, and 1iIey have the flnaneial backing whid!. will be the backin,. for an Ame1'lean fascilt mooement when the t ime comes f()r it. It is quite poslrible that Bome of ttle flnanelal overlords are pleuanUy imJ)ftMeel hy their s ....@plilg SUeee.!l3 In f'tlunpeding the people with the mOlt brazen fabry, and that this ..... y lIut IdMlI in their heads. America will ~ee a powerlul; well-ftnaneed fudst monment In the future. There can be nO doubt -.mat,eftlr on this 1leD1'f:. But u.e time for It bu not yet eome. Ao...&ican failoitm will make i . IN,ar.nell in t\lll 1:&0;;111 ,1,,",1taneou8ly with a MeiaJ crlei. ant· . ,radie,liud labor n ....."'lhmt,
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monopoli.ts waged a eon uious , eo n ~istent, all - out cam _ paign in tile pre~idential electlon_ In contrast, the campaign conducted by orga nized labor, al_ tllough outwardly lmpoe:ing, wal a weak _and rltumblinll' affair. They had lar mo ~ machinery than drive. The union organization for their campaign was better th9n ever herON! a nd the official char_ acter of their part icipation was far m(>n complete at this time. A close examinlltio n of the vote In indu strial localities ahows that they IC"t ont a bill'gf:r vote from tne orranh:ed workerl and from the Negro peop~ _ than In Th~
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&t tbat wun't enough. What 1I'&lI needed to meet the con.scious cJass polley of flIe big monopol_ Uta with their alJ-I'mt campaign _ and what was lackin. _ was a eonscil)Us, con,lstent c1&H policy, and the dynamic .ggtusivlsm f\O'IVing from It, designed to mobilize the imorranized worken, the wbtte-collar clement.. and the petty-bour~oisie ; the ele_ ment~ who tend to support the ..uon,lrest s ide whic h appears to be rnO!lt suN! of Itself. The 'pt'esent leaden of the Ameri.can labor unions weren't eapabl
campaign not as an independent class fone challenging the monopoliBts for control of the government, b ut as a mel'tl ap~ JlCndage of t he Truna.n Ad. mini stra tion, .. an spologist for all ;1$ failuN!s and crimes. Instead of denouncing the crime of the Korean War, and demand~ ing an immediate end of it, the labor leaders de!
""er
The labor bureau eral$ alse sadly undel'mpllred to some palt time. in thill country &.lid to the ~sent ,i tUII' jOIl in oth
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f ear of ;war. These feelings ue well groundelogy 10r the sta tus quo repelled millions who are not so contented as
they an. Labor suffered a real defut in th is election, a defeat wh-io:h was IIU.... ] as well as p<>litieal. The defeat com,;,yted not so much in the failu r e of t!;le Democratic politicians to get elected _ tne world ean su rvive that calamity _
but in the rejedion by the
popu lar masaes of the false, treacherous and misleading prop_ aganda of the leaders of orgamzed 'Iabo r and the ao-ul led libcl'Iola who !ling the ...... e song. The policy of diU r.ll.bou_ tlon 01\ the politinl hId is • ntutrophe even when ekdiollll are won, for labor 80rrenderR it.! 1II000t jmPGrtmt as&llt and weapon - its politkal· irul~ndenee, tile pn-eondllioll for ItA emandpa· U..... It Is even wo~se when elec. tions .re loBt benuse' of the failure of the 'aOOr movement to articulate the most progrnsive "entiments and 'll'ell·follndl'd dill_ content~ of the ma!Jl;e8 of the people.
agenda on the day of hi~ inaugu_ r ation. It li slll U.em under the intriguing tille, "'I'r.... bl"" for Eisenhower Around the . World." Each ''trouble'' is gi"f'" only one Hne of t ype, - but the list fills a whole page. H you think y .... are the only one got t roublell, just listen to E i~enhower's troublO!l'l, a s lisled by V.S. News snd World Report: Britain: Still g'(Iing broke" British ask help. Germany: Socialists, antl American, may take over. France: Toudl y French could upset European defense plan. Italy: Communists and Fascist. thN!aten pro-V.s. Government. North Africa: NatiVe! demand home rule wheN! US. has air bues. Egypt: No agreement yet 011 Middle East defense~. Iran: Break with Britain i~ un_ healed; Communists stronger. lodia: U.S'". aid ~ught; quarrel with PakiRtan 8"oe~ on .. Burma-War, Guerrillas keep new Government wobbly. Malaya - War' British tTO"P! light guerrilla bands. Indo. China. War: Communist. le-
American eapitalism hu fallen h eir to the dominatlon of the 6IItire capitali$t wand in the period of ita dedine and deeay, """en it is racked by crisis and revolutions everywhere. In in . ~ heriting ",orld domination. Amer. ica inheril8 all these crises too. The Repllhli<:anB will not find their solution aB e90sy as it wa s to fool the American peopte and win an eledlon. Tbe maga,ine U.S. Ne ... ~ and World Report lists a page of little ·E isenhower won the election international matten whiClh wHl with the demagogic promise to be at the tnp of Ei senhOWeTlI Quur e prosperity without ·,,·ar. [131
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
·& t ti.ere il aMolutely no Huon r.... to pennit ~mpl(1)'e" to Id to belie... that he ean bave a ny inj ueate a _ ·fad, the po);"y of tne Demouatle calle-!! Dl tional eme~ncy. That ' Ictmlniatratlon and \he pol icy of can m~.n any strike 1ftey ...... nt the n.,.. Repub)iean adm inlttra. to ou tlaw. Th~H ptt t ptoe:t lva tion on the int_II. .1 f ield, I N amendme nts wlU stHngtMn t he not 'nd cannot lit! greatly dlf. hand, ot !.he employe" ;n the coml nl' anowdawn with t:bot trade ferent. The total aituation of American union • . I)mboldened by th~ election, the capitalism drive, it in~lI:or.nJy 'to'Wllrd: I counter · r evoluti onary empl oyers will t>ffer .tifter rewar alt'lin al the Soviet Union and Bjtt.Me tt> wage demands. And if ' !'evolutionary Chinl, ll'ainl t tb. there I. the begillnin« o.f _ col onia l mane. in voJeanie \Jp. deylrel!illo n with conu~uent un_ bee.. al ap illSt lrnperial~ . and employment, whieh III certain u n_ ap inst th~ workt-n In thl! capital. le.. military upeDditure. ar, lilt coun tries ",ilo are dri"en more kept 9P tnd evl'D il'lQ'MH d, and more to r adical iMn ... 01 re.-o. m.y lee deliberate _tle.pta on )ution by America's dom ination tlle p*rt of the mea .·UIU to of tbe ..orld mar ket and Its pl'Ovoke atrikefl aDd ImIt.k the . refusal to pennit any single on. un ions with the dlreet or ",dinct of t he otber elpittiillt c/llJntri .. help <:rf tlle tnvemr.ent. ~ to I'fIVive and expand Its ~onom,. monopolilll will erpeet thl, hel p from the Eisenhower adminl. tra_ an d ahare norm ally in Internl' .tional trade. t ion. Th l' h what -they paid for, and they are In the hahlt of 11I1! "ar ill i.,pllell In the total getting 10000ething for t hei r ·_rld ·.itu.ti.... Neith.er we 1101' money. an,.on~ elM! can pHldiet the 01" of Bu t this domeJtie program I, ,ita .. tbreak, lor hOW' lonelt ••,. uller for the monopol i,ta to M ..... tponed . BIll "e eln .. ,. dream about than to ffucute. The . .-itinJ,. '.n.t the A.erie.. pM- .tt~ t to ~uce the l i"in l' .,If', .,.01 the "orkiar daM .f . tand.rds of the Am.erican work_ A.erie. III the 6rs' plaee, " Ill ers. to make them pay f or the .• wl"ed ••cml' the 'l'ktl.R fA .war preparations and then for tlta . IlIla "'a r &Ad .f lhe preplratlca. will encounter r"ialane, for It. f ro m the rank and IUe of orlrani •• IPsrt of tlie prepa rations wh ich eel I.bor. The mlJitaRt ..1-. .f th e bl« monopolist. bave in mind, the union&, no.. Buppre.ed, .111 I nd "hleb til e)' erpect the E laen. Iret I hN rlng .nd ha ..e it. oil,.. 'hower admlnl slTa tlon to imple· · And In,. U riOU 8, all_1 att... pt ment, i. t he fi!duetion of tbe 10 .muh the 1InlOll8 will preeipl1!V'lng stan dards of t he Am ericln tlte .u~b dau b.W... u thn worken i n order to mIke them e01lIlt.,. hu n~ .. er _ . 1I'-Y for the war p ~arat;,ms .nd Th ese blttlu "ill mark tbe the n'anned wa r. berinning o.f the radiealir.at ion of They mlY not move Imme- the Ameriean working dan "hleb di~ tel,. a, ainst !ne II nlo"" but will b<'l loaded w ith revolutionary they intend to «et ready to mo.... poten ti.litles. The "",iee of _ .In proa.peet is lI'gi51ation to PUt dll b m. drowned Ollt in the elcemore luth in lJIe Tart·Hartley \lion u mpalgn, " ill b<'l helrd ia
w,
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rU)
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Iona
t he land. ' Great days will brin.. milt dilln~s, Ilnd it will be ' pod to be alive and take Il hand in t~ .... The Mt capitalists _n a £Teat election' 'fidory, but they .,.Ily
own and m..teu mlaM fumble and stumble. After .U, tile,. rttf~t .. cl... wbleb is lonl' pan ita hexday, and can produce no mOI'S arreat men. Ita aoctal and eeonmnle s,..tem 01l a world .u!. b .... entered Into the period of Ita death agonJ. Th roughout 'history _b pe. rioda haye iho1l'll. a rreat dui of dem oraliutlan in the hi.helt eirelu of the rullng cl-. 'n1ey have nevtlr been atile to avoid mistal:n wblch fed the rnoJu· t!onaty It.runie aw-inn them. Indeed, the time cornu :1'01' III1'tIry outll1'ed _tal .)"rlel'll when everythlnc its leadeno do tarn. Otlt to be the wron&, dllng. The monopoly ClJl ltalliot rulers of AmeriCl wiU be no fteeption to the hiltone rul •. They too will make miltakn. And It 1IIaJ well tnm ont, In the tllIII.l ..... ooat, that the counoe the,. followed In the 1962 election -palI'D wall. OJII ot t:bHe loroportant deei';onl wbldiloobcl &'Ood. but turned out
h...e troabIe cubinc in on It. It may be the fate of Elaenhowu and hi.. Ildminl .. tratlon to play With matlcbu and atart a tire ... hieb e4J1" be contnllled. ·In that event _ ean comlll ~k _ In eonelulion to the queltlon ~ lE ~ • the lleainninlJ III tblll dlemuS-. , The lthlJOPOIJ capltaUlu deliberately O't'erthrew the People. "rollt _tltion at the B~ I1 weltTrumaII· .... I, to repl_ it by -theIr _ IAireet tule in the FlY~ emm... BIt w . . It ta. put et . '" ,., .... tI.. _ t. take . . . . oI,...ut: .d. . ? w.. it . . pi hhi? DIoIlilllblllllttbelr I U That i.wnl to be .-en. The hlr m " ebarb who O'W'II, and nde . . COIRIb-y 0IY'e ricb I.IId powem.!: and, 110 do.bt, vary "'"'too, ne ..si tb.,. !U'8 ~ In. fallible. If .1"111 H<mIer hillllel' C'Ould nod, it ia ~ble that 0\11'
tto,,"
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W fOf Uo
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,.at la.
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LECTURE 2 •
The
Prospeds
Of Almo~t
as lIGOn &9 I ..... old enou,h to look .rOllnd and _ .00 think for m,.~II. I Tebel*l againat the poverty, inJaat>ce _ all-around crookeclneM of capital. is... I bHu.e .. .-od_Ust .-.1 joined Ihe lIIo.. em .... t ..hen I w.. .. boy, and have ~n workiu&, at
imp(ht me, ..,ore tha .. 41} yean ago, to an o~n forum auch as this, condueted by the SociaEat Educat!onal SOalist. lkIn't waste your lif e on a cussions of Illatfamm and the Utopia n dream that can never be further study inspired by them, realized. If you want te> Ji:et ahead .1 became sequlillted with lIfarx's in th is world, you've K'ot to be anal~'5I s of capitalism, and hia practical and look ollt for swel"!;ling assertion that aoei aliam Number One." i. not only a good idea, but ia the 1 mention thi' to show you t hat next inevitable stage of Roeial 1 kn ow all the argument!! against. evolution; that the (urther deve l_ Mcia\i~m. I heard them m arc than opment
"'diGn there is, that.1I the rO~eIl Bul on the other lIand, it et history· ..ere ..orki.g on my eapital!sm h., lost its pPO£Tualve aiele, on t .... .we 01. Mlciali_, and char..,ter and lIKome reaction. · tltat all I baol to do "U lend a .ry. has ceased to £TOW UM!. . hud, .... , ... llb other&, to help expand and develop the producthe. hislo-rk p.roel'llll a\onl', tive forees of the people, upoa · eompal'ed to the privilege of which all human welfare is basOO.; p artiripnill&' in this m"tt"ificent if it has entered into its period bistoric.l miuion, .1I the IJ.O-<:alled of decline and decay _ tiIIen the praeti<-al eom.el'lUl of life and the optimistic defende["$ of cSIPitali_ possible material rewards of con· are In the wrone. They lire the · form l!y .eamed trivial to me mON! real Utopian. of the present day. Thoe issue, then, goe« to th. tlutn 40 yeal'll ago, and they still do. I have never c:banged my mind ., evidence, to the facts. Let ua Rlt .bout Ihis question in all the the case 'on this solld foundation intervening years. That wu not of reality, and go to the facl-" a. b ecause cl dogmatic obstinacy, they have bef!n unfolded in tile b ut simply Mcau"e I u.w JI(I good great" even~ of the past half century. If we look with clear rea,on to change my mind. eyet at :what has already hap-I :,ave a)way! been willin&, to pened, we may get a good hint of l iaten to anybody who wo",ld what i~ going to happen. IUIderb.ke 10 eJG;>Iain or make an If we Clln see enough in theM! arg",ment &«ainsl socialism from e-venta to Indicate a hi!!&priea.J • realistic, vraet.i~al point O'f trend, t hen we ean be fairly lure view. Ai I went along 1 con· ol whllt the ultimate outl:ome will tinued 10 hur those arguments, be. It is by this method. and frqrn .nd atii! hear them if I eoc:k my . this point of view that I propose ear In the direction O'f the moat 10 diacuu the international pros· , noise. . pacts of capitalism and sociall8'!l\ Evr ry theory must be aub-- tonight. Naturally, In a .ingle mitted to the test of events. That lecture, it will be pOUible to hit APplies to t he theory of Mauism, only the hi&,h "pots, and I will jW8t as Marll ruth~.ly applied conIIne my preaenletion to What I it to all other theories. If I crew ~on!Lder the .Ix main f acts of "ronger in my socialist convlc- modern hidory. tiona a~ Ihe years passed by, it It . murt be sdmitted that 41) w u beellU8e it appeared to me yeus ago there was Bome ground that the development of events for 11Ie popular opinio n that Wall confirming in life the .nsl yaia capitaliam was a .e.:uuly baled, .nd pn'dictioDl of Mux. going concern, w ith a 10Tllg life It wu Man: himsell who said and fp.w t r oubles ahead. Ove-r a · that no !IOI':ial system csn be spsn of many deeadoes, Rince 1871, auper,;eded until it has eXhausted. the g"fed powers hlld been .t i ts prO@'reBsive caparities. If peace. Industry and trade had capitalism is clllj)M>le of further been e"'PBndiTtg, the enslaved pro"ru~ive development on a tll('('8 in the colonies of Afric. and, world lleale, and la tnerefore in_ Aaia were bei~ freely plundered. vulnerable apinst an )' attempts without fear of revolts, and the t o change it in a nulica l ma nner, workers in the advanced coun_ thn lhere is not much p<>in t in tries, partly sbaring in tbe ~"'P"I'" .rguinz that 8oc:iallsm would be prolltR of the colonilll plunder, • better !ystern. enjoyed. a Rm,:,ll, but real, lm [171
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
pro¥ement in their .t.., ndard of jivi ng. De.m~raey f1ourillhed. Unde r IlUch cond ition. thef$ could be no prospect of .. work_ en' revolu tion. Soela Harn .... u re· legated to an ultim.te goal whos ~ r e.l ization WM pu,"" ed far into the !~tu re. Man.', prdietion. about the inerea.ing misery of the worken f or.: inl" them to 11Ovolut ion, Hemed to be muted. The up italisu ,for their p.rt. in U").;!e Car'KQne hakyon day., grew rich .nd complacent, fat and "SS), and sel f-ronfldent. With th eir trained teon ..... i. 1I at thei r elbow., they .,.riocllc.aU,. ralHd their "oies in • hent,. and happy chorul of a Hnll" th.t .I,ht hIYe Men called, "E ..",..,.thla, is Loo·el,. and iJle G_ Banp K I......
Then IIOmethinl" ha p pe n e d. Some~ng we nt wrong. The .... or]d ihad ~ uddenly grown too tm.1I tor the riv.1 c.pitalist powe ... l n their mad IJCramble .nd competition t or market..., co]onial territoriu and apheul of Influence. The conllict ludden ly exp]oded, In 1914, In the F il'll t World Wa r. Th il war, ....hich luted '1110"' than t our Yeln, COlt 12 million dead and 00 mll110n woun~d . .... redeed the economy ot Europe, expanded the economy of Am erlca a t the ex-peMe of Europe, raised Ameritoa to IIrll place amODIr the Impe rla liAt power., and, IU a aort Df b ~··p roduct, r u ulted in the 'Ruulan Revolu· tion, which ton one.aix th of the earth's u rfaee out of the capital. lit mc rket. noil ",.to..l make.up, "r"'l'ht lbout b,. the Fint World War, CUI be put d01l'll .. Mer the head of FACT NUMBER ONE. qatl .. • fact, you "Ullt adMit , .... hMfl I"ked bad (or ..,_pIIIUlm at Ihe time, I nd hll Men .etUnl' WOr1Je eyer .ince. Thl" ..... r ........ a devaltati nlt blow to clpitalism, It luat 11 f ar ..
Europe WII conce ''Ded. If ita goo~e wlln'! cooked, at least It didn't hanr h irh an,. mort .. America, rtmole f rom the _ne of actual conflict, enriched ltaelt on the "1>OlIs, but thl world sYl tern hd been inemediaIJ ly d; . loclted. Its daYI of elClplJ'l$lon ....ere ooruptly ended. In the po.n_ war period the .Ieeping eolonie'. began to I tir. In the metropolitan eente" of Europe economy ltagn.ted, and the living ltandlrd, of worke u d ras tically declifll cL The ",ar, a nd the terrible poverty resulUnr f r
,-the
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HdueW in about the same measure. This cri!ie put an end to all prospect o.t capitalist expan. ion on the bui8 rJf ~table, democr.tie regimu and tmlught fascio.m to power i n poverty - atrieken Ger_ many following tlIe earlier example of poverty-strieken Italy. - J ust a. the world war had put an end to capitalist prosperit y based on pe.ce, \:!le 1929 crisis and its ldtermath put an end to c.pitalist pr(looperity in Europe bued on den>Oe/'acy. Th .. ~Oftlltllle crisis of 1929, and the rNOr.t ut eapltalllllll In Itllly aNI Germuy to the monatrous "ti8ia-rule of f.-iBm, "liD be put .own a. illlportallt FACT NUM_ BER TWO. 'nil.. wu 1.1110 bad for Ihe p~oepecta of "apitalisAI, for I1 "howed 11. _ k .,.stem to be ..... kCftN, "aken .1Id. dediti_ inK. Meanwh ile, earlier attempts of the grellt pooovera to overthrow the workers govermnent of ~ iSoviet U'nion were ~fe&ted, the victory of the revolution wu eon , oli dlted on the buia of n ationa1i~ and planned economy, with a monopoly !Jf foreign trade. This dosed ott the Ruuian market to capitalist Uploitation from abroad. During the crisis, which drllfll'ld 011 In the capitalist world tor a nll'mber of yeau and "14 !>I'ver rea1iy 0 v ere 0 m e, Ruuian induatry under the tlve_ year 'plans progressed by leap s and OOumlB, multiplied Its output msny timel and eventually brought the Soviet Union to lC('ond place iD lndustrill pro_ duction. The survival of the Soviet Un ion ;n • hOlltile capitall!t wor ld, and lu ability to ir>erease and even multiply its productive capacity, while the economy of the eapital18t c(M!!.ries __ declining and .tagnatinz, raise_ in th e ln08t striking and inefu_ .
• table 1a~hion a hitberto unproved a . sertion of Man:i8'lll: That ia the s uperiority. as a productive fome, of nationalizP!('>nomy _ w~ ill immune from crisis _ over the allarcilie, unplanned economy of capitalism which escape periodic opi.nion, I_ develop-
new ones.
on the other in the First World War, and auffoc:a ting in ita Nlitrieted barrien, had to n:pand I1r perish. The u.ne w ... true of lUlly and J!l.pan. I think history will record th e year 1939 as the fateful year of decision, ..midi flu!!y sealed the fate of capltalhlm a. a world system; the year In whieb terrible eeonomle dl!ficultie&, b r 0 u g h t ,.bout by the operation ot the l&wa o.t eapltaU8'Ill. were aupple!1H'!nted and enotmoll!ly ag_ gra'l'llUd by the bankruptey of political and military deei sion. Cap ital;,.... lost the power to th ink for ihelf.
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0.0(11 .1 """" UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
Here was t he si tuatintl In 1939: tbe ... ..., h·", to un ite for thq The rival b>g powe r. of capi talism nlldal aJld indilpe .... bte lu k contl'Onled eac h othe r .. riulA of 1'39, to H ¥e or at ledt 10 proloal' their ."·n life, ... " .. h•• y optlli6a, lhe .. lIIe klad, of lhe u .u a,..t.... in tha tight Cor a dim_ Ihe nfU! ail' n of thelr h. r delenna lloft and deeaY, m ...lfe..tini~hI"i" world market for trada eel by o..; r inability nea to dllnlt a nd" invutment. The Soviet Ullioll , embradn&' for Ihemael1"N an y I.,.,e r. • one-.i"t.b of Ihe eartl'l'1 aurfaoe, It dOllsn't help matte,.. any to confro nted all of them .. a ri.al Ray that It w at all Hitler'! fault of a ditterent kind, a rival snd that Hitler ...... a madman. np~8f! ntinA' a new and different Tha i la true enough. Blit wh.t lIocial 5y.tern, ..hose superiority kind of aoclal .yltem ia It when over tha social Iystem or e;o:pital- m D.dmen ean make it.8 m Ollt imism IU a prodll(:tive fo~e had portant decisions! An hiltorlca.1 ~fn OOmonatrated to the h ilt In la.. reauerted itaelf in t his t he p ro\onl'ed erisia. The Soviet d reumltanee: the law that social Un ion confronted tha capitalilt ~ysl em. whk'h han outliftd their "alions All a rlvll whOle Curther lime can't do a nything right any exi. tenee and pouible ex pansion longu. I n.-tead of unltlnl' to fould spell o"ly death In the long attack t hl Soviet Union, l hl ri1"a1 "In ro r the ri val &ystem of capit.Ult Imperiali.t ~en em. capitali,n,. bark«! upon a ..... r &ll\ong thamM"rc'''''er, the territory 0(':_ &el\'ell. The Soviet Union wu a t eupied by the Soviet Union had til1!t on the sidelines, and later befn w ithdra,,", f Hlm Ihe capItal_ enpCl'd In the ..... r ,.ith t he i_t markN linee the revolution of powerful alllH , America and 1917. And this tact in itllelf had Great Britain. T he rewltl of the contr luuted tnormously to tha war are well known. Gnmany and t eonon,k diJl'Ieultiel _of t he capl_ Japa n, wt.ich previously had tal ilt nationl , in Europe par _ menaeed the Soviet Un ion from lieul"b'. the West and from the Eut, It WitS t he mo~t ' impe rativ e were crulhed. Th e colonial and ne<::eu ity of the capitali st na- na tionaUtt revolution., taking adtions in the fal eful year of 1939, vantage fill the dlll'leultiu 0'1 the to IIIh counsel togwn enli ghten - war, were "bill to ,trengthen ed ~~lf , intc\'Cst, to face t'neir their lo""ea and undermine t he {tl'e"test danl'er. whieh was at whole colon ia l Iy..em, ,.lthoDt tl\" I.me time th ~ir gre.test op· which wor ld eaplt.a\ism cannot pOI 'lun il),. o~r8te. Th~y were confronted A nd on t op of everythinJ', the ''''el'ri dinl!: nl!'fd to most importan t thing of all , the So\'iet Un ion and Soviet Un ion e mel'ged vktor iou, rtn'o v ~. ror the time from the "..ar and HlH to the least, " r ival Roei al po~ition of the flr.t economic and milita ry pO\\'"r in Europe. inl~, to tt he world lAt ua put all thl. down In our mll1'k ~ t for li~ 1 of exhi bit. as FACT NU Mand thu~ BER FOUR... a bri,htly lil'hteol COl' th~ ~iltn , polc lPOin ti nr out the dir~ The . 1 lion of twlu . e ilevelopmf'nt. whld! nations,
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ttJ.fRSlTY Of MOIK>l.N
,.ere not 1011( IInrokiipg In the ~t-war perial. Formally ~8'king, the Axi. powers _ Germany, Italy and Japan - loet tlle ",ar, and the Allied powers, the United State., Britain, tbe So't'iet Union and FraP'!e, ",cm It. That'. the 'I'I'Iy formal history reeor<" the outeome, and ttlat'a the way Ch~hill, the worljl's most articulate wish· th ini:er, writea it. The (II&entlal Mntent within that O11l:tward form 1001<$ different. In reality, .. measured by their aetaal po5ition when the "moke cleared a",ay, die Soviet Union and the United States ell\er~ a, the only victors, and all the othe.. were loaers: England and F.abCE no IUB than Germany, Italy and Japan. After two vletories in two ",orld Wlrs, Britain, once proud queen of the &eU and banker of the world, end. up la a benar, Jiving on Amerlea'a dole. It. da,.. of glory have depat'ted; it!! empire i, shattered and Ifalllng apart. and all the ~. hol'6/!' and 11.\1 the King's men e&ll never pit the jolly ok! empire ·togellher ar ain . Fra~ emerced from her vie-torie.g In the two waJ'sin the nme posi tion, only wone. Tbe French empire ia dying ill agony on tlle battlefielda of Indo- China. CapitaH$t Britain and France are just a co~le of American . ateilites. The United States and the Sovi~t Union 'Came out of the war 11, tbe only winners _ with one important quall6eation: the ~o_ lonial world rose to IbI feet dur_ 1111' the war and entered the arena ot world hi.rtory as an indepen(lent foree. ".., courlle of hislor,. )1\ the PQIIt-war period hu ~n primaril,. detenalnad by the ,.Iationa between IhMe th.ree po ... ers, the United Statea, the
Sovid Union and the. IlUIlIVcent colonial world. All doe etMr CO\lntriu play merely a"PIlsrtinc
rolee. A,!, eriea's ~sition in the lIew world set-up ia a tfllly great one. Let no patriotle vigilante aeeuaa me 01. minimizing it. I admit it. even if I'm not prood of It. The United States il the first .nd dominant poower of the entll"1l capitaliat world, economically and miUtarlly. It has the money and t he bomba and tbe moral "'Ifsatidactlon too. What could b. e9zier than that f Our ooye in Wall Stl"1)et are doing all right for them.alvel. They don't even h&1'e to play a fiddle. All they have to do is wM. tle, and the others dance . But _ and here we ~ to the fly In OUr ointment, or maybe it ill aomebody's thumb in our eye _ tbat aeclion of the world which la no JOllier- capitalist, or Is trying to' break away from capitalism, doeS1!.'\ .ant to danoe to America's tone. A conflict over this matter hall been in pI'Olrre8S ever a1_ the end 01. the war • .An examination of the coune this confllet la taking v now pertinent to the question polled In the subject af our diKlUBiOll: "The Internatiollal Proapecu of Capltalllm and Sociali.nn." The question migflt be put In another way: ~Wl!o i, winning the cold war!~ The quUtlOD eould be formulated in a ttird way and be eVen more preeilMl: "b HVoiution and the nationalisation of industry, the e.eonomie foundation for socisllsm and the transition to it, galnlng ground, or bei"C" pushed back?" The alUl.,..u to the rWd1e 01 tbe futllre j. "T~ liP In Uti•• fO!"llllllaliM of the ltaeetiOll. Obviously, America bu been lo.ing the first rou"'
[21]
~
"
UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
always turn against a fight~r who ayltem of 41rodudion and tlMo · 1158 to cOme fro8'\ behind. But jf eapitaliat form of I"c>vernment Sour examination ~how~ that the countrics ·of Eastem E!.Irope. A merica haa T)(lt only been 1",-1nc AM that i, precisely wh.t k' c round , but is the ehief author did in t he first three yean of the of it. own set-backl!, the odds on pOll_war period. He went f\l~ the final oukom .. must be changed and offered to guarantee tht radically. No fighter ia 110 ~re to capi tali , t system of pnductloa lose aB the one :who knock! and cap italist political ",gim.. him ...,lf aut. And that, my frimdsl in Italy and Franee, whcre t!t"", were badly shaken. _ andor obliges me to report i~ p1'eCi.sely what OIIr great and And that is pl:"'eei ~el y ....h.t he glonal'!! mmooate this ci~um.tan« to At the iame Urne it was delrigll~ t he intereaUl of Am erican and ea to break the economies of the 'world capitali..,. Stalin, f or h il Eutern Eul"\"l'pean cOIIlntriea out part, WllS wllJlng 10 make euch of th orbit of Soviet trade IM II.n aecomrnodation. He offsrM, harnl!8a t hem to the Wen. The and in good faith loo, 10 maIntain Stll.linlBts repli"li (lbey bad n .. and guaranlefl the capltallat altf! rnll.tive) by breakin g up the [22]
~
"
UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
lIourgeois gov,",rnmeJ)ts in Eutern -Europe _ they we..., !\O we.ilk, hdung .11 popular IUppOrt, that they ~ouJd be dismissed by a mere police action _ and proceediflg
to the nationalization of the industries . Thi~ 'Was no~hing
lua than an
eeonomic revolution, instigated by Am",r;':. and carried out by bure.~ ... tic means. In · France and Italy tne Communist Party rep~.entativu were kicked out 01 the c~bi!lets at the behest of the Ameriean paymuter. The Staliniai.s re~ded aa-ain tbey had no alternatiV1l _ by twitching to a policy of opposi· tion and radical agitation. ' Theat' al'
whole of bstern Europ e means
•
and can mean nothing else than the e](ch" ion of this whole ter. ritory from tht world capitalist market Rnd a coiuleqnent shrink. Ing o! the CIlpitalist sector of world e.'onomy, which j~ already too snl.l1. Th", oUI~r of t he Stalinistl! from the government!! oC Ital y and FraTl<"e 'mean. and can mean. nothing ebe than a stimulus to t1!~ !1Idical1l11.tion of t he working elau in these two decisive nat ions. Let us put down th_ ~olou.1 h.p~";n ..". lo.ded with revolu_ tionary dyn.mite, as FACT NUMBER FIVE, and aseribf, the .aln respon.!ibility to the revoluHonary Im.endiarlea of Ne.., York .I\CI Wuhington. '-F.ther. forrive the"" they kno1\' not what they do." That'l the .... y it r e.dR in the Bible. but hidory will not be 110 magnanimous. The camera eye nOW shifts to China "'nd the colonial world. And
what a world . of unu:pected. wonders and' calamities, wltb IlilfllS and portents of mG:re tv come, it hu turned out to bl!, Ameriean ~lIpitallsm went fishing in tbe Orient and ~aught a whal. big enough to link tho boat. The war in the Orient was rOllghl! over China. U was .fought by Ameriea in the name o"t tha noblest ideals enunciated by Roo!revelt, the greate!lt enunciator of them a\1. The decl.red aim of the war was to drive t he Japanl':l!e Iroperia\i!h out of China and liberate thi~ gnat country of hIlt a bilHon peop le; to MCw-e fe)'1' Ch in., by the armed mil'ht or magnanimous America, an independent, prosperous national u_ i~ten.ce, f~ from all foreign domination and erploitation. 'RIat'! OIIe w.y of ""plainln.. our war aim"" anyway. , Another ..·.Y ... ould be to uy Ihal Ameri..,,, ... a,,1'd the .... r in the Orint t ... drive the J apanfRe out of Chin .... and let this tremendous market, the r iehest prize in all the world, for itself, for It ....wn unhamperod exploitation. . That would bf. a ",ore auuute way of pulliltll" it. Th~ de\·el<'!pment of China on a basis of eapitali&t ~onomy; with n stable government capable or guaranteeing the eventu.l ,r epayment of loa ns and credits, could have provided America with an outlet for its hu'J'i lIurplu ses 01 1;0008 and capital for yeara to cOme. And if the other capitalist powfU wer e allowed to participate, ~ ven modestl y, in the exploiblio n of this almost limitltsll market, they alw mIght have ov~ rcoma their intnnal crises and .ttain....! a new 8tabilizat ion ot thei\" sr-t~m~, also, for a period ot y .. au to come. From a IItTletly capItal ist stanl!_ point, one mu st admit t hat such
[23}
a proflpeo:t wu well w(lrth a .ar, n ..... Clrlh",. wllinr" to them f Did e!ril War. Chinellf! capltali , m, de- S.nta Claoa pro:>m\ae them Ch i". l e rmel! in its development by col_ f (lr Chrl stmu and then fall to onIal e.pioitation (If the rred deliver! Did s(lmebo8t the ular rev(lluti(ln had driven ChianR" rice ; refuted reG(lgnition to the X.I-. hek and his K.n .. eompletel y new u volutlon. ry Chinese rov(lit the m.inland (If Chins. emment; refu lled them the 10lnl A"" one briJlht the .... orld .nd credi t. they were eaR"er to Itflt WU l uddea1.Y (oofronlt4 .... ith a .nd t(l make eoncCllli(lD' {(If; Ind
,,,.t
cl.,.
( 24]
(
I I I •
I
e5tabli~hed
• ";rtu.al blocbde agai"n any fui-eip trading with Cbi.. a. What are the results of .11 thi! whdom? We 'earl \;'t the three most important ODell: First. Amer. lean poliey alienated the aympathies of hlpldred& of ml1\iollll of people throughout the Orient and the whole colonial 'll'ol'id, who h,d p"ev;ously taken Olll idealistic p,"t!teruliclIlll in good faith. Revolu and revo\utions thronghoot the entire colonial world, starting in Asia, then apreading to the Mid_ dle East, thtn to Africa, and riQ'."
already leaping across to South Ameriea, are being fed today by hatred of American imperialism a B guoline feeds a fire. TIt .. ·Konlan war b a part of the .. ohmial ~\Qtion. That'. why it hu prn.ented 80 many ,u''Prise. to the Bnogant American militarists. The power ' ot }:,unger is behind these revolu_ tion. _ hunger for bread and land .ond .,.tlonal independence _ and U' power on earth an stop them. The seeond result of America'! policy of refusing to neognls~ the neW Chinellll government, ra· f..:sing to trade wilh it, ordering ,. bloekade againtll it, and even threatening war against It - the seeond result of this policy ia to CiD'!'! off all poSllibiJities of any further development of China on the baMs ~f capitaUat eeonO)my. Regardleaa of what their inten. tions and wisht'll might be, the Chineile SWinls4 at the head of the _new revolutionary ~vern. ment will be lorced, a8 were th" regimes in Ea.tern Ellrope, to em· buk on a wholesale prollTam 01 natlonali:tation, as a eondltion lor the ,urnval and develO)pment 01 the country'. eeo:>nomy, -China eauldn't be developed On IL .. apitaliat basia without a tre· nlendous Influx o:>f foreign capi~l 1'1 the form of loans. credit. and
ir,vestmenta, Deprived- of, thia blood transfusion, weak, Wldev.,l. opell snd shaken, Chinese capital' ism _ whatever may be left 01. it at this moment _ Us condemned tc die of anamia, It _ "' be put out O)f its misery as the Pl"Ilmndt. tlon for the revival and development 0)1 Chlne118 .iDdUBtry and agriculture. If O)ne i, willing to recqgnize I'eali-ty, regardle"", O)f what hl~ pE!l'6Onal wi shes might be, h. ean safely predict that China will wit. nelll! the devel<.Ipment of ,. na· lionalization program OD an eV'er· expanding ham, bringing with it an expansion of that IIeCtor .,f world economy beld by national. i:ted and planned -economy, and ~hrinkinll' lurther that llel:ti..n held by capitalist eeonomy. The Wall Street financiers who shudder at mQdetlt _!fare bene· f'ts in America a~ a form ~I 'creeping soeialism" are, by their policy. instill'at;ng and foreing a galloping program of natlonallz. stion of indultry in China. whkh, I repeat again, il nO)t aoeialiSQl, but the economic preparation an,1 pnmises f or it and the transition to it. A third result 01 America'a arbitrary pol icy of blockading Chi. na and refusing to allow O)ther capitalist nations to tn.de 1Iith 1:er, is the powerful blow it deala Briti~h eapi4lism. At a time when th.e very existence of eapitalist Fritain depends on an expant!iqn of itl foreign tl'8de, Amma', pol icy In China arbitrarily drivM it from the Chinese :market. Thereby they wonen the already ho: peless position of Britlah capi· taliHt economy, undermine the living .tandal"dl! of the Britlah workers and drive them to Bevan. i! m on the road to BoIsMri,m. Blindly, unconseiously, but all the more surely and effeetlvely, tbe masters O)f America are dolna
['" 0."", .1 """'"
UNNERSIri Of MICHIGAN
Lenin', work In Mt l77 ~. The diao:lple$ of WfaiD, b_. '-'" d on to Lo. An~lu 1.0 S b.anclt.i .. lid
an
point. i n baLwcu., ahoaW
neopize the utraonIinuJ: WJI tMy .re adtinr fl"01!l \ha leeder. and lIUInl!!rll of AtrteriCNt capital· iwa.. even if thfIy f « 1 lIO ~ to up ...s their gTatltud, formally.
ne Chll.,... rl!TolatlolL, Amer. tu'. poli"" to.....rd tt. • ... tb" a .I&IIlrophic Iftall. of Ih. pi:l1k,. cn be pot ...... &11 1100 SIXTH AND FINAL OU iSiANDING FACT In ellr palion_1e Utoe, o( .orld de"t iotlmeRta onr the pul balf «ntIlT),. . Wha~r side one may talte in t.hla ,""orld_ ide atru,qle betw"e"lI apitalism . nd .oI:lal illll, _ r ODe wtth • H speet for facta 1110:111 ~1'~ iz4 tJlat . lIouah importan t l llda h."" been piled v.p h. !be .:ou" e of . orld ~1I>pmel:tt alnee 191..... to Indicate .... 1111_ mistakable trend. Th.t trend 11100,,"' ell'pltali Bt eeonomy r iddoln everywhere b y incurabl e cr~i., ~I!Ding .nd deca yl"". On the ' oIMr h.nd. the biatorial trend ahOOl'I the sector aI. nationaliKd . eeonom,. e:mpe.nditl«. . n i rterUllill&' radieal iu t io;m of tb. worUl'lI in the criai .. n,'A :n ~\lo hh:1 of clllltan,t Euro...... .rtd a Tt'I'itabl. p .... lrle - ar.:. of . ~loni.I ·",To!ut!OfII breakilll;' nut IlTeI )' wlier
.n...
laitd, Fra_
and Italy 'W'i1I bot the alii.. Ctl Ameek 1-., ala].. bm ill thla lenillt, deE ; l ....tIt afientvN.r 11 'fhlt'd Worid War.
_p.. n.
t1o.i1I atratu.. of landlo.,
)l8II2'ti l in u.. 1'd c.antriee will be tMir a\Un. toe. lIut th-.t la just about . 11 ~ c.u I.'OlInt 011. Tn. majority of tbe peeple in Ellrope, inchtdina Em. JaM •• re aut .... knly nntra] ...
.c:,...t:aJata pd
boat ilo 10 A _iea.. Whe"" t h.eQ, w ill tb. U-I ~. OOIIIe from' Am i I'· k a is r ieh ncl powerful. the IIIOIt prOd.td~v.
n.tioa in t!le world. with 160 ""iIlil>n peop~. Thet .. . a t rem.ndollll power. But the two billlon people in the 'W'Orld .lOII • stili btaiIJIi power. A. . .Ha Y" ~_p1a&e IM ; ' ible ... IN .hUe .. ee-. " 1ft .ar .... w.ah lh. fOE et: ... ·1 •• tWTUlto _ each .we, fvtp\ .. c. wnt lIIe lw. wmu .. "le la tile 'W'OI'W" The, _ill be, ..... la _y upini l " • •ill . . ... 1~ .....kIo tipe tlte _ _ ... '!lid. dt.e oatc<:>_ . The... la no dotllbt _hettoe1'er, and DO on. 'W'M baa reljlttt for :fa:ta DD. den, it. that U.I pro. p« tG for npita liam OIl atl iD. tJerntirz ' i _ e..... taidt tlM Utii, " State1l, .re bad aa4
_'I
dedi~. Th. ~tIt
fol' natiOl\aliMd ItCOIlOftly IItId the further .pr.sM of r..ue.lh
ant.goni ltl
state.'
lhese two 1riW" the UIlIMd
betwl!elt
; 'r!uot . .. KiplllllJ would ..,.. I.
_'1
an otlle-r awry, and ' .rooM to ' it nm week.
[ 26]
.,n
LECTURE 3 •
•1 • •
I
A.erie. t. no Iv .... r an .Is..!, eltet"ed • • .roteeted by two OU7'1 bvrMr-. AJa...x. tDOlla, la I
an
' _",.,M: In ne "orW, Aftft' -tMt hu flaMN!n" la __ _
'll_"-
U,! :laM,.
. ' - 191"" aJId
-,..tiaolar!J' 1IiDe. the
I I •
I
BI~7d
:'WOTW War, " i. pl'tUy .eun.lly • ,hntw by all t~ • f .... -a sabHeaD .b"Mra, that A_er_ Ica. leola~_"" h.. no ·1lMI. in .,ura rnllt,. Tht late Wendell WIllId, is -oehiefly remembered for his sud4en dlecovery and exeited an· 'llouneeme"t that we Jive in "ODe World." That Is true in more aenllt!l than one, and was known e\-en before Willkie made a trip to forti,n ll1nda &nd di!leO'Vered that tl>e gnat globe itself is really "round and tlrm and fully pack_ ed," even if It isn't ~f:refl and easy on the draw," We do, indeed. Hve in one world in "hkh no nation ean any lonler be an island to itself. But for the l'Uf'P(ISe. of this diaeussioo, I have ternponorily, but only ten_ 'porarily, and fw oonvenience in the dillCUssion, divided the world .into ",",0 putl, the United Statu and the relit of the wO'I'ld. Lut week we diso:usaed the proIpeCta of ~~it&l! ..... and socialism In the world at largoe, OIItaSde the horden of our own ~01Intty. Thb week we examine the prGlpeet.a: .of thelle two rival and l~on.
ci\a.bl,! social systems ,n t~ United State. itlelf. The pi~ helle, at least as it appean at IIrllt sil'bt. is quite different in many respecl.l. T1» United States Is rich and prO!p«r001, while the majority al the people in the rut of the. worW DPVer get ~OUCh to .eat. Po\lt!eally, the Unlted State. 1.1 eolUlervatJve, even reaetlon&17. ' and turn!lI1I' even further to the r;cht. as shown by the Rep. HeaD vletory In the. ~ent eleetwo. Throochout the rest of the wodd, from Europe to the Orient, ·the political trend is unmistakably to the left. In the United State. the capItal_ ist system of produdion ia 8tronc end apparently secure.' The SMIle economic ay,tent In the rest of the world la obviously In • state of permanent crisis, dec:llning and decaying, and in one sector afteT another giving way before the sY1ltem of natlonal!~ed industry and planned econon'y, the materisl foundation anq t,.,msitiQn stage to aoo:ialism. From the loob of thingl, ngaiJl al they appear at forst glanc~, Illt Uni~ States and the rest of the wQrld are travellinar in 0ppoBite diHctlonl, and ean never meet and join together. That, howueI', I. • • ....,t",.1 lIlu.lon. The t • • parll or one ..orl4 .re Ind • ..1.bI,. boulld Ioðer and thtl
[27J
~
"
UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
•
a!""eft ,ut ... ilI unfailingly
•
• •
.'
g inning, hat ~n the luclCh as India and China. but .imply to put them in place. Our country, from t he begin_ I propose to take the knG,." faets ning, was alII<> f~ f rom oUllived in \hir interrelationship, Iraee (eUr ope.. Finally, thank. to the revoluFurther.ore., the Yielor,. of 80· eialj~m. in tlt~ United StatH IB not l ion, the Unit..(! State.' bell,"on an uili!!!a!e KO&l of the far-off wilh a bourgeois-democr atic 10nn mist,. fulllTe. 11 Is lhe ~ .... pedlve of lI."overnment withou t an y monof the p r _ t ePOd!, ' rchical Irappings ,,"hateve>"; t he The United Statu, from ill< be- ve"y bu t arena f or the free
!281 ~
"
UNNOOT'i Of MICHIGAN
•
i, •
ftvelopment of capitaliam in it! allCendinr slate. Th~ most fortunau nations &re thO!le whieh have their social revolution& when they are due. Amerie& owea la greatneu as an eoDnomk po_er, not merely to one :revolution, but It> two, and both of them arrIved on Ume. When the tf.. ", had come for :Amuiea'" I .... t ruol .. tlon, it ..... e.rTl~
through 10 the end by • ft.ola!... le_drnhip. Tlte second American revolution also came in lime, and there ••s no foollnc thla time, either. Th~ antiquated and ineffteient eeonomy based on !lave labOT. hd IlUJ'vived the lint American ~vO .i.. tron in the Southern states and . tried to extend Ihelf to the "_ territorie1 being opened up. Slaverl; as -an economic ! ystem stood .~ • b..rrier in th wBy of the development of the mOre effident
e)'At ...... or capitalist production ba!led on wage labor. }for
too.
After Mme preliminary polit .. leal fumbling and military In ..
The
CIvil War, "A"nl ed".'. 8e~ond !"evolution, guaranteed the national unity of tlte stale. under one federal government and extendd its domain from border to border and from eout 10 etlaat.. ThU$ the political p~requi5ile lor the unharnpe"red development of the entire eontinent IS one ec0nomic unit,w&! secured for American cap italism by two nvolu_ lions. Why, thell, Bhould we throw fit. over the word? 11Iat "hows die_ resJ)«t for Ih, 1118101",. of 0111" ~oun'ry, 01" ignoran~e or it, W~ are where we .re, and ,,·hat WI1 .re, be-elllse of two revolution .. If the United States 18 a nil .. tion was born under the lucky star of one revolution, Rnd had itt polllical unity secured by another. its devl'lopment and u:pan.ion as a upitaliat economic power "·18 also favoTe.! above all others by geographic factora. Th~se. in simpl e madesty ... ought to admit, we~ not inVp.ot('t\ by the genius of American ",allitalism, bJlt were laid in its lap a~ 11 gift of nature " The neW nation wu also favor_ ed by the eontradictloll$ of European economy, which, operating blindly, as ,s t he law of capital_ .i8f11, a ided itt American r ival to upand and ev .. ntually to iw<"on'l1 its muter. Expan~ion is the law of life for the npitalist "y"tem of economy. The profil~ e:rtrtlcted by th~ e:r_ ~Ioitatlon wage boor must"be invested in new fiekb" The SIU"vlu s plvdu('e which t he eaplt~ li st!1 and their r etainers can't co n ~uml1 and the wO"J:keMJ can't buy, must be Bold in other marketa. New territory, new markets _ that'. what ~apitali~m wants Cor Chri"t_ ma~ " '"ery dly of the y"ar, an o:l run s into trouble if it do~sn "t get
of
le
[29]
~
"
UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
•
o
Ameriun eapltali$n, &merging from the Clvil War with. \lni1l.ed eountry, found th_ new to .... ritorie• • • markets right in It, .wn back yard. It found a whole continent, ialwer in area than the Eumpean heartland. of eapitaliam in the ninel'Alnlth century; llUIer than all of eomnental Wntern Europe, phae Et!.giazul, Irel&1ld, ~otl.nd .Dd Wal. and the Islands of the Hebridu. Ameriean capitall.., fOllnd • eontinent '.buIously neh in fertile landa, piu. eoal, Iron, timber, 011, metal _ an the natural J'MOUI'Cea nee-"T)" for an 9I'andilll'~' _y. And It "'.. all their own. Tbei~ e:.:chllive ric'ht .. nd title to It w ... eupj.lghted in ..11 I.. n. &'U'gu, ineh>di.... the Sundin-.vian. . The re~l polition of :American eapi~m ..ave it I"'eat adva~1 over its EuropeI.n rival...nd gu&l'anteeci its vietory III'ftr them In the 101lfr run. While the Ealopnn state., ItlfllTll' 'lrithin their !'eIItrieted nmtlon.l llarrierl, were eomp
irontlPr. They Weft riclter, . _ yielded better ret.rrDa; and the, -had the additional adva.ntace ., an intl'mai rivv and llIke. Byate.. that iliad. iranlport.lioQ ...... cheaper than the _ la.De. tyi,.. the old ~irn tocether, and . . large .tandi.... armle. _re r.qllind to ~nquer and pacify the1ll ,.00 kHp them in 8ul>jecth>n. In thUi rupeet Ame.:'. had _I the advanta«es In • material Rnse, piu the added YirtlHl fII appetlrinc u the cbanopion. of n.tiOD,1 indtopendun, with no loterest in the acquitition of eolonlftl. Thi. eoall;ination of big profits .ad virtue whkh eo.t. nolhiT\8, IItIP!R'M lH"I'eriuU, toe th~ Yankee IeDl.eofmoral v.luea. if not to its HIU4I of ham'1f. A.ro~rlea differed., to it. Mo vantaa-e, from ElJrope In a"otbw way: While ~ wu plagu'" with m .... uDemployment, eauin. all kind. of aoel .. l unrest, the ex_ panding Amerlean frontiers eon.tinlloualy drained off the lurplua labo ....p.o ...er in the eitlu .... providE"d ml.ltJ> opportun iti e~, unknown In Europe, for WOI'kera le rise out of the proletarian elall and beeome small farm"n 01 waines. men. At the aame time, the rel .. tive l.bor Ihortare u.,.. proved t~ polition of the Amf!ollo iean ...orken In the Iabo.- market and eompelled the emflloyt'n to pay higher ......'" U,an we~e paid to) the work ..ra of Europe. The net resuit of all thl. _at to sl o... doWII the development of clan conlClouBtteU, to cut the g'l'ound from bene.th a radical and !Weialist labor movement, anil to usu1'8 the political stabillty of the bourgeoi l regime in the Un ited State•. At the urne time, the Jabor llIovemettt of Eul'
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Ca.pitalist JlIuoope helped eapit..lirt Amarb to ~nd and de~lol) In ftin lJ!othet way ...: by exporting gl'Mt m''Su of Iur_ plus worbnl and farmen. Tb6)' came to the .,_ lalId In ....oeudinr wawa of millioM upon millions to supplJ'_tlH> I!k.ill aDd man_ power to baiW up the jp'eat new skilled workan from Eng_, • Cmpelled the American upitali ~ ta to pay higher waces Ulan the eapital;Bh of Europe _ as nweh as two and three tim es wu higher in amJIe eaJf!l! tu riled into an advan~ for the dev~lopment ot Ame"rlean In· du ~try. It eompelled and Itimulat. ed the lntl'Odudlon {)f h.bor· savinr maehinery and all the. mod~rn procelsu of incraasing the productivity 01 labor. while Ndueing the iaI>or foree. Finally, and perhaPl! most im. porant of all, European eRilIta1iam sUmulat.ed and helped the bothGIl.e grtIwth and expansion
of it. A.memaa rival by h .... 1..vllltmen1a Gf It. 1fW'Piu.J capital • . The building of the Amerka.D r.IlrolId .yawm, for eXlUI"lple, .... ftnaneed mainly by E",lWl Ca.pi4 tRI; Holland, FTliJlee, Switzerland. and GelUlany w.o c:Gntribllted a eGIII~erable volume. . So. In auaaiJlr tkiara _Po wlU! d ... recari t. tlte facta. we ou.rk t. ad.il, iD. all fn·.'p · z, UaaI Nw. p~ rntW"th el tke Aae..x.D ~CMl k riot, aam u crew biner th. . "1.11 othere a_ o ..er" adowed an otlo.era, ..... i.ot .ntirelydae to the cuiu of A ..erkan buineQ _eR ud ballk.~
Two revolutions 'were tbe atart. Ing impuUion. Great namr.i and geograpl:ie advantages proYided thl! ar2ua. The 'PGlItieal and eco_ nomic di$unity of Europe ,..... A mer I e a another advantal"e, European capital IDveatmentlo speeded up the eonstruetion of the I'l"eawlt enterprises. And European Iabor provided a ~at deal of the skill and elbow &teas, to build up the industry and agriculture of this country. . European eapltalilloln did all t;hi~ blind ly, not with any good intentiGu, but bec:ause it couldn't help itself, and therefore deserve. no ij)et'ial fTatitude. But the rich Amerie!n capitali!ta really shGu!dn't begrudge the few bil_ lions in loan! and gifh which they are now handin&" out to Europe ·U a be"III"'1 dole. Charity 11 doubly sweet to the donGr ....hen it can be belItowed Gn a fonner benefaetor at • big di8count. .. Along' about the turn of the celltury, America'a conqunt Gf Itz, <-wn continellt w&!! just about completed and there w&!! no pla.ee else to 8"0. Father Neptune dre ... .1 1i1M! at the ..... ter's edgf! of the Paci!k and nid, ~You can't /10 (lny farther here." The free land
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""as gone, and all the new ter- obliged to expllnd iU! ·productin ritories werlt pretty well settled plant, and thereby its productive up. The problem of new marketl capacitie8, to supply them. for the ever_increasing 6urplu8e!, "'hen America, dter a hugely piled up by the ever_increasing: profitable ifelay· of tltree yeara, productivity of Amencan labor, finan~' entered tne war In ord~ was becoming Pi'Oblem No. 1. to prot~t ltu loans to the Allied In 1007 there wa$ a ..,risia. And poweu, she only had t.l tip the agai n in 1914 there was mo;>unting aeares a bit to finislt off the unemployment. It was then that • Kai&el"~ army. Comparatively speaking, Amerthe Eur0l*an cllpitaiiat nations, America's perennial Santa Claus, ica ",a, $Can:ely touched b)- the onee ag"ia ca.zne to the reseue of war, in terms of Cll.llualties, and Am~dcan oconomy. W3S enormous!)' enriched by it in They involved themselves ;n a economie. and financial tenns .. destructive war over mnkets, Exhau·.ted Europe emerged from colonics, spheres of inCluenee and the war as America's debtor and fields of investment, and A1TI eriea dependent, and has remained in thllt p(>$i4ion , under Jncteasing\y -~a""ed its hands by the fire. Remaining benevolentl~' Mutra\ degrading coridition~, ever sin~. The Fint World War brought on the aide of the All ies f or the first three yU.f$ of the war, America to the position of leadlng America found . in thp, war ihelf power in the capitalist world. the richest ma,'ket it «Iuld e\'er h ....;ng no further need of any have dre&med of. mote -C'&pitai in\'utrnents from iW~!;e the nOI'mal peaC<) - time Europe. or any more of Eurnpe'. ~onomy of tM Western Attics tnlinpower. SineT
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, Fi"t World War had been loans and investments, which were $Ieadil)" upward along. $traight freely supplied from America line, with 11<.1 ltr;OU8 complica- with the naive confidence th&t tions. The American eapita!!ste, they would surely be rf!turned who were the beneficiaries of .n 'with big interut (nobody had told thlB l\lstor)caJ luek, !..aKlned them that nations as well u bu&! _ themselves to be Ihe authors of ne" firm~ can go bankrupt); the it. Everylhlnir had _Med limple. accumulated demand. in the. buildAll you bad to do was to open ing' indu~try which had pi1~d up .. up new territories, inerease pro- during the war, and other duction and get ' richn, and demands of the internal market, "everything else WO\lld be added induding the great' new demand Cor automobiles and agrieultural unto you. AB long as th;ng~ worke,] out machineJ"~' _ ,,11 thi~ provided the that way, they saw no n~ of conditions for a prosperity which theory, no need of philosophy, no ~oo n resehed the proportions of .. need to bother mut the re.~t of boom. the world. But with the outcome Pragmatism, that peculi"r and of the F irst WO'I'ld War, and the distinctive American ph!lo.ophy, .,.hroni{' impoverishment of Em. th .. philosophy or no philo!J(lphy, ope, tJoe eornplication~ for Amer- \V.!lieh J1!Cptimi sm, That wu the period of .queah. t~e Oreat AmH\can Bo<>m of the :-'farx ~"Id history is a pr~p'5>I po.~t~'ar per iod, in the Twenties. of 80ci.1 evolution preparing .. The incruse In forelltn tT&de, n ..w fonn of social organiutlon. the yawning fore;~ market ror But Hrnry Ford uid, "Hi~tory is Amnican capital in the form of bUf,k," and that ~ tr1lr.k tha [33]
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dead! IAnI" Live HaRry Ford!" Tht'. wll.st they . we..." .M ahonting, in efteot, on the -rery day the boom .~ up in the stock-market e... ,h · on .. damp Ck:tober day in 19128, The nook mamt cra.h and the er..suillC" crisi •• h..... ed tbM facts are not ' .hray. what they look Tin, da...tlng aloM. They are IlIe aui:eome of pn.eedlng fact! snd ai80 e.uat!Vfl facttlH of new ellan~s hI a eontlnuous pr<><:eu. The crisis of the Th irtiu dem01lIh"",ted that American capi. . ..lillt ffOnomy ha. no immunity from the la,.,. which govern Uoe ..me Cltpitalllllt £eonomy in othe'f ~ntri8l; that if ita crises had "been defe""'" by exceptionaUy t.vorable t.etoH in the past. it waa . only to aceumul&tfl the l"awrial for a more powerful . ~ll1.ion when it came. The tontr.dlction& fill e&lIltaU.1I1II 1Ii....,. CIlulI:"ht "''1 with Ita r"'ore
...1...cI,
T.he u isi. of 1929 . .... hich lalted ten yeaH, with !!Ome ups .nd cknm ~ within t.IIe e"l'U11, __ never !!DIved ex~t by the artiflcill means of ezpenditur.!s for war .nd armament& Th.t ...... no solution, it wa. only. po9tpone. llIen! . The un Bolv~ trlsl. wu stlll latent in ~Ite Amerie.n economy after the end of World W.r 11 and "'as making its way OfIIilWuly to the aurfa<:", wh~n tIte huge n_ armaments program of t h .. cold war again pUlhed It back. But the erleis still th ere , still latent, silently &iOwing like
u.
a malignant eanoer III the body of Amet"iran !ELM.,.. Can eJpet>di~. fClr arm .... ments, and even far _r, provide " perma.... m CUf'C for the siek ee all the aip • prove the .oppCIIIlte' These are q\lelltiena which enn the mo.t toolhardy boul'l"eois economistB, after the catastrophe "r their prophe<:i ea in the Pr.!"'iou. boom period, he.itate to anawer. ' The bu t they ...111 say Is, "It look s all right for the time Ming, but we don't knOW" all the f.ets and can'l tell wh a.t'a going to be." We Manlal.8. on the other hand, -say we know the facta. At lead .... 00 kllO'll' enongh of them, and Ih" gl!!neral direction of their develop-ment, to ten what il «oing to be. And on this aolitl bas.il of facta in their pl""O('e8l of deoovoel"JIment, we eon:O.dentiy ,"ueTt 'thst Ame .... i<::lln capita!!.m hu aw-dy pulHld the peak of Ita deTekl.~t .nd h .. no plac::e to 1'0 bVIll nO'll' on, but down. The hlllorieallu-ek of A.erin. eapitall.. ;a ",n.. lnl" oat. All Ih_ radon whid!. f"'OI"ed itl dueiopfteat ftolll tile betlnnlal". ~u.hioned the ah.b of eydieal eri..,., .nd enabled It 10 gr_ .t I~ up 7 ... f1I ether capitallllt Jl&_ IlotIII, are eltJ.t.r "d,.u.I'" et" lanUng 1,,\0 their The internal market h .. naeh· ed the saturation 1>Oint, and cannot be further erlend~. Th e
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Iron tier territories, _hich once absorbed huge amounts of aur· plu s good! and upital, are long • ince settled UJI and fully de· veloped; and MOlIt of them now prod~ their own IlUrplulIfll. Our own st.te of Callfontla I, • .... ining exwnple of • fonnel' ''importer" beeoming an ~"e][porter." Any prospo:t of &tabm",in1' Amer;".n economy 011 th~ buil of its internal market I, tohaolutely f!x.:luded. In,... seed forel~ uaoie, won by the Un.ited State. as • l'e5l.l1t of tJoe First World War, helped to spark the If"OI't eeon.... ~ boom of 4:1Mt Twenties. But
the world market, wh\eb Amer;"" domm.tes as • result of Its economic prepoiwleranee and 'tile kl1kruptey of itli rival., 110 longer oilers an adequ.te outlet for America's glut of eapibal and ."rplu! good,. To IH! 110ft, tJoe baelnratd COURtriu need what Ameriea produe,. to eneu, but tMy can'4; pay f(}r It. That ditfteg!ty might be OVeTe(lmf by looma and credit. If these counme. had lltable bour~i8 I'OVHnme1lts ",hklb the United State. _Id trust to Ir"arantee eventual payment. But thel"e are very few .ueh governnrents lert in the world, an.:! their number la deereuhl,:' The advaneed Indtutrlal countries, on the other hand, need to Increase their own e:q!Orts. They not only need to __re in the wnrld market, where Amnia erowds thtKJI oot, but a110 want aecul to the Arnenea.n market, whkh America bM'll by tariffl. The .domi)'lation of the world market, _hklt America fell heir to in tlia apoch of capitalist decline, ofteTII no solution of her economic prnt.len!. Of the various faetoTII ..... ieh on~ contributed to the ri~ and 1l<MV,
expatUlion of Amt¥riean capital. ism, there remains ouly the faetot' of revol~tion which provided ita tint big impulsion . Revolutiona of tb
.ct .....
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refer!! 10 the llIho ..down struggle bel ... ~"n the workers and the capil.lisl~ to deelde who shaU be lI:Iuter ill the Ameriean hOOH. Is
It lookin g too far ahead 10 put ·\hi. quesliol\ lip for cl.h.c:uQlon. now1 I don't think 10. I know that many people un't Ut this taming struggle for pown In our land, ~ause im. mediate indieat!ons are not ob~ tcrvable to' them. They see wIl.t', Itspeened in the Hst of the wO'tld, but imagine that Am erica nu lomt special immunity, They IU
profound ly miataken. The work. ers' !'evolution Is on the historical agenda in the United States, and not too far down on the agenda at that. Ev erybody kn(rW$ that the rest ,of the world is badly shaken up. Hardly a week g<)e! hI' but a new tountry $Wim1 into the headlines ,",'Ith the announcement of a new nisis, 0,' a n volution. or aome_ thing of that Bort. For the past couple of weeks the Allied world has been agonizing with Fnnee, over . the n isis in the F~nell cabinet. If my reoeollection is correet, that particular eri9;s w:al solved t he other day. if it hasn't broken loose again since the _ evening papers went to preB'. We take it lor granted that the ,...hole world is in crisis and up_ heaval; the evid<e nce is there for
all to aee. But he re in the United States, In thi. land e5jlCeially favol'ed by superior virtues, by I"~k, or as some may say, by Providence, we are reminded that nothinl of the kind is happening. That'~ true. It is abo said that it eu't happen here. That's not '" true. On the surface everything bob ~ood fo r the ruling monopoliatl. - In eontrast to all the rest of the world, soci al relations in tbo United States alone appear to be stable. There's no crisis. No real up ~u r&,e in the clus atrug"i'let Not ~ven SHiou! .trlkes. The recent eleetions ga\""" convincing proof of this BocIal ~tabil ity at the moment. There was no challenge t o the rule at. t he bourgeoisie in the lut electi on. In fact, Big Capital left 110 SUre of itself that It eould dispena.e with the Den,ocr..tie. lI.bor coalition which had governed. Amerl~a _ for the benefit of Dir Capital _ for the pallt 20 )'~rI. The mn!1<1polista felt such ftnn g,'ound beneath their feet in thi' countr}' _ not in the reet of the wGrld, but here - th at they could di:;pen~e with the political regime of 20 }·~al'1l, the regime wbieh ill , part had l~ned on the guppol1 and cooperation cl the organized labor movement. The)' Irtet>ped forward to rule d;~l)' in thei .. own name. That was the meaD;"" ot the Eisenhower victory, as I
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cspital;.t ""orld, her foundations ar e ,,"tended over all the se voJ. canoes, e"ploding Or about to e"· plode in all JHlrtl of what 11 left of the ea pltalirt world. It h utterly utopian, In my opinion, to elC!)ect that the p!'eBent Bbbility in one country alone can endure. The very nal"f'OlW cl ..a bue of the Eisenhoower regime 'wi ll ma ke It more vulnerable, deprive it of .,gahions and shoek been ..elected 10' ,it In Einn- 8UPP-Orts, such aI the ROO6eVelt hower'" cabi!let, where the Irnl nnd Truman administrations had deciaiona will be .,.de. He ha. di •• la their a]!ia""e w ith the labor penMd. ...ith MCond·.ale bUfli_- bureaucracy and Its" consequent men and .. ven ... ltb first - ut .. .upport at the offtocial policy. A .ocial cri si" in this country i, hu~in_nten, 10 .ay notbing of hack politician, aad ha, itaekfd ~erta;n. As a matter of fad, a his cabinet wltb the dlred rep· social cr isis, as I view it, ia ai.....ent.tivu of the bin"NI u.pit_] ready in the making. The un_ c"""enlratlona In the (oantry. All solvtCe&son, are all warn irur oc.,grl in the mldlt of a world about thi. "pfOllped:. They aN all tom and ahaken by CMSeI and "I>lyinll, "We must e~ that ~volutions and _ra and rumOrl there i~ ,"oinA' to be a leftlinl{ off oJ ....ar. And now that Ameri.::a of th e military eXpt'ndlturea. hna" become the maawr of the 'I'hen we mUM expe
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• depr("Ssion, 01" something o( haven'l been .ble " to conquer It that ~ort,H . yet. And they tisve alnlady go, What they really mean to say hundred. of thO\lu.nds nnd even is, tlla! if they don't \loop spend- millions of Americ... mofhen all4 wives so agoniud over their .o~ ing 60bi'llion dolls" a year 'hrowi~ it away, 1. 1 fu 1.1 any li nd hu&bst>ds in Korea, that th8,. economi c usefulnen il concerned t urned the recent eledion'- on th.. _ and if they don 't even incna!le iosue, That's jll,t one peninsulL The lit, and don't have a war, there ia DO way to Ivoid a depren!on. Third World War they have i& .such a deopresaion caD. be the mind is to ftrht the entire world, precipitant ~ what we eaU a on all fronts of the world. ADd dO) .odal crisis. Or, il, they .tart tb" you think they ea.n conquer the War in order to prevelIt the worl d in six montha if the,. deprf!u ion, amon&" other reaSOM, couldn't conquer Kona in tor.. then a social criais will ariM out y~llrd! No, you ,muat antieipat. o.f the war, in my opinion, in a military defeat.. and COf\i'leqUW eomplLI"ati~ly abort time. en:rietiel, angn and protest, 0'1 This war in "reparat\on I.. not which the reliction to the K(I~ the war against Sp"in of 1896, .. WII .. It a mere .aminl". maN; adventure againat a helpleu Out of all thil, war or na war, foe. It ia not the Fint World War, ll!:d ~rlklll.rly if there ia a war, where America ....... not really the stable fl!lationdip of u.. engaged and enriched iue!f ....hile dUle8 in this wuJlhy "ilI "' the others fought, coming in only knocked to amlthereen., and .. at the cnd of the w.ar to tip the cri9js RUch as we have never BMa scales. It is not the Second World o! hII'd o! will begin to unfold. War, in which America aaain Wall Th;, criril "hkh I antleipate, immune from atta"k, and gained as do .11 ' lHan:ilts, will ' be .. an.d ll1"(lfited out of the egOl1y drawo..oot allair. III the COUI"M of and slaughter end devastation of ita develoJm1ent, not _ _ uri1,other countrie.. .11 at on<:"e or In u.e becinni:nc. Nil, th;" .... ar la diffel"QL but in the COUl'.'Jt o! die developA_del. .... mbe dirertl.y h, ..ol..ed ment of the unll'9"Oidable .social .... all the frOQu of Ihe .orId; aM criais coming in thl. COUlltry, we It ....ilI """I so .an,. huMl"fuL. of traditional features of bourgwitl billio... of dollar. tltat ·tl,,~,. won't rule in th& Uniteoi state. wiU be able to pay f(lr it under Ihe crumble and fall. I reter to the p,rellf'llt blldrf:t, or doable or triple Ameriean two_party IYltem "ad. the preHIII blld~t. They "'011" be the traditional Americall. political able to afford th .. IhiDr ltaadarU demoer...,y, of the AlIleriua .orke... a. they ' The ....al balil of both the.. are today. alld th.,y ....iIl be eoa_ features of American life an4 pel1ed to try to ~I ... h ta_ li .. inr ~overnm£.nt hM been U>e ..nr... .. Iandard.. That will be OM 'I:h~y a .... not simply the peoeuliar .,lement .,alrlnr for a aocla' crt.ia. invention ot Amer"'an }loliticlJ. And then the". is the tenlble, geniu s. A peculiar Ameriea.a. ominous, unprecedented Jll"OlIpeet eireUIll" tance, rather, has made for Amenea, the Pr
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WaB mon -n.. ~ CApitalist ranks. It gave a tl-';.nv" than .nyw~ else ill the poli~a.I eapre .... iM for the con' !liets of inte..,fIt.I between diI_ world. ~ BUPPOrts of ~h;" pollliea1 ~PeIlt f~tio", and BeetiofU! of '!tie !ynem .."ere tloe great rio:o ..... ." ~taIilt ClUB ilet!l1. In aJl(lt;her t.M United Sta.\ N, the social ~sptd, the two-party system, e1_ stability, the ~ rule of 4;be pre_illlr the illteruta of two ~it.lilt elasa, and the _ht_ hc:tiollll althe ruling c1aa, bllt . f1! any l'eriOUI mdependfflt ehA\- pNiending to ~~sent all the people, wu an excellent safety · .)e~ by the wo~inr daBs., This it anofller way' of sayiflg that 'fIIlve for popular diS«lntent. ri<>h Americ6ft capitalism :ruIN!. Whet! people got fed up with in its own hOUl!e without any the a(m.,ini,tration hi power, they ~iO\tll cha1lellfrt!. and <)Quid af_ eO\lld :d'f'aYI tlnd relief for their ford s - eo..."..utivtly democratic: OiI i saati~faet;on. The traditional and bf.nevDl"ltt role in the poJiI- AmHican slogan always ....s. x-al field. "Tu~R the ...-11 out." The only -' WIoom, tftteee U!I'iIe~i ... ings be- a lternative, ho~ver. wu to put «in to I'i". "ay, as tloe,. __t ' enofher set of rueals in. That ...... r tit. bkrwll of • IOC'IIII eri"os. never did much .good, bu t it gave t ...... Ihe Bo ...... tl'1ld.H. -.e t ..othe people • little satlBlaetion .-1:" . yste.. and tloe Ir .... tion.1 ,,·ithou t di stllrbing the bou~is until
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,...;IitM:al den!eet'aty • ..m 8hake "NI. Ihe .. hI!. Not rilhi a.ay, I H'1K'u. Thai I do nllt ~redid. Ani .et .11 .1 onee. Blit they ...111 f.n.
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ru~.
It ... ~~ • go.od sy$Um fo? , them, And many eapitalilis Burreptitioll!ly ~lI pporud the eamWhat ;a this Am eriean two_ paign funds of both partin. .party sy!tem, which 60 many - Tha t 's a well-Jmown f ad ; it'll J""Ople think Is • m.ttn of our what they call "illllurance." They .,..iIl and our geniuII and can have one pn ferenee and give un .endure forever? In rullty. it is tllOll"ll nd dollars for the cam· paip f,;nd, and ·then they have a ~t a two-'f\arty system . There an not ",slly two .eparate d . .. ~Gnd pl'efoerencll and give /We ]tBl"tieg, a~ t()(!ay in Eng!and. Ihoos.and dollars. ·So, whoever El\g!and 'bu a two_party S y8t~m, win s is oblig·a ted to thetn. with !!Ie Tory Party ~pr~sentJng That'. a form of the ~onfldence the ,eapitalid c1au, and tIN LIobor game known .. head, r win. tails Party ba~d on the t,...tle \Inion you l ()!je, and it haB been ·worki~ _ \·..."ent. The struggle ~tween Ivonde-rflllly for 11 long time. the t....bor Party allll the Tory And It &uld keep Dn WOrkinl' Party i, at bottom a volitlcal forever .. 10llg I\iI the lOCial :rela. e.. pressi on of the struggle f or tions are , table, and the capltalllt power in England. clasa IS not challenred on the Wha t woe have in thi s e<)IIJrtry ;>olit;"81 field by the workeu. an! not two l~aT&~ dau parties , Another advtl.ntai!:e of t he twobut two factions of the Hame pArty gy8 ~m was that it gave the ruling el8.l!S _ the Repllbliean l\ppearaJlte of real pnlitical l~tion and the Democratic lac_ ,l ~mil<:racy. And thi.: I bf !abs ;n the world. bllt contaille(i the antagonisms within this one probably had the mo~t
£"J ~
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
•
•
.-ue~" falling for it, and be_ I~vinc
-
in it. That WBI itl 1I"""lt valufI to the rullna cliqUf:. The people thought thepooltad • free choICe ".el' fOJ;lT y~" I. to wbo.aa COill&' 10 be Pre$ident to rep~nt
them .. Blit tb" was m~
appearance than reality. The machinery of both partiea I. tigbtly controlled by finaneial In_ terestl!. The nominations In rigged every time. And the peo_ ple's ehoiee boiled down to a choice of t ....o candidatu selected lOT them by political machinu, whid! in their turn wer
_",We ill III lMl_t for. 0111,. as lOll" u capital. was aJWj 8troll.
... cure aNI uceadlnt: In a atable apitalilt world, and when there no labor' ehallenge to th e capitallat MIte In the (oantry. Th_ condition. are r"dlnl' .... ,.. The two-parly ..,.&te.., in fact, has already boeen ..doltsl,. ,haken, thowl'h ollt".rdly die 1.., eleet!... sII_ed Repablkan n ...... ne-Krat •• tll_1'1I 1I0thilll' h.d h""penl. III • IIl1lW1red yea .... III r",allty tile eriak of tbe 30'a al. ready ""I'an to undermine the t ..o-party Iy"t_. Laoor )).,gan to organize by the millionl, to awak",n to politie" and to participate in an o"".nized manner in -tbe electiOn!. Th e ~8ul t of thla uprising of the work~ra, engenden!Ci by th e eril;a, ....1lI the Demoeratle.labor eoali· ti(,n of RooBE"velt .nd Trum.n. Th", t .... ditiona] ay.tem :rem.ined forma lly Re,:.ublie.n and Demo. era\, but the great change Wal that the Democratic Party bt!gan to repre~nt, u I explained in iny fint I~lure, • fonn of eoalition of a section of the capitalist daBI w ith th", organiUld labOI· move-
w..
'..¥"
m~nt.
~oaIition
is IIgnit\cant hiatoricall, . not for what' it did, alU,ough something .... done, but for the lrend it !lignified. The aignificance was not the coalition 1t$elJ', and not ev.. n the ...... gains whieh accrued to the woI"kers in the eourse of the 20 year. of the Roo""""lt· Truman regime. The f1!al significance ..... th", fact 01 labor participation in polities in an ol'ganized manner, lor u,., first tim",. Despite the dilltorted fonn tha coalition of the Democnb and labor movement took, dupite all the 1!111~loD.II and disappoinf,m",nta that i' brought _ and it certai nly ;,rougbt plenty _ this entry of the I!nions into politiC! In a df'irberatc, organized manner, for the IIr~t time, ..... a tremendous ~tep In a direct i01l thlt cannot he ",versed. Labor is in polities to shy. That'. th e eoncl",ion we h.lYe to draw from the present development of the Democratic_ labor coalltion. The old Go.pe.. policy is dud. It i~ a great lIIisrepresenlstioa for 'JWOpl", to MY, "All ..e'... d(>hlg ia the Iabot" Dlo""'_",nt ia ..hat Goapen ...lIed a .... Gom_ pers' 1lI0ran .... "No politia! ID the IInlon." o.t I.. thi~ ne .. d~\'elopmenl, .. illeh ........ uncler R_velt, not OIl.,. do the work. ~r. . . individ.... 110 to vote at the POlls, but the unlonl a, union~ 11"0 Into politiu. union in Ihe coulltry thal Isn't half asleep or half ' dead h.. III Political Action Co_itte", .nd ill! political worken. ... .,.. are jU11 •• mllch a part of the .aehinu,. of tile ani.. la the b",.inl!8. .~ent. and the· otlltr otfl~e ... LRbor is in politic. to lltay. But !abor ,. not going to stay in the Democratlc Party. And for I!Ood ",'II~OnS, T./Ie imperative dHnanQ ... hieh labor mu st rai se under conditions of the i....-pend _
'.1
E".,.,.
This RoolleVclt . Truman ·Iaoor [-to]
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
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1nl' _i81 criala, .,,111 not and Cllnnot be aatlllled in tha Demo: nat;': Party I. it ia now eon_ ~tituted. EveD. under U!e mOlt fllvorabie eond!tionl" the par_ ticipation of the orpnlzild labor movement in politki 1\,11 a faction of the -D emocratic Party hall yielded very mu.~r l'e!Iulta. For the pan ,Ix yun the top leg-jlbEv!! demands of tha unions have been a Fair Employmen t Pn.etice~ Jaw and the repeal of the Tart-RaTtle)" law. ,'X"e)' e<:Iuldn't ~t either OM out of thlir coalition with the Demo-
cratic Party. When the
r e .. J ahowdnwn boogins, JabOt on- ita aide will be ..!lliaed 10 present real demands. Th\! mOlt militant and reactionary l eetion of the capitalist:., On the other aiJe, will be $ettln&" out to $mash the uniGllI. Wha t good is th", Democratic _Iabar coalition go;>ing to be t.l Iha ' worken in ouch .. aituation! Why, it'. reaUy iud iernus when you ,top to think about it. The ~tronge.t opposition to Ihe civil rightl pmgram, and the strongut lrupport to anti. labor legi~l~tion in recent years, ha . come from IJIbor'a "partners" in Ihe Demoel'&tie~labor coaliti(m, the DixiKI'&U in the Democ .... tlc p~rty. That w!\l not ehan~. The cltpilali8ll, who in the la8t analysis rule the Democralic Party, will nev"r permit labot to "capture" it. Under the pressure · of the tint big uiliis tbe Democn.t~ Party, a . now ~onltit\lted, ...ill Iplit, and the workers will bave to tlnd another road. I don't mean 10 aay tbat in tbe course of the cri si, the coplition in ~ovemment may not be trIed again. Tb"re will be ups and downs. Thi. current at~mpt of tlle American bour. g .... isie to rule direc:tly in their oWn name througb tbe biggut millionairn 1n tlle country ~ tbi,
'·eckIM~ experiment will go down ,n l"Uin~ under the tlrst impaet of the crisil. They may very well turn a-caln to a ne:w version of tbe ROOoevelt-Truman-labor coali. !ion. But it won't work.. And the lea &en it. won't work i1 that it can't ·give the .... orkers what they need. In 1933, when Roosevelt let up the tint eoalitlon, he had a large margin In hi. favor. Then had never been any aoeia! legislation wort!! mentioning, never any un. empbyment insurJ.tI(:e, never any i;ind 01 $leial .~urity, Under the hnpact of the crizj~, when Ih t .monopolista _re ..:ared out of ~beir wits, it ..... po:tuible for Ilim to Iou a few billion dollars to Ih! hungry worke rs and put
!~f~;~,r=~::;Ii~:~Ss:~~~ :>rovide une.mployment in surane! and old age pensions; legalize labor's rig-ht to organl:r.e. All IhlB made the app!arance of a great ( oneession 10 the working elas~. whicb it was from the $tarting p"'i~,t of $la1""VatioD. . But In the eGmhlg period, the who~ impal"" aM drin aDd nI'Ct!!IUy 01 the rulinr elalll! i~ l oi"l" to be not to I.pro .. e SOti ..1 nnditions, not to raise ..·ag!. and I;'·;ng .tandud... but to .!.~h I"fm. n.al'. what tbe crisis will be about, and a coalilion I"o ..... n_ "lent won'l be able to do an:rlhing about it. Cons~qu~ntly a eoalition f Of elass ~ollaboration In government will no! work tlle ned time. Not under cond ition, of aodal cril'" when on the one hand the .... ork· er..' Mmand! w i!! be far more exten$ive and imperious, and wben on the othe!" hand they will be threatened with the destruc_ tion of their un ions. Labor will be enmpe\ld to take ·tlle next ~ 'ep in polittealll'Ction _ to bnak the coalition with the Demoerat3
[41] •
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
l:>n«! and for all, a..t IlO foJ'JIII
m
party. That, in my opm;eer maybe anotbn ~xperime-t Or BO, \he final break-up of tM DemoeratMolabor coalition, and -the lawtChing of an indfpendent IROOr 'Part.j. by the wOrkf U. Thf:J'e • alread,. a Btrong ~timent ill the worldnW cluB o-f thi ~ country for II\ICft 11 !!tel'. Ford Loeal 600, the biqe.t local onion if!. the world, voted the "ther day, after t~ election, tOT '1 labe,· P ~I-ty. 11le United EtK-trieal Worker! and TJA'W con...entions haW! atwaya bten ready to pus rf!8olutions for " iabol' ,any, if th ey had bad" free hand from the official!!. ~ ...mtiment for a lubor party i! held"""'" by t~e bU ..,aucrats, who think they can do better by dMb with the rJernoo::ratic Jakeu and the Owet;.wr:
cral6. Thf' bllno auc.ate O'OlIld put over
th i. policy as loag 8.3 workers Wel'(O fully pMj)loye
a.
ready plann0e4 ... Wu.,nn1oecl, 1 ~re to JaY. It iI' .Dj( deilllyoed ..nly by a little _ clipped to the papon-B In tM AI-e. The ~_ ruds: "Rold for lahr RUing af oIa\f." Eveqtbinc- aIM la planlled. and prepanod. T he bt'~8 will ..t out tl'Kken tryi"(f- to pre'n!nt the 0lYanlza , lion af the unoYIanille f or med under conditionl ~.mi1H r 10 those under which the C IQ "'tU OO'g.nl~ed. A.. d the party Yorme
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
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riole .develop.ent, ..-hich h .. theorizfld it ~ bf,(GI"t it bef.... will find it, own native en"lron_ "ent, it....tu ......,Id of work. It 11'111 ~ome. ia. . tbt. I'"at e,.._ panding ~tllatIGII. what i. Hid i. the aerlptura. the leaven that
leueneth the whole IIl.p. The revolutionary party rep_ l'eKnh the (ub.lre of the work_ -"[$' movement in the pre~ent. It begins with. tAOOrdieal p~.m whieh toreNes the whole line of 80<:;11.1 development, and assemble. ita p reU minary cadl'''' on that hasis. This theoretical und",rstand. Ing and faith in the tuture der!v_ inr froni It, are the eondition. -Cor th e u:istence and dog('ed per_ ~venlnee of the revolutionary party in time of ltal'nation and il'ea~tion. But for ita nlpid expansion into 11. popular party 01. the maue!, it requires 11. gr.... t 6Ilrginl' elaSll anuRI". That will ('Om" with tile next eriBis .... hieh is already rlp~lII'. The tumultuous developments of the clan · 6tn.1ggle, under condi_ ·tions of a developing lOCial crwl, will e~plode in all direction!, in all phlUies. "the vanOW! prospective developmellts on the politieal and ~nol!\ic field. ean be put int.. ISeparete eompartments, and dealt with ~riallf, only tor e(lnvenience in a Ie.::tur.,. But in real lite _ this is not a fabrieated p<"Oll"nOIH, hu t a deduetlon from the history of the development of r.,volu _ o
tionary erl$l!s evIllywbere, in all past times _ in nal lif!!; when the uocilll erisis Itrikell, and c~pedlllly whan It develops and .1; of the imperialillt government hu been absolute 1I11d unoonditional _ and given in advanoe for any kind
erime on the internKtio~ tleld. What .,•• that m01!$trout poli~y of all the labot faken o&.!Ied on! It WII' bued on the pllrely aeltlBll ellkl.llatlon that they, and a !leetion of the American workers, would than in the .poils of world ~onqge~t. For th at, they wen willing to betra,. the world and .11 tM people ill it. They thought A'm eri~a's foreign polkly oould be like England'. fo~ polkv in the 19th eentllr)" and yield the aam. results. By th,lr conquest and enslavement of c:oloniH and sub-ject people... England's ctpitalilt& booame so rich that they eould afford, Ollt 01 the SUpe1"-Jlrotl.t.I, to throw a few enunbs to the burea,ueney and ariltoeracy nf labar, .. nd by tlud they bol.lght its support. It was the promise and pro~peet of IlOCh a Iharing in the tpOila that bought the American tabor leaden' IJUpport of Amu_ lcan foreim policy. . That ia the liheory in the mindl of Rellther and an the re1It of the 'Iabor leaders in thia country, their rul motivation for I~port ing the foreign policy of America up te nOlW _ leaving aside the bunkum about their pious coneern to apread Arneri~an "dern~rary" all over the worM by .ruru. and bombs. They hope t.o d(l the BIIme thing in the future, but it will rl.ln UI> against thi~ analt:" there are not goh'e: to be any Apoila. There up _t goin~ ~ be allY victories. The"" are not 'going te be any conquel""O(j \leop!e! to sweat alld slave to make America ri~\ enough- to maina!n a bi~h standard 'If llviDK for the woric_ era and fatten up the labor fake ..... 0.. Ibe _Irar,.. A.. erleu b.,.. perialia. will eDeoahter OpCIO'Ii. ·liOll ever,. ..hft"O: it .,iII 1iJ!:ht lo8iRg battks q:ai ... t revola_ tionar), pn,''', as ahead,. Iho... of
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
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In Koru. Th~r'" .. ill b~ t~rribl" cuualtiu and iftcakulabl" UPi'n· dit .. r", and the ... hole damn~ f(>reign poIi"y, jlUlteacl of .nr\"h. ing Anl •• ka and 1+.lnj!: &ome ".umbs to th. . .orb..., "ill h.v. to lurn back against the work",",. In IIQueue them to the bone to act the mOlley to pay for Am ••• k,,· •. b...
a~ena
i~
the ~ollective bargain. ing table. But the bos~$ are goinl" te, kick over the bargaining ·table, The~e 1abor ",t&ttolmen" will II'>t be fit for leadeuhip in the M,W situation. any more than the old AFL skate, were fit for the leader~hip of the insurgent move_ ment ·of the workers in the maal production industries in the .itd"",,'Tl s,rikes of the 80's. Thel"$ will be no bargaining table •. No government boards to ~ett1e thin",s amicably, · re<:ognize the 'J ~lo.n and give the workers 11 few more ('ents. That's not going to be the bosses' program at all. rhey doon't want to give a few more cenla; they don't wanl to r""ogni~e. uniona. They want to knoek the hell out of the unions, s!> the worken will have no mein. of defense aeainst the cutting of wages and livinl' standards . That', what i~ in the cards. No friendly compromi..es at tlle bargaining table., but olily mass battle! and man testa of strength. The wo,ken. liMe. aud! conditions, .. u" aIM! will IlIm le ",;Utaney anoi. throw up leadera of a neW molcl. 11141 .. · Ihe "Work. ers in the 30'. thre.... liP DeW" trade uni ... leden oat of lhe ranb. And It ill h. jllsl aKh • .itu.li..... "",,,,11. dUI eollabora. tion is out the ...-Irldow and Ihe rlus .Inlllle la OR the a.enda, that the BlIpr_e e:l[prruMm III Ihe elau .lnI.,le, Ihe ",TollI' tlonar,. M.n!.t party, will ,et a hearinr and beNollle the JIIentor 0{ the .mtallt new ataff of lead· .frs arls;nl' out III the ahopB and. lhe fadori~ • That's the Pro:NlPt'Ctive chanp on the .ide of the workinS' cIa" .. chllnjfe · to.wanl a new militancy, " ne w leadeuhip. !lnd the ~"olutionary political party rising In !n(]uence and po-.rer by virtue of its character and HI p~orram. And OD the oth
[44]
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UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
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the tapitali,ta must and ..... HI discard all temporbin~ Dln.suHI, cut off the demoul tlc f acade ,..hld, tbey ean no lonrer afford, "nd turn to wholellle ... io]cnee lts:ailUlt the 'II'Orken.
F.,.t:ilt bandl WIll be sulnidiud a nd armed and hurled 'pinat the strikel'll, sphut the union hall, a nd all other workers' ratherinr plaees Ind inatitutlon,. Thl! work. f'U , f or their part, ,..ilI ha"" )10 choie1!, if they don't want to he ddeated IIInd enslaved, as the Ger. man _rkerl "ere defeated Ind entlu....t under H itler _ thcy '!rill hue no chok:e hut to of'pnize theh' own dcrenae g'Ulr'ds, n'~t the fascis t band. on th eir own term. and u rry the battle to • them . Ameriean capitalism Is' not In love wIth democracy. It', nO) pr;n_ .. Iple of American ea pitaliam that we mutt mainta in ,11 the demo. cra tic forma - free SpftCh, ft'eii prc.. , frH rICh!. to orr.nj~e, and all t hl! relt. The only prineiple the Americ:an apltali'lI have h the eJ:1I10itation of labor, the eJ[_ tTaction of profi t., and the enrich. ment of themulvcs at the u_ J>E'nte of the worken. Tbat', their p";nclple. If th.,- can do It In ' n euy and ~th and quict and peaceful way und er political democrac,. O.K. That', the dlupe.t ..... ~UI wh~ th.t doesn't work any Lo n,er, OUr wonderful, democr.t ie eaJlitaUata will turn, wltb the unre fury of the Genn.n and lta li. n capitalllta, to the 'blood,. violence of f.kltm. They win finanee and &quip • fakllt move_ Men t, .rod eheck it , tT'I,hl I>p to th~ labor mO'l'emellt ~ " What ILre ,.OU coin, to do .bout It? Thel'i! a~ COlll, to be 110 mOlll! debatu .... ith YOU, It's 1'0;111 to be fight."
1':
It wlll be. Ipt to a "al.h.
a"
it ' will be Coapt on all front .. £rolll election ca .. pai,1I1 to .. rike. and l,h18 with r __ illt ,an,awn In -the "reels. Ullller Ihe powur1l! illlplLlllon 01 the lOdal cria~ ;.bld!. Alllerie.. e&jlltaRea c:anllGt a'fOid, and _ hich it alread,. ripenin, .... itM. III bod,., .11 tll_. dnelopmenta pr..ud""- hel'4!, and ... 117 more, will er.ltt apon. la _ _Iy, a.ullan_I,., In ()tie renwa' proce... whidL U.fLnol be lIrrealeci by an,. dnkl ie\'ea in the ft~-olutionary vie.
•
•
.Iru,._
• [45J
•
•tory,
and. eOlUociwliy and ,da_ liberately preparea f or i t In advanoe by theoretical aWdy and lIeriDU3 oreanisation. -wm the _ workers find these things when they need them in the l~doWll, whe:D the ItrucgJe fM power will be ~1 ,That is the question. -We thlnk they ,will. We 'think the worUn and colonl.l peoplu, In revoJutioll thrtlll&'hout the world, will power. .f ully irdllltlllCe the Ameriean worker. by their ,:.:ample. When all the world i. In revolutlon, tb, A muican workeu will nmembel' t hei r 0WlI aneestry and take ftl'e
• •
•
,",.
We think the Amerieln wod:.
en, who h&Ve never be-en Quake~ w ill dlJl1\onltrate IIneumpled. enerwY. courage and declllioa ""hen it beeomea dear that thell' own dl/llltiny is at . take. W. thillk t..'ley will find the conllclouenen, .and tber.!'lll'it'h the leadership, for victory ift the atrunie for power, And we thiD.ll:, Ibwl,.. that it .. our dllt,. "",8 11011', la "uru" j .. the
period" I
t_ ,_
tile coal.... d_. to -trlkte ..
tblt! ~-III aN I:::hz ' I~ Tbat', ...11,. ". _loa&' t. ...
s.. n.r.
dall., Wwu,.. Part,.. wh, ..e>r. bI;Ifldb' it .... Thet.. 'II'fI, ",e',. illriti~ ,.... to jM __ in n", ,reat ,......k of preparat_ for th. veat ' -.......
• •
, •
• •
, [46]
LECTURE 5 •
• •
The Workers' •
Last ",toet we dl..,vned Ille
i~m
eould expe-rie_ a certa!1I comi_1t stf'a..cle for pO ... er ... hleh revival. That could ca_ a .. reat .iII d~c the qHIIlion: W}oo ~h..1I deal of conhlsion jast when lie ...t.,. m tile Ano.lHlcan houlIf!? clarity of prognm'l will be On •••I:r-iII ... _ftI tkat the ~upremety import8.ll t. . la Ud. ,,_mll' IItrQJ:~ The dirtereneeo between MaJ')[«le lie 11ft 0. aide III the workers, l,t.< and an&l'I'hista are very aIId that tlleir l'ktory call he n· serious and caused many poleln. ~2!bed. TIll. vtctot'J' ef tAe lurk. ;';'al di ~po.rtes a nd sp!ita in t he ..,. m the .h_down atruJ:1J1e past, ever sinee the days of Man with ttle cqokrJbltl .act Uw!ir and &kunin in the Fi1"!lt In_ fa..dM ...... ",Ill nl ....te. at a t ern:l.tional. There were many certain ,.u.t, I. the ..tabli8h_ pointa at issue in this .-reat his_ t '" • COYernmnt \.one controversy, but the central t. rule tlIe _try. -point was the queldon ol the Right at thia point Olll dif. atate. The anarch ist theory was {e..eneu with the an amiaUl are t hat capitalism ond ttle state brought 0'111 mOllt aharply, Wc would be aboliebed at the Ume don't hear 30 much about anarch- time, in one operation. For th"", ism now &I we did In my earl., l he revoluUOflaTy victory ''tu 4aYII in the movemen!.. AnuchiBm ~ynonymous with the abolition of wu then Wf!II. mON! seriously u :he IUlte. • revolutionary tenciCIley, but It The MaTX4lis lDid, No, you an, made I mlller.ble .ho'lring unciel' run ning a,head of youroseh· ..... the actual ~ of War and teV- Ma:r~~m ~IIO envilaCH a tociety olution. Anarehlam. In ,,_nee, ill in whkh there will be no dalsea _tlIi~ but opportuuilllll turned and nO state, but does not Ilj!,'ree inside IrUt, but It IIOmetimr their ()own his. lIOUndin.. vt'l"bal radicalism of torie, elas. purpoo.es. Mal"l(i'm aftan: !:istll and ana~ho.flyndlcal . rega'l'd! the stnte as the lnst", _ j,18 :'!ld mi~take It~or tile ~t men! of cl ap rule. It is not the thing. It-i, potIIIibie, themore, g'eTl erai, imPflrtia' rep"""entativs that In the epou'tse of coming of all the people, ItS it Is npredevelopmtnUi in America. anarcb_ sented to be and as, unfor-
• ,..nta...,
_Ir.-.
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UNNOOT'i Of MICHIGAN
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In draw ing up their conclusions from the experien«! of the Pari5 Commune of 1871. the flnt attempt of the worken to set up " state 01 their own, Mux and , oth~. . Engel~ ~tated · their theoretieal That'~ the eMraeter of the pl'eBent itate in thi~ tountry. conc!tl9;ons fie into Ihe other. During th is exi sts today. It - will be a class period the eorrellP"nding' poJiti~al instrument, its ehie! will state can only be the rule of the be to 8upprelfs ono the worke ..., t-he dictatorship of th e interests of another. 11'8 worke"~ , u every state is, i n t.sence, the dicta~rship . of one the same thing a, thf! cla" over ,mother. state, with this . HeM The state we envisage Thllt is precisely the way Le nin victory of the workel'll w!H be a aod Trotiky. who wen orthodox go\'er~mental instrument of coerdiscip\ps of Man: and Enge ls, uncion in t he hands of Ihe work ing- derstood the question . and proelass majority to suppre ss any ~eded tuolute!y to apply it in attempt of the eapitaliBt min ority practi~ ;n Ute RUM;an Revolu_ t o reeqtabliKh their system of u- tion of N o...ember 191'1. 'rhe pl oit.tion. The worker$ state will Iheory of Marx and E~ls on be lik~ the present state only the questio n of the stat~ and turned upside down and put to re ... olution ha s been powerfully the service of a different dan. r einforced by the aperience of The 'lIIin rutarH aad role 01 the I'!"eat Ru ssian Revolution. thi" new IItate in the trallllidon So we clln ~um up thi. point period are not for u8 a "ubl~1 b~· a~ yi ~ g ,..;th M$olute <'flrtainly of 'I .. a,inatin ~peo:IITation. The that the working clan, vi ctorioua nature of HOCiety in the tra_lIlon in th ~ showdown Itrugcle with period bettreen eapitaliam and t he c"pit ali&i.I' and their faseist ~oeiall_, and the kind of l':.ng~, will not dis-band all jl;OVstate, of ,overnmPOt. It would Hnnl9nl form •. On the contrary, _require. wer. durly fon~un aod it will t~ ke hold of society and eTaborated theordiulJy by lhrx ~et up its 0..-0 .....emment . it.s .aod EngeTs a Ion, time aKO; and t;wn $tat.., .1I-Ci uu .n the eon· the theory Wu appli~ In prac- centrated pow ... 01 tIIi, Itat.. to tiee iD the RUMlan R .... olution of 8Uppre~1I any attempt at counter1917 by Lenin and 'fTotaky. We re ... olu tion by th e ea,pltall sla. At ha ... e both Manls! ih~ry and the SlIm", time It will use the ""rioua uperience 10 go by in powel' of the new . tate to te_ stating (oofldently "'hat Ihe ,en· "rg.nize the (!(!Onomy a.nd direct e.a\ chara"'erl~Ik'~ of Ihe new it into nrw chennels..,nd new ~hle .... iIl be and ",hat its taRIts fonns. ",ill he. Crrth;n th ings have been dem-
lu nately, many pe-ople t hink it ii. The state, in its "senti,l !e.tu~.l! the in4truml"nt of one elass for the suppreuion of an·
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·onstr.ted In the Russian Re\·oh,. tion which prior to that time were maintained. and could be maintained. only theoreticalll·. On the poIIilive side ...c that I!;~at ,".torieal nperil!SlCe, "'e u. pul do"'n fil"8t. the demoNltra. lion Ih_t it il poIUIible - .. pr...-lo .... ly a.o.ert~ by Harldarn. bllt IInproY~ _ for lhe ... orkill.J ~laN Jlot only 10 re .. o.·(, the capitaliat.1 frol1l PO"U. bill to sel up a ~vernmental madline to se"e Ihelr 0"'1t purpOH:ll a"l1d to ..,amlain their po...er. Today, if an)·on.. Bay... "It ean't b(' don~," 'he an" ..er I" ~II ha. aleead)' b«n doll(" and dOJle auut-!l8fuU,· ('Y('n IInd .. r Ihe mOllt IInfa,·orabJ.e ·conditi0ll8." 11 anyone say~' "This idea of a workers government 8on worke" - that's all the industria! proletariat amounted t" tn Czarht RII~ria _ four or fj"e million worke" .....ere suf· flcient. at the time of social crisi s. to ov"rthrow the whole edifice af C:r.:Irism and eap.itllli"" and ~et up a government of their own. Moreover. they were able to mainto.ln their power. not onlyagai1>l;t all t11e eapitalists and land!onl~ of Russia, but again . t the entire capitalist world w"hich blockaded th.,m and tried to over. throw them by military fOrei!. Our Pl'Ogrammati" statement that the work,"", will set up a I!'Onrnment of ttreir O'\\'n In this eountry, can hardly be di~missed
as a utopian speculation - not after the demonatration of the Ru~t!~n Revolution. Our ",,"fldent assertion haB th "erification of praotica! experience as well as the lICientiflc theory of Marxism behind 11. The !!eCOnd f&et on tile positive side of the Russian e>:perience kI the colossal achie"ernent i,n the field of produetion. Czarist Ruse!. wu the most backward of the big capitali~t . countrie.o. . Capitalillt larga-scale industry w&8 only feebly developed there; It was far behind thnt of America, England, France I!nd Germany. But even with od n,ullil,lied. In the brief spa"e (Of 3S rears ~inee the Ruuian Re>-olution, tl,,, most backward land of great capitalil;m has be. come gecond industrial po",er in tha world. That ia attributed, and can on!~' be attribu~d, to the elimination of capjtali~t I.rh-,.!!! ownenhip, t~e national. bation of industr}· and construc_ tion of planned economy. In Ih.efle t ...o aeh.ineme,t!s of the RUS#lian RevoluliOft ... e ha..,. the pradlcal dMlOMtralion, fint . Iha' 'he ...orb.... can rpla; and """ond, that nationsllzed industry and pls .... ed ""on"",,. can in. crea"" the productivity of the pf'Ople. That is the touchstone of all social !!yst_s. The _ ial hlch can raise I~ proclucli.lt,. of labar, so that l1Iore thin«s a~ produced ... ith If:SII expenditure flf labar power, I" the mor(' pror.--ive .,-stPln. It is bound 10 preys!! aad to diMplue an)' I"-A produdiYe lodal ayate •. The ne~tiw' ~lde~ of the evolution of the Soviet Union
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liftef! 1917"'ve been tile product ellMntiala of life. Dai!J llf. be. ')f sptIciftcl -Ru"jen -aition... We came a &crar.!,'· far &11. - ez.tft. have 110 It ' on whatever to piece of bread.. Out of . this minimi~ or ignO'l'9 the defonna~rn:mie clreulll,ltaaee, _ . burt.iolU of \he Soviet atate under e.ue .... ey 11"OJ!t!. took ahape and Stalinl.."" truly III11natroU8 and cryna.!!iz.ed into • privileged revolting as they are. But we cute - at is al111aYI the case .hould h7 W \lIIM •• t:and the when t.hne ia lICarclty. 'I1riII eeullH of then uaeaceneu be. bureaucracy. after. 101\&' Internal f _ jumpift' to the conclusion struggle, ,",ventl,laU,. pined"tht, that a _HCTs state In America domination of ftl. eountry. wO\lJd neee...r.ity "uffer the nn'. That. la the negative aide of llIe de~neration. . Ruuian e~ erienee, b&sed on the There ue ,Ult differences econo mic bnekwardne.. of the -between the Rnssia. of 1911 and country .nd ib itolation in • Ih'" Am erica of the present dey, h st;1c upitaiffit , wcrrld. The at. and thellfl differenc811 will all tempt to march fonrard progiae. work in lA"r 01 the Amerkan .i'·el y and 'harmonlollllly, lrom the "'orhrl! when theY com e to p!"OI ~h.rian revolution to a Boopower. In RUMa the grftoW!st dif_ ialist society, In a backward. ficultiea bepn after the nvolu- t'Ountry surro1lnded &lid isolated tion. The o..-erU!rown minority of In a ho!ltlle capitalist world, capitali$t8 and landlords didn't proved to be a rather difficult 5ubmit. They organized,.. counter- undertaking. It cuhnln&ted, for revol~tj onary atroggle ... nich an historlcsl period. in tne developed into i. Civil Wiar, be_ defonT'ation 01 the worker. .tate fon t he new state had a chance in to a b~rea~c".tie poUce /It&te. to t'On$olidate. Wbile Lenin was But el'etI. uMer tMM adl'etse N'adin/! t~ ...e great hiatory- dn:umlltallces _ uod tlIia i.a (be making decrees in the fiut point to re1l\ember the ne ... Soviet Assembly «.fter the Bol_ Iyeh.. of natio!laUH4 br.dD.atrJ' ahevik~ had taken power, the and plallned - 1 e<>ll1ol ROt counter - rel'nlutiorusts were al- he destroyed. OYer a period of Ji ready mO'bili7.i ~ their armies, yean the ne... aym .. 01 ecu. with ~ e money and military sup- Ihe It"rutMI aehine..ent 01. )OOrt 0:(. the outside "'pit&li.t the r evoh.t.iOI\ - h&$ pro¥ed it. world. For live yea.... _ from , 'iability and It. upedt,. to 1917 until 19":2 - the main ef_ de,..,lop and e.xpand the pl"Oductil'a fort. of the n6w wor'el1l gavern- rOUe!!.t a rate .... _ a ISCII. ment In thi~ "~ckward country, ne ...,r Nillalecl bv c:apilal;'m ena further impov"riiJi,ed and mined in it. heyday_ That b. the tOllchby tile WOI'M War, had to ~ "lone. devoted to a mHitary Itrugile to Tllingoa will r:> diftenmUy In maintain the new regime. this country, and t.h_ will b. Tbe h.. meotlMe rellUlt wu not both diftkulti08 and &dV1lllta~ a developmen" n~ the productive in tbe diCference. The diffie-..ltI. ... force-s but ~ f .. r"'ler diaorganlza_ "'ilI come fint. The c/I'pitali,t t;mj Ilnd di ...... ~t'''n. Everything- class in th.i8 country is. stro~ hnd to be ~"hord'nated to · the than;t WII in Ru.nIa; it has ,l emands of th, "'.1' for .urvh-.J more reSO llre≪ aJMi it ...ul flgilt ~/I:"lin5t a "W"". "f ""'leTlIiee. 'NJ.ere .ith the dMpera.te fury 01. a.n. wu .. -mty of the ha.N!It outlived cl....,· In U. la.rt IItronc• [501
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-hold. Bu t once the powq has
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taken b,. tM worlrer. In Uti. country eVflrythblg will be eh'l\~ In their rlvor. And 1~ tlle pme _ . '\¥be", Itu..ia "'u POOl" a nd bldu ltriaUy baen.rd. hnuica
i. rich and hlabb d.veloped. Capitalllm h .. done fbl: hllJtorie woric In tbt. eoufttz't. and l or that w • .taOllld be duly .pprecjwt.i~. You .ee, we'nI not Intl-eapltaliat 100 percent: w,'n , _ pltallst .. lP/nit feuQJ\lm, and eh,tiel "very, alId Iftdumial baek.
.&l'dnl!lll ;1\ &,_ral. W. an pre.
hpitalllt In _&1:1111\1' the , p roJ'TURVI hktoric roll capital. ism played In deYeloPin&" die 'orcet of proctuctiou, as ilhlll' trat.ed to the hicheet de1ft
the d;lpoIition of the espitalilt. In pariicullr. It 1000000ebody "Ylt ... woulf . prefer to lee the ehange effeetei by the workers getttn, the mljcqo.. ity in I fair eJection I nd ta ll!nc powet" lHSeefullJ" _ ,"11, I wouldn't IIY . 'm OSIPOled ttiitJ', .nvt'IIIte, lI" raim ... ,rod IIlwt..""k blllld __ or the eapilalil1t1, th.t tller. ,..;. h.!Wllle K urfllnl' before tht. ' 0•• erll mu t I, CUll,". But it will be ehll\l'ed fu.t UI . ,,-me, and howeYi!r k may .. ehanl!'t'd, Ure new government wilt prcobably IIPpro:llima.te the ne. cupational or ...orkets · cou ncil (0""; or ,..111 eftnt ulllly be l'eo model.d along thlt line. The
Wi.
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U~"'E/ljlYOH'(H .... "
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J>~gellt
(ni'm (If repre.;entation
in tne go"emment by territorIal units will probably be ~l.ced by reprt''If'ntation of o«upational units. The delegates in the Congre~. will dir~tly repn!M!nt the w,)I"kn.. in the shops. the fae_ tories, the lann, and 1<' on; not to omit the military units, whieh Vlill .ho have a hano. in the new regime as long u they continue t.G exist. The wQrke,.,. - council fGrm -of government will be prefened be_ cau~e -it is more repruentative and mo", democratic than the pnsen~ form of American government. T he n_ government will b<'! primarily concerned with
the Jl'I'Oblems of economy. The \l'orkel'll- will have a means of exerting direct pres~ure and in_ fluence through their OWn delegates in the ocCllll"'tional t(\uncils all thp way up from the local to the ,"egiona l and to the federal 1l~8emhlies.
The council form ia more Teprf!· sental'"" than the prf!5ent form of government. For examp{e. I
the local unih comb ine 'In a ",,&"iOI"'] body; the ""iional coun~ dl. c!ert t.helr dele&".tea to the lederal body. Conuol
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ferenee. InsU&d of a clique I>f r.on-pl"OduC"'I1J directinl' them for privllte profit, u .t present, they will ~ nationll1i~ IInd made th", property of the workers govern. ment, to be operated for p",blie u ~e aAd n",fod, and not f OI" anybodY'8 pe~na] profit. Will thne induatriet; be uquir_ ~
by (ompen"ti!>n to the present O'<\'neu, or by confiscation! Thii queatil>n ukd ·to be debated very heated!Y'in the !IOcialiat mOve· ment in the old d&YII, but it i ~ not really 11 question of principle; not in this eount,,·, at any rate. We !lay toroay: It an depends. It i8 not ne.:esaarily mON!! radica l to say: "We won't g;'-e them a Hn!, we'll just ... onfill<:.te . ~ It i. not n4'ceBurily wiser "to say: "It would be better to compenllate." I 1&11:') a p08ition in the middle and-flay, that whether the capital· i$b
r~ive
any compensation for
the in<'us1riea tht'y claim to own - -but w~ich in tu.lily they stole from the. people - wheth"," 1.h~y get .comp.ensation or an order of expropriation without ct>~n8B.. lion '- will dep.end on how Ih~y ~have t",,",selves. /' If they want to submit to the ", ..jority and be reasonable. I think tbe government could ellS ily a~ to gjve th~m .. ce,.t .. in compensation to avoid further trouble. America Is rich enoull'h. The workers government could IIftOrd 10 hand out .. few million. even a few billion, in order to prtwent the deveh>pment of . a civil w~r. The government could do th~t, and might do i t. It depends on the capilali~ts. H t."ey get nuty .. nd continue fighting D&,.in~t the sovereign ,,·ill of the majority, then they won't get anything. I take it for 2rant..d that, onee the workeu t.ave be-en victorious in a re volution ~nd ha"1l set up their <>wn
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li;overnnlent, they aren't going tQ be fooling any mare. E'~1j'thing is going to be sen<>u! and ded. ~ion$ will ha~ to be carned ouL The next day after the na_ tionalization of industry, or nla}'be Qn th~ [ame da;, the new workers g<)vernment will la~' official honds cn all the &,Qld buried in the ground at Forl Kn<>I, and use thi s gold as the buis for Amer. iun InQney. Th;' will be the ir<>nic pa.ad<1I c1ety will h""e nQ Qse for it. But in the meantim e. the wQrken gOl"ernment will h'lv e a sound dollar regulat. ing. lhp national e<:!Onomy. and nl> ;nfl'ollon. Indulltry _ill be nationalizf'd :lad oPE'rated aea.rding tQ a pl.n. Will that .pply to all kind~ of private prQpnty, to small farm .., 10 small businesutl. little stQrPR r W. dQu'l think _ We d",,'t think the new Irovernm..,nl ""Quld ha'"e ... ny interest _h.le"er in expro· pri.tin&, all the little eorner~ <>f AmerioRn Industry and prod-ueliQn . It WQuld be wlur to let the ~mall r.rmer kee-p hi. farm and cfln!inue to work Qn hi. o ... n h~k, "nd to let the little s hQP" cOIn·
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tinue 10 Qperate.
T.h.., &,overnment will be busy "'ith the great problem QC ns· lion.lizin~ coal and .teel :>nd auto Rnd rubber .nd all the rest .oC the 1;Iip,- industries and tbe rail_ roa<J~. The small farml and businesses can fit i ..to the ne"" seheme and
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uevkea of the national economy. Bl andlOrds of the people. And It 'rhe new governmmt would have wi ll have la make good on tM. every interest, IWt only In per. wlid, praetical ground. It ...ill tnitting it, but In encou .... ~ng it not b'! enough to aay in governand bel;pinK" o"t with ere<:ilts, tote., ment bul1ctw: "Tbe ne'lll' J"egilml "ntil the 81TW111 bt:mers and amall Is morally superior to the old on.. busine<53men decide of their own The new offte\al. Br!! more honed , ac~ount that they ~an do better than t:'e others." An this w!li be and live better by participating perfeetly true, oot, by lteelf, will in the uniform national I!Cheme not 8u rfioe. The new ree1me wflI and sharing in it3 ~nefit8, It stand or fall, · like all !OIlial won't take them long. sys lems in history, by this basie ) But there are flU'Dlen and criterion: Doe. it raille and iJlto farmers. What about the factorp prove the prodl>Ctivity of labor, farm s lOUd!. aa those we have Or dllo!, It turn it baclrward1 Th. here in California _ the ,rreat ill'W re,ime will have to udelive, . ml.Sl!.production ranches, where .the goods." hund ..... ds and even thO\lsanda of The American people will not agricultural work,,", an! exp1<.lited be satisfied .... ith offtcial propaIn virtual slaVf!ry! They 9o'0II't be ganda. They are from Miuourl left in the handa of pa....itieaJ and they will &aY: "Show me,~ _bankef1l and absenu.e owner&. 'rhey "will want better horn ... ani They will bl! taken over by tile furnitu"": more IInd better foot .t.te and de""loped as models of snd clothes: more ticket!! to goOot t.he new type of agriculture showl and circulll!S. Every eitizea tJle factory in the field, will want hil own automobile an4 The tuture ])elonSB to thia type a good five . cent cigar: mayoe t>f agriculture, In time, tlIe his- ~Iw, for all r know, a beUBl' torieal anachroniem of isolflte.d, ~upply of fine win ... lIl.ld liquors. The new government will h,!ve to priva~ly operated small farms will be preserved only here and produce and deliver all that: tbat there as relies of a backward age. will be its first aim. And that'. Agriculture ....ilI be developed why it will nationaliae industry, just a ~ an other industry has !md reorganiu production aec
to
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this or- tI!&t, or don't ~ it. The sole dl';vinK' IIl9tne. fa .. t~ o~ tio.n _o! eacll and ""el'l' ,indivi<:lual rorpontion. • the private profk
own_
I>f the . -Tb". dt!cimons oft produetien ue "'md<:. not hY'~umer ... what the need .!Id want; not by the _~, ...., !Ihe ..,...-el'll woukl l ;k~ to mH&;-not by lK'ientists and techniei_.no tnooo Mlt of all, perhaps. The deeHifuns on
;peG",..
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pruduetioft unde? .,apiw.l iJIm _ ... hat- s1i&1I floe produeed. , how, where and whe ... _ are mad" by fi ... nelal • fmm the fa.ctwioe,. remote f....... tb... people, whoee ItOM 1IlOtive is profit
,_te. .""Mite
in each i : _ . W81at a"e \!be lO!$Ult" of this ~ Y'
..r eapital~t p!'\')Cju.ct it)rl?
One result i. wasteful "om-
petition. Another l't!6Uit ill the pof'eae""at i(')lt of · obsolete ma"hine,.,. allll methOJds and the supprusir", cd '"'W n aten!s. Twenty tear9- a !lfo the _ Teclinocrats ex_ poBfod the shoc:lring fact that somll ..f the m~ imPo""llt pel" nl$ for llObar - S(\'llinc cn"tboda and new pl'OC.'eS8eII 11ft locked up ill the ~ r"
. of
cOlpol&tlon8.
They
the ' patenb aad Sll'ppreued them in order to prevent thl! d"",,,iopme-at of mere efficient methods by ' competibDrs ...1rich 'IV 0 11.1 d ~. &I>l!I.e pr_n,metbode; and product8 ohsolele and i-ed.\IoCe the profits the)' now
bought
nlake. - OJaaider the wute reprnsented hy the conSpi<:UOIlI eonswllption of the ..uit:olist &Oci ..! Ill'rasiles. Tbat I. abllOllI.te The hlla'e 9haTe of "the proiuet of· Ameriean [.. too. that r9~~ -te t~ non_ produc.l'1I ill all pure w&rIte. ·Tb". 1IOt' all. c.n.ider th. ... te of aDd . WQ'. Jut thinlr .f it! S!uJ" billioa
_ta.
_!ltar.
..ullnl ..
~ w:utllll OfI. dte
Mill.
tar,.- "~"" at tile' p-r...e.' «-e. ..-.:\ftr tile "la '1oeJ &ay ;.. tlle.1ioest ia the w.w. IIDiI tlte beIIIt · tI.el un """ Ite, SU:ly biUi_ 40110..,. 0.-year,· wut. N 011 Mmt..,y qlparahll .... pt'eparalio. rot" . ·ar, The~e ill doe -waste"o[ adverlis-;"8", which il not only diTed ....aste, but -aLso Irritation, 'riiich ;s another f>orm <)f . . .te. You get so mad Hatenin,. to the pitoney commercia'" thot it makes you nerv0\l8, setS ,.-ou t o qu arreling with your ...;le Ilnd undel'mines your efficiency on t he job, That'. waste of human Rerry. I would ...,.. only ten pei'cent or fId .....rtilrinl!' i" naeIul _ that len pereent which eomprieell an_ nOU11eements, explaa nlions of n.,. proeeseee and so on, .'hi.ch ....ilI be ulled und er the new l'OCiety, The other 90 peoreent of ath-et" tising ill de,'ote<j to lying, bally. hoo: f:iking and · eonning th e :>1"'1'1... and trying to get them lofavor one ;denti~nl produc't over .nother, lIr to buy Mime· thi n~ t hey don't net!d and that w on 't do them .ny good, a nd . then bay B
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• There are millions 01 such peo_ ple, engaged In all kindri of uBeieas, non - productive oecupa_ tiona In this present society. Ad. vertiai ng ;8 ,GIIly ono of them. Look at .11 the lawyers in this ~"un try. Wh.at are they good for? Look at all the 1andlord~, lob'byists, saief'lllen, promoters, ward. hPE]PtS. thieves and swl ndlel"ll _
. ,he million..fleaded hol'de of nonpeople in an k inds of ncket o, legitimate .nd iUel':'ili"'l e~jve
i~
ecoMmic wute, inMparable C, .... "' the present system. C.... tliesi of .n t!wo rHult , of 'he anarehy of capitalist produclion la the .. ute of uonomk c.is.... _ Ih'" periodic IIhuttin« <Jown of produetia" bet.use the m.nke! h8.11 been ".huated and product.' cannot be !lold at a J' r 0 r 11. Th;' I, .. hat they
""phemialkany "an • "dep'''''' . ;on" _ a n .. navoidable cyclical ""cur'"",,"e under eoipitaliam. I wonder what the future man, the r1lany civilized. m an, will think when he reads in h'ie hi8tory brok$ thn t ~ell! was o~ a OIOCiety, Inng ago, where th e people might be hungry for the pl'oouds of farms and faetories. And the wnrkel'1l in the !aetory might be eager to produce and needing . the work eo that they enuld lj~. But because UtI' hungry people couldn't buy the products, the wnrkcrs wer1ln't .1l0wed to work and produee them. and the fa<:tO}r ies were !hut down . and agricultural prooueti()n Wn artifielo.lIy resuieted, What will the people of the r uture think of a Roe!e!), where ~h e wMkers lived in ronS!ant fear n! unempl()yment! There 1$ t .• rdly one ~itting In this room tonig" t, I venture to say _ there ;1 hardly a wnrker an)'Where wh()
kn()w" for 8Urf! whether he will have a job aix montn. from nO'W' Or uot. He work- all hia mature li1e, 40 or 50 years, and he's never f~ from that fear. His having a job d~ndl, not on bia wil1in~e.. to work, nor On the need of the. people for the prQdueta of hlB labor; it dePends on whether · the ownen of the laetories can find a market for Ihe I'roducta and make a profit at n given time. If they can't, they t hut down the fl&<:tory, and that's a ll there is to it. T he worken gOvernment will put .1 atop to thia mOllBt rous squandering of tm. people's ener. gin and re.aou~s, wbleh is the direct rell\11t Of the anan:hy of enpitali~t production. JUBt by euttinjr out all this colossal waste _ to say nothing of a ste;lped-up rS\U! ol productivity whleh w()uld !lOOn follow _ the _iaUst reorgani:u.tion ()f economy will bring "bout a &tartling hnpro\'~ ment of lJIe people', living standards. T he fir&t eondijlon will be to elim ina te all private profits of :lOIl..proouceu; to elimi nate all conflicting interub of private owners of separate industries; to stop production for eale IInd profi t and organize planned pro. d"ction tor UBe. . When Marx;'u Ul!ed to adumbrate the future a long theM! linea, there was slways some wise guy w say : "Ho! Blueprint! Utopia! It can't be done!" But that's precisely what was done in Rua-lia, which had been the most backward of the capitaliat eountriH. F irst they nationalized indUl!try. Then they aet up a eetlual plan, and by meal1ll of planned econOlUY they eliminated the wWJtes of capitalism and developed produc_ Hon f .. ~er than any other ~oun · try in the world, until they be-
ean
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came the ~_nd industrial power. And now the sa me thing ift being done in China and in Eastern Europe. It i, no longer a speculative p.D!!ped. What has IIlready been done in Dther countries, can a!1d win be done in our OWII · c.-oulltry. Aa one of ita llrat the ne", ... orkerll gD'·un"' .... ' ",ill appoiTlt a central planning board. to OI'Kanlze aud reKIII.te the entire eeonomy of ANerie. cordh\1" 10 one reneral compre. heDJII .. e plan. What win be the eompoaition of this plalUling board! Certainly l>O loud-mouthed politician!, no banker.!, no lawyers; I doubt whetner there will be any preeohera. But I 1"'ould 811Y, representa_ ti .. ea of the unions, farm eo_ (Operative., oconomi,ts and ,tatil_ lieianll, IICientists, ~hnicians and e6nsumerll will be appointed as <1 matter of coune. What will be the alms of the p\.:l n ! 'P.be central pl,nning board .... iII concern itl!elf with the prob- , lem of the msximum utilization of .11 the r
.ct.,
.c_
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,,~es.
It la eully conceivable that the whole problem Df power will be revolulionbed.. We can '·1.....1. ;~e a creet system of po....er IIta· liON! gt'lWfatf:d by . tomic energy, laking the burd .... of I.bor from the shouJdtu of hllf • million coal lIIinerll and transfeninc it ID atomic-powered roachln .... All ~ience will be pooled and d'rected to a sin&,l e . im: produc_ tion for the benefit of Ill! - in agriculture as well liS in in_ dustry. There will be a revolution ;n the produet ion of food when the ~~nomic side of it is lifted O
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""nOD who "fants to pllnlle • line ot Idenee to ~erye tile people.
•
VMt .urnl .... m be ~t • • ide for m edioeal edu cation, n'lJI!arc:h and nperi mel1t. Not the pudJing dooatio n$, h..." and thaI, from ronae;enu _ llric h .. -philaothropilta; not the pruent atlnn ,p- proprinUons fro m dollu-pl e to "give a dime" to fi,ht tnf«nW e paralyais. The rovern. rn t nt w ill app~riate billions and !lend ,n army of ea,er and df:Votf'd .eienU,ts into battle apinl t polio, el\neer, heart disease and other e nemlu of the humIn face. A comp rehensive prOlZ'u m f or publle lIeolth will com e under the !lead, not only of humanIty, 'and of monUty, but al so tit economy. M en the peopl... 's health Is taken care of better they .... m be more prodD(tive at work, and more ftOOIb of all kinds will r oll out of t he f actorin and hml'. W, elln say p(>sith'ely, on the brulis of e~rien~e II f'('ady aec:umulaW under untavoratole con-
d ition. In the SO"let Union, that the eArly, the fint, re.ult.ll of planned eeonomy - eliminating all private profit. and other ... a I t e, conleioul ly enw1oyiOJr more tcientillc method.. safeguard in, the people'. healt h will be to double the plteent income of the 1\"orbrs, If the)" want t o take \t Ill. Or the,. .... I Y, and probably will, elect to take part of it to mak e a 50 pe~t improvem ent in thel.. living . tanda rd . and devote the otherSO Jlf'r«nt to rebuildi ng and modernlzln, the faetoriu and expo.ndin, the productivl plant. I'm not Ipeakinlt nC/W' of the I g. , eialist lociety. I'm .-peaklnlt of the firs~ yelrs, maybe ot,the fil"St live _ year pllln of .the woriten ,overn ment. The lint II-ve - year plan wn\ work sueh m l",c1t1 i n the field of production .. to rail!e t.h e proble m of ",u per . aoon_ dance ," a nd what to do aboat i t. Th e fflult ot 8uper·pundance. or ove",roduetion, aa it la called, under t he present lyatem, .,. ·'depl'M.lon"; idle plan b, and idle men : hunge r: ml!lelT: homes broken up: children's edllcatlon 8TTettt-d : hopeleBlnu. for mil. hons of people. The l\Iper. abundnnt production reaulting' frC*n t he open.tion of plsnned economy, very likely In the period of the fi rst fiv..... y .... r plan. will appear to the people a . a bie..!ng, n.t her t han a thre.t. They ter_ tainly will not · Ive n thloli: of shutting down the foMtories and throwing people out of 'Work. The "problem" enn be dean lYith in ... riOll, wa,... The fint "od mOlt neroral ~acl [on of the work,l"S will be fonnlllated i n a qunt ion: "If _ 're 0.11 doing well and livi ng good, produdng more thin wo reaUy need in .n elgh t_ hOllr dRy _ then why the hell sh ould we work SO Ion, !" Thil
{50'
•
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• que ~tion will
arise in the council! of the work",.. In the shops at the bottom, and will be carried up through their delegates all the way to the top of the governIIl &nt. And Ihe logk., a1Ul1.. er 'Will &,0 aMI( with the qlleflt;OtI: "Let'. the worlrill&, day, W.hJ' "h... W we ......k eia:ht hOllr3 .... et\ _ ca. proJW«! .11 we nMe!. in (ou?" That •• ,. 1IIPP •• r 10 be .. .t.-ple an.wet' te .. COlllplleated
,h«t_
question. Blit lIIany thin,_ ..Ill be
hhllpJiled . . . the an.nh,. of capltalct lKOd_tion for prolt h replaced by pl.aJlllecl produc:tiO)ll
'M_
' T.ht'~
Clrn
only the begi nning. You
roll!!t 011 11 BborteT 'WOrk day,
and there will .tffi be abundanc('l .md super - abundance. Then annUlet' qaestion will logielllly ari3e in the m ind. of the enlightened .,iti:tens of fl'ee and prosperous Soeiali. t America. Tbey will not be n.n ow _minded, ignorant .l)d a lilfteh i""laUOI1iSte, but win regard themH!vea tu! citizens of t he _Id, e(lroCflned "'ith all the aft.irt of the world and all iu p(!QpIM, and will seek fraternal fluoelation with them on tile bIlR; • ., equality. It jl!ces withou.t uying - that they win grant Immediate !nd... pendence Ot> statehood to the Puerto Riean people, whichever they ptefu, and renoW1~ all impertahlltie priTilel'!s and eones_ eions e:rt.orled fro;om other peoples by tile- ~ capitalist ~gime. They .Il! .. farther UId u,.: "We'Ye rot klnfolk in SomIt Anleriea and Ce .. tr.1 Am .... ~ Je. Old in- rONJ.... I.nd....bo ~""2!2't 1tad tJt,e b .. ~t of tile If....' ea)lttalillt ....elop.nt 01 inllnb'y 1Ief_ tile,. csJae to ptnrer. 'llIa,'re .till 1I"ortdnr with illl .... qaate _lIclo.bo ....,., tMIII and I .. )II_ _ ls. 1VIrI,. Mouldn't .... e
11....
belp Ihem to rise to our slandaru, not onl,. u a simple &et 01 h....... IIOlid.rlty, bat a1&oo to pnt a ....t'I' f,"mdalion nnder the ...-(trlll .,.atem 01 soci.llAt eo· o!)eralioa 7" nw. Ameri~an work",l'$ will so deeld(', froel)' and voluntarily. I can S~ them doing th at out of the generosity of spirit and the world outlook which tile vbion of soci.Ham nu given to them. I can IIef! thecm deciding, ~Iy and voluntarily, to work, say, an extra 'hottr O~ toro a day, for a em ain period, to produce agrie.lltural maeh i .. e ry, fertilizers, auto· mobil(lll, truck!!, maehines to make machines, and other things to ~peed ap the Indult r ialiution of the U'!Idevelooped eountri",*. And this will not be a loan Or a piddliTII: "Point <&" with stri.. gs attach. ed. Tbey will aiflltlly say to their klnfolk i n Iess-favored lands : "ThIs i8 • little dons tion from the wOIkers t>f the Soeialil t Unlted S tates of Americ. to help yoa cat<:h up with us, and put It. firmer fomtdation 1JIIdeI' the Se_ eial1.t Un ited States of the ·World." "MiMion aries" w ill be ~ent alO11g' with the machinery;, nClt ! ky;.Jlolll thi s time, !lanked by ao!6!en, but "",ientis1l!l and techfticianij a~mpanied by doctors. Sueh a « eature 01 lolldarity, manlfcsted prsetieally in the l'MIMaTy 1&boT of th~ WClrt:ertI for •• elI:tra bour Or tWo III day, !« 8 aertafn period, a s a f~ dotlatilln to help indl1lltrialiw Centml and South Ameriea, Africa and Allla, will be _ of , the _811& .hereby file worn ... in thie country ""ill taxe care of their "aape'!" abundance" during the arty period of the new WOt'k_ en goovernment. . The A/merican way of life, whicl't ...e hear a great deal about,
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will
e~rtainly
bel:in to chang,e und~ r the workers governm.,nt. The people win not occupy th~m ~eh'eB only with the economic eide of things. The government will con!l!ler the welb.r e of the people in all other re"pects too. Ag .. in, I'm not talking of social_ i~m. I'm talking of the tirllt period of the W(lrke l'1!l government in this country, The government will enact a program of social legislation w hich wilI mske the Roo~t reforTnS appear a. mere hand-ou-e. t:1 comparillOn. The new govern· ment will not offer a mi!!erable pEn!ion t o a worn-out work horse, ;f "-nd when he reaches the age of 66, IC he hall worked steady a ll his life up to then. It will not ofCer the worker a small dole a~ainlt absolute starvat ion when hi s ractory IIhu tl! down without asking him WIltat he think!! a bout it. No, tbe worke" government v.';ll have nothing to do with !uch mockeriea of social welfau. In workers' America - mm the v"lrinning of the worke rs govern_ ment, without waiting for t he fu ll development of IOClaH.m _ no child, not one, will be born under a cloud of fear as to "'hether he is going to h ave enough to eat Or not; or depende nt upon whether hi. pannt8 are in good health; "r if they have IIOme acdde nt; or If the old man falls out of work. B,. Ihe la ... and Ihe corudltll.iion the "'orken government .. ilI ,ua.lin t .... N:CInomlc Heuri!), to en r,. rhiM from the .....:lent of birth. Th rll"h! 10 lil'e securel,.; to "IV~ his hulth hkell care of ; to !If r.,..,c....~d from .11 fuu of unrmploymenl, of poverty and 01. old alle - .... m be aulomatie.Uy IIl1&lIrecl to every child by virtue rf the fad that he "'IS bo<"n In t.hlR coun t ry UDder • " 'orkel'1!l ,"01'e...,menl. Not only a right to
live and to hue f ..... IInd cloth" and. sallJ: roof piG,".'"I; but to have edu"liOll. Edocadoft, •• "'Ilea aB he ....IIt., and .. such 11 Ilia lalellt can. fClr. Eau .... ...-er,. pe~n, witl101lt aDy elltoaptlon. That will be a \'er)' aimple and natuml and euy thing to do, because Sociali$t America ....ill h&ve th e means, the abundance, the booming prodllCti ... ity - and all this w ill be ,produced for USIl, for . the benefit of IIll. The system of planned ~onomy unoo. the workers &,overnment will provide tile people with abundance, :md what 1$ 110 le ... imp orl:\nt, the time to enjoy it a nd get the full good out of it. I have spoken of the four-hour day, hut tbat would be only the beginning, the lint step, wMch i. more toon polllrible with the producttve mlldllner)' .. it is to_ ilay. But the prodQetivity 'of labor Dader Ihoa new, mON! efficient ~ y!tem will be expanded all the ti me. And s!nce there will be no need to pile up protita for the benefit of non_produul'1!I; 1IInce there will be no need to And wan of wastIt'g the IJUliIlu1 the natural, logical and inevi table conelusion will limply be to cut down Ine hoo rs of labor progreuively to the time actually needed to Jlroduee what is needed. The ~rnt"'l boon. and lhe pneondilion for ch.n,inJ: the American ",.,. of life Into a tl"1tl,. ho_aM, cultured, .nd ci...tlllled .... lIy of life, will ueru1l frora the pro,rM_ .;"e short",;n, of the ... orkia« da y. ~en the workel'1!l Arst beglln to flght for the ten ·hou. d.y in this coontry _ I ~.d ;n my hl$tor!u of the A merican labor movement _ th e e.mployers put n tre mendou B campaign. on
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it. Th~y argued on moral gTounds _ "morality" of the ~apit.alist.. is si ways 'happily mar- ' ried t'J their, profit interest.... They ~aid: "If you cut down the hours of labor, If t.he work~r doetm't, -work 12 hOIml a day, he will spend all hi. IJPCI.l'e time getting drunk. The worker-. neN to" be working from dawn to du sk in order to keep .ober and keep out 01 trouble." That's what they gld. We won't hear meh argument$ in. the future. men people ret .accuatomed to lei$llre, they BOOn learn what to do with it. The citizen of Socialist Amer ica w ill gradually move into a new 9tate of IIffairs where hi. main p reoccupation is no longer hia struggle f or individual exiBtenee _ a s it ;. today _ but whst he is going to do with that wonderful gift of leisure. the grea tes t gift. I think. of all. Leisure' la the premise for all cultural developm en t. Without iei,/lur e you have no rights. What's the use of being told you should do this. IJld you should do that, you $hould develop YOUT mind and !et your soul e:r;pand _ when you're so preoccupied wi~h work and trying to make a living and keep your family out of the p(H>rhouse that you have no time for anythlng else? Wh at you need is tim er And for that you need an efftcient aY$tem of -planned economy to shorten the hours of Ilecessary labur and give everyone the t ime and the leisure to think and re11"<'t and loaf alId ~nvite his soul, lis the poet said. A big s tart in t his directioll will 'bP made alr eady in the early ,period or the wor kers govern· ment. The re~me 0' the .. orken It0V_ f-r ..... enl in thi,. country will be a democratic regime - demueratic throuKh .nd through. The abun·
d~n.u .... hich .,.-iII pro~i4e
the' planned ec:o_y for an, pia l the tim e for 1.8ure, for ed_Iion and cultural dn'eloplllent In g .... er.l. will be the (lDresl safeguarcb alfainllt a uaurpl"- bDl"HlHlraey.Infrlnainlf "n the n,hI", aNi libOldies of the people ... lB the C&H today in the S"viet Uru"n. When theI"(l i. plenty for all , there 'ls no, mater ial basis for a privileged burcaucraey and the d.nger. therefore, is lugeiy eliminsted. That will be the situa _ tioll In rieh and highly developed Amerir-!\ under the workcn' rule. }<' mm the v('ry beghming, we will go in lor ~al workel'll democracy in this country; l.>e<:auH, among !>the~ thing" demoersey is not ,o nly better for ou....lves. 10r our minds, and for our &ouls. but 18 also ~t-teT for production. De· rnOCl'aer will e!Cl1 ou t the enlative ..nefg)' of the rnaBllea. 'When all the workers participate eagerly in the decigi(>Jl' , and bring to_ gether t heir critio::isms snd proposals based u.pon their eJ<_ perienee in the shops, higher T'roduction will r eeult. Faults in the plan s w ill be correoct.ed right e" Ia}' by the experience (Y(. the workel1l; misllts snd Inc:<mlpe_ \('nts in the leading bodies will he ~aUed by' the democratie pr~ss : officious "bosses" will be gh'en the boot. An educated and conscious 'w orking class will insi~t on de_ mocrat}". And not the narrowly limited and larlJ1lly- fictitious de_ mocracy of voting every fO\U years for some big.mouthed poli _ t.~al faker picked f or you by a political maehine, but democl"llcy -in ,oal" work. That's where It really counts. E,'ery day you will have s;omf'thing to !lilY about the work }'ou're doing. how it ~hould ihe done Ilnd who should be in c'h"rge of it , and whether he'.
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rlirN'ting it properly or not. De. 'TIotracy In all cultural activities. Democracy in al! spheres Qf communa l life - f ro'm A to Z. . I say, an educated American working clus that has made a re~olut io n will not tolerate bur_ eau~ratic tyrants of any kind. A noth er thing. The tradit ion of frontier democr!1CY is deep in the blood of the AmeriCBn worker. He thinh he was born 'with
certain inalienable rights and, by God, no brass-hat, fil!l<:ist gangster Or Stalin;at bureaucrat is going to lake tnem away f rom him. That "~ntiment will he another power_ fu l poi nt of Tl!si,t.nce to any in_ !tingement8 On democracy. The mondrosi ty of Stalinism lI.'"OOJJe:; fean of the same thing in thiB country. These teaI'll , in
•
my Opin IOn, at<) progffuive, provided they don't lead to pr08tratiim hetor e capitali.m; beCluse if you have capitalism you
are g
keep ita nose out of _people'. private affairs, The sdenti sts and teehnieians will e<ily be won over to enthusiastie participation in the ~at work of the 'flew regime. For the fint time they will be ~ally free men, not only w-e11 rewarded in a material way, but r espected and given their heads', :lot Bubjected to d istrust and suspicion and not required to sign loyalty oaths: not f'lgarded 11.1 second_raU! citizena, mef'l hi~ ling:. .t the command of some ignorant mon ... y-bag . Th e acien_ tisb wHl be h()nored II.!I lerva nh ,,1 the people, heroes whom the youth will str;ve to emulate. The scientists arid · technician. will rome over ....ith g reat enthU15ium to the new regime. The.-.e ean be no doubt about It. I don't think th e new reel_'" will hue any eeri_. trouble ,,·itA religion. There' ma,. be oppollition fro_ 01"Ca ..1sed reHlion aB an ia.silhltion; th e elttorcli Itl,wigl, elpeclall,. the reaetha.r,., f&&clal_iltded Catholle hlennhy. will probabl,. Ir,· 10 pia,. a cOIInter-revololionary role In the .~tua! , Irll,rle for power. &1 It .... on'l do the.. any ~ Th. wo.k ........ w\l] know where their .ul interellt lies and act accordinr!,.. People hue a wa,. of ro-c:oacillnr their rellrl.... con· ,·ktlou ... lih their dUI IlI.I:er.t •. Beaidea, If they ... nt te;d a, the,. un find plenty of aanetioll ia the Bibl, for revollltlona.,. a«ion arailllt lIIoney - chanKflrs who profane the temple aDd exploiters who grind the bUll ot tke poor_ Bill Haywood u$ll!rl t o ay: "No matter what the pr iest IIlYS about turning the other cheek, an Irish Catholl~ is a handy man on a picket-line. When he's on strike fighting for his job and for hiB ur,jon, he finds , ... ay of recon_
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cain&, it with his ~1igion." That's The little handful of I'I!calcitrant Ih e wily it will lx! In the ~volu. capitalists who don't like what is tion, and after. The communicants h&ppeninl" will not hs,·e to ltay of the ehurebu will find no) dif. ,.nd watch it if they don't wpnt f1cultv in linin g up with the- mal~ to. The workers government of of their fellow.workers when it J'k:h Ameriep could euily afford. comes to B showdown fight for ·to gi'·e them an island or two, their awn intereeb!, for their own for bhei r exclusive h&bitation, and pension them off and get t hem future. And .fter the revolution, what out of the way. How big is interelt will the worJrers govern- Catalina Islpnd hel'l!! Th&t might ment h:",e in sl!PI>l"!ssing religion, be just the place f or them. It in peneeutlng people fur their will not be neeelsary to kill them rel1gioul beliefs? None whatever, off. Ju st lend them to Catalina. R8 far Ill! I ean ~. Of course, Let them take their bonds .nd Ihe ehurelJ(~s, a~ institutions, will stock certificates with them - &8 he dep>ived C>! the ~upport of the n>ementoes of hygone d&yB -eapital;,t interests. They will and gi'-e them enough- caviar and have to get out of the real utllte ehamtngne to finish out their business and ~he charity racket; useleu l;,-es, while the workel'l!l nobody will need their charity. 11'0 on' with their work of con· Each ehureh, each religion will ~tructing a new and better lIOCia) h:w" to stand or faH on its ap- order. That's wh&t Trotsky aa.ld. peal to its communicants. It will War, and the threat of war, h:lVe to defend its dogmas against which made Soviet RUBSi&'s path srientific cr iticism, which will also ~o difficult, will be no problem be f.re!. But the new society will for th e .vnerican workers gov. have no inteNat whatever in any - ernment. Where wou ld the da.nger kind of persecution of religious come fro",? In Ru ui& the danger sentiment•. of war "-as ~al &00 &ctU&1. But Counter. revolution can hardly what !'Ounlry could attack the loe a ~erious tbreat to the worhrs United Statn! l! we are not the government ioI America. The 1ut c~pitalilt nation to jQin the workens ar1! an overwhtllming march toward social;"m, OU1' J:lajority in this country, and their r. .... lIling i" will Ileal t he doom of strength ;s mult iplied by their capitali.n, everywh ere. The rem· atrllte~ic position in the center. nants of VIe whole world system of production everywhel'<'l. -How ..ill fall like,. houae of cards. The h there goinJl' to be pny kind of a world ,-i<:tory of ....,ialism will <:x>unter...revolution against a gov. llUt an end to all national rival. ernment with I\Ich a broad and rie-s and antagonillm s and, there. ~olid 8fOeial bue? I don't think with , to &11 J]ational ,,",n. the American capitalists wil! try ne YktorlOllI Ameriun I"t!volu_ it. The 1'I'al eXJ)loiters are a very BJUaU minority. They couldn't get liOft ...iII not stop ve.y Ion .. with f'nougb fooll to do their ftghtlnr the 48 ,alatH. All Ihe eountrietl f or them, and they are opposed DOrlh and soulh of our ...... ders i'l principle to doing their awn ,..111 folio.... Ihe URited States In fighting. The defeated capitalista r"tvolutioll, if lhey hive lIot will benefit from their OWn help. p,~" It. la a matler of IU.llneH, and Trotaky thought it ..... tha, Ihe nf! .. worker...evf!m· would not be ne~ uary or wille "'flit in the United Statee will jnin ,,-jlh Canada, wilh Central to tl'l!at thtm. harshly. •
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America aIM! with South America, •
in _
rre.t h_iBphHic federa.
tioa _
IheSocial~
United Statea
of an the .Nnericu. ThiA 116'" All. AlIIerican FederaU"" .. orlr; 0'111 • llinrl ... _ l e plaD for.
m ...
tile mUtt hemiapben. This rooperative hemlapherie plan wtll
brinl modun indLl&trializ-.Uon ancl .Ienlific .rrielllhlre to all the countri" _Ill of the border,
and rai~ up all the ""orry peo_ pI. to full p.rl~tioa in a new
and lIIore abundant life in .. bdler, raore hlRllen" and mOre plentiful J()(iety. The&
duetion and plenty of material rood. for all, and then ~preading In to all tl.eld@ of human coneern ~nd
endeavor, will bdng the peo_ ple, by pr(l~nive steps, \.(I the thre shold of a new ~ tage of FOciety, without claues ana without a ~tate , and w;thou t any form. of eompulshm. As the victorious people ap. proach that now and higher IItagG . of society, all the represah:o feature" of t he stat.e will withe~ away and die out for lack of
functIon . The re will be no ell.SI to repress. All ";11 be f~1Wl Md equal. The It.te itsei! will wither SWfoy. The euvemment of men will be replaced by the .d· .ninl,trl.qon of thing •. -'I'M tranalllon period between capltalino aad sodalie.. will ...erle _ without allothe~ I"fl"GI •• lion &.lid withOllt _Ial eoa,,~l .. .. jorq; of an,. kind. but ampl,. b,. "an \nuot'able P~q of develop· ment - into the _i.liat -.tilt,..
That il the indicated line of social evolution in the United Statee, my f~itnd ~ _ speded up, al it will be, by a timely Third American Rlwolution" Th at 11 Amezoiea'B predestined road. We who see thBt, a.nd strive to heJop it alonlJ, feel power and victory on our Bide, for we a re in league -..ith t he future. In my opinion, to work for that fut\ll'e - with the lure knowledge that social eV'O\ntion i" woo:king wiUr U6 -
;$ the most Important. the mo.!!t
IInd the "'''''t satWying l)CCupation of all. The goal WIl ~trive for ;$ ,,"o'"thy of .. nfthing we do for it or p9~' for fierving it. in~pi~inJl
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Orooo .1 """'" UNNOOri Of MICHIGAN
LECTURE 6
What Sodalist Will Look We Marskt, <:OII~ei.e of !IOCI.I. ism, not a. III arbltrar,. KMm., er aocid,. to be (OIUItruded from • Pl'ffOacei ..ed pt. .., bot I. the aut of sod.l (volutiOlt. 'The precedlar five Je<,tllretl dealt
st.,.,
" 'ilk the .I!'QC')" for lJOciaU_ ... hick linelo.,. in "acceecllar .'a,!HO for!lult, understood aDd
cOJIlKi_Iy orl'a.. ized by the "'OillutiOllary ~rt}' _ the bl.is of • pro I •••• 11Ie aobJect of this lectUre - "Wh.t Sociali,,! Am.Hlu Will Look Like" _ ca ••;" U8 be· )'ond OIlr fonaal pros ...... Our mKllllllion tonight deala with the sod.Hst lOCiety it.elf, "'nick ",ill If1'OW out of the new oonditiona when the c1.aII , koggl., will have ~n carried to itA eon. elu sion - that is, to the abolition of claun and consequently of .n du.ll strug~es. Our preview of the sociall_t fKlciety. therefo"" i. Ilot " program for struggle, but .. fOfee",t of the linea of futUTe development already indicated in th e present. The IlNhitects and buildel'll of - the sociaJi. t aociety of the future will be the socialitt generatioDJI t1, em.elves, The great Mar.dste were quite SVI'e of this and ref rained from oUering these future lI'enerationl 1nl' Inatructlons or blueprint!!, Their writings, how. ever, do contain some marvelous f lashes of insight whieh light up the whole magnificent pel'llpeeth'e. The insight!! of th ese men
oJ tranlK'endent lIeniu8 will be the guiding l ine of my eXpoIIition tonirht. Auguste Blanqui, the great French revolutioni lt, ..id: "Tomorrow does not belong to us." We ought to admit that, and re· cognj~ at the same time that it is better 11<>. The people in the {utUM so.:Iety will be wiser than we are. We mUllt assume that tbey will be superior to lIB in every way, snd that they will know whalt to do Jar better than we can tell them. We can only anticipate and point out the ceneral dlreetion of developnient, and we should 1I0! try to do more. But that much we are duty bound to do; for the pro_peet of aoelaliem _ what the future !IOClalist Bodety will look like - la a question of Ja.sclnating Inta.·..~ and has a great Importance in modern propaganda. The new ~neration of youth who will come to our movement and dedicate. their liveR to It, will not be willing to squander their young courage and idealism on l ittle thinp and little aima. They will be govern~ by nothing leas than the inspiration of a great Ideal, the viijion of a new world, We are quite justified. therefore, in tracing $ome of the broad outlinea of probable future development; .11 the more so Binee the general dinICtion, if not the de· taib, can already be foreseen. In attempting an approximate
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of what life will be like run liP againn under lIOeiaiism, t he inadequacy of prnent-d.y llO(iety IUI • meullrina rod or buis of eomparison with the futllre. One must proJeet hh'llHlf. into a different world, where the main ill«'lltivelI and eompul,ions of p~$eDt.day aociety wl\l no longer be operative: where in time th
c:ompetiUon. pafll5 itism, etc., wW nnder any .\>Ch calculation obIIOlete. Our thought about th '\loo ture mUlt be f itted into the fra_ of the futlU"8. Even at the prwent .t••, of economic development, It' e'fery. body worked and then w.. lIO wute,. aniftl'Ml (Ou:r.hOUf day would undoubtedly be alo. t. proride abllnoU_ for all In the advanced countrie.. And onee u.. whole thought and enUaT of 110del, I. c:oncenttllted on the probo II'm of ill ereufng p~t.lrity, It il e&l! U, eoneeil'lble that a 1Ie'lll' Iclentlllc - teehnolOgkal - Indlllo trial rtl'ollltlon would IIOO!I rendel' a eompllbory product:l" wOl kl", dr., 01 f Ollr ltoww, th'roocttollt the' normal "f"tme of an facliridllll" 10 at..urdty llnn~ ' 11lry that it _uld be recoJ'lli&ed .. an fm,pooto lib!lity. All concepti ot the amount of ne.:e..ary labor required holll each lndhidual, band 01'1 ~lent: conditlonJ and praeti_. ""lat be abandoned In an y eeriftoDl attempt tu apPl'O&(h a ruliatic eWmate ot tll twe pl'Otl~t11 &lid poaaiblH. tiI!OI In thlt bute l ield. 'l'be labor nl!l,'U h,.,. to prodllee food, clodl-
!:!~a::~te:atr:m~~~
life In the n ew aociety
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be eo-
operati". IOcisl labor - 'Irith all t'<'tI'-lnerea.tng emphaafa on I.. b or-a ... in,. and aatomatic. laborelimlnlJ:tlnl' machinery, i _ tion, &lid Ilelt nWle diteovene., okIdp. eel to illCr FF M the rate of PM; ~. til'it7. . Thia tabor wU1 be ht.hl,. O!'. Mulled and tb~o.. diaciplIMd In the fnteralta 0( -dfielen.:7 1ft pl'Odltttlon. TItere e&ll be ~ aft.. .rehy In the eooperattno labar · prottu; h1It only Ireedvm fro. labor, to an eftr _lnCi .n ine ex. tent a. llelence and teo::hDoloCl' adft!lee pn;>ductil'ity .nd autoir..1lt1caIl7 t'edlIee the UIlount of
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labor till)e requh'ed from the In- per_abundance, the absurdity of dhidual. !tri~t wage regulation will become The progressive reduction- ot al!parent. Then the gold wiil be thill Jabor time l'!'qulred 01 each taken out of Fort Knox and p\lt individual will, in my opinion, to some more useful purpoee, if IIOOn render it impradical to eom- aueh ~an be found. PllU! this iltbor time on a daily, When pt!unt of each one'. share, any But after 8 ~ertajn period, when more than in the distribution of '!pere Is abulldanee and even eu- food at a well_supplied family ta-[67]
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ble! You don't keep book! .. to who eata how !MDY pancake!! for breakf.... t or bew many pi_ Gl bre ad l or d in ner, Nobody JTatia when the table 11 laden, It you have a guest, you don't uize the tint piece ot meat tor )'ouraelt; you pasa the plate a nd ask him tG help himsell fint, When you vilUalize soeiety 1.1 a .... rolning hoard" fin which there il pl enty lor 111, what purPOle would be served in keeping aCCOl,llIta of what .. &Ch one pta tG eat and to wear! There would be no need lor eompuiaifln or fordbl. allotment of material means_ "Wagea" will become I. term nf ob80lete aign itieane .., whioh only IIItudtnts of Ineient- hil tory will kn(lw about. "Spelki" « fran.l,... - I.id Trobky _ " I think It wODld be prelly dull_willed tu lueh I really "' __ ,
_We..
po'npetti1''' • 11 10111......
The ..thie 01 capitalism and It I
nu. mal pn'lCedlln!, of cou''', are quite different.. But don't ever, d\!at eomradee, ml.e the mistake of thinking that any thine eontrary to ita ru iN and Ita ethkB I. utopian, or vilionlry, or abIUrd. No. what'. absurd i. to think that th is madhou" is permanent and for all time. The .. thie of eap]taU,m is: "From each whate1ter )lilU can ~t out of him - to ..-ch whatever he ean grab." The dllilt !IO('iety of uni"en al abunda_ will be l"ejrulated bv a d if _ f erent standard . It will "inacribe on Ita bannel'll" - lI&id Marx _ "from eaeh" A«ord ing to. h i, abilIty - to eaeh according to hi, ne e1. " I speak no.. of the higher phaae of sociali.t 6odety, whleh BOme Manitt au~horitin prider to eaU commU!'llam. ITn the present IIOClety ))I!Ople are haunted by inserurity. Their mental health la lIndermlned by fear for their future and the fg. tore of their ehi1dren./ Th~y are
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, never free from fear that if something happen. , If they have a lickneu or an accident for ..hich they are not rel ponsible, the punI, hment will be ,,!sited upon their children; that their ehil,dren ..m be deprived of an education and proper food and clothing. Under lJUeh eortditions thia "human natu",," wh ich "We bear so much about, la Ilk. a plant tryin&, to flower in a dark cel1tr; it ",ally doesn't , et much eha!lee to I h01'l its true nature. its boundleu pc;tentialitle& In the soeial irt ~o ciety of IIhared abundanee, thi. nlghtma", will be lifted from the nllndl of the people. They will be ISftlIre and free from fear; and thil will .... or. a ~Iutlon in t~.elr attitude toward IUe and the!r enjoyment of it. Human na_ ture wi1\ ...t a ebanc!! to . ho,"" what it i, really ...... de of. The pr:esent diriaion of ~ety In to elasua, under ..hleh tbe have all the privilege. and the many are condemned tG poverty and inaec:urity, earriN with it a number of artificial and UlUlatUral di";lionl "Which dl'1orm the individual and prevent the all-around dt\lelopment of his penonality and hi. harn"lonloUl allOCiation with hi , k ind. Th~", i, t..'1e di vision bet ..... n .men·, work a nd women·, "Work, to say ""thinK of men'. righta IInd . women' s righ t•. There I1 the d iviai~ n of raee prejudice bety,·", A the N e~. a nd the whitea, which b erue tJy unjust to the former and degradi na- to OIe laUer, Ther. i. the di .. i.ion between manual and lnteiledu.al la""'" which produce. hall-mell on each aide. There i . the di'YilliOll between the city and the country, which I1 harmful to the inhabitants of both. nut clio'l, looa are IIot or_ ,dalaed for all tf.e, aa _ . PM-plt. ••, think, Tile, are the artl_
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'idal .... ocllld of du, --'ely alld '!\'I~rr da,. of the year lrudginl' ...iII Call ... itlo il. And a grnt fall to t h~ marht, eae h o~ loadin .. It ...m lie. her .eparale buket all(( IlIgcing Th e emaneipation of women it home 10 took thirty or forty wilt befrin in the ver y f int d.ya million different meal, f Dr thirty ot 1he· worken govel'11me.nt, .nd or fort~· mil!iDn diererent fam. very ·prt>bably win be fully corn. iliu. Wbat I. terrible W&ate of plett"r k, ao that women too 'Y8tem. The m... emergenee of ~an h.ve time and lellure for the toelali,t women frDl'll. the ~ultur:&.l adivitl' and the free confining ....11. of thoir indlYidual ehoice of oecup.l ion. Th.t will kit.chenl .... iII ~ the greateet jail impeMl.lively reqll.ire the " tab. break in h iltory _ and the JI'IOlt litih.ment of eommll.nal kitcltena, benefiunt. Women. liberated from J\ou S
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live communally, as many have found it advantag'eO\li, the,,'1l do that. and aimplify thinp still more. By this fo~ ...t I do not mean to dnrw a picture of "'!rimentalion. J,lIst the oppo$ite, for any kind of regimentation such u th.t imposed by the present !!Oclal order wiU be utterly l'9I'ug,iant to the free and independent citizena of the ao.cialillt f uture. They will live the way they want to live, and l:uch Individual _ within the limit!; of his &,eneral ooligation to soeiety '- will decide for hitnllelf. Better, in thia calle, ",y "herself' - for oldfash ioned ~actionarie8 who ig_ nOMnUy think they know what "woman's ,p laee" Is, will run up "1(ilinn the hard fact _ f or the f ir$t time since clas.a ao.ciety be· g.n - that women will have ,omething to aay about that, and wnat they will ny will "" plenty. 'What kind of homes will the JIe(Iple have under aoeialiam, what kind of home life! I don't know, lOnd neither does anyone else. But they will have the material means and the 'freedom of choiet! to work out thair Own pattern.ll. These two conditions, which are unlmo....n to the ~8t majority today, will open up limitless Vis. 1:16 {or convertin&, the ''home'' from .. pr""lem and a burden into a M!f·chosen way of life fOT the joy of livi ng. flames wlll 'not be desIgned by r eal_ estate promoters building for profit _ which is what the tn'eat bulk of "home building" amounts ' to tod .. y. The people will have what they want. Thp can afford to have it any way they want it. If some of them want a ,h ouse of their OWn i n the e<>untry, and if they want to have their cooldng and their hOU8e cleaning done on the prellent bu _
il, noh<>dy will stop them. But I , irnagillll they will evoke publio euriosity and quiuical ' gl.ne' •• · Paop!e will say : "They've got a perfect right to do that, but th., don't have to." . l!)very m"'n can have hil little houae aB he has il now, and hi, little wite ~ndi,,«, her whole lime cooking and cle.. ning f((f him _ providing he can find that; Jcind of a wife. But he will not be able to buy luch serviee, alld ' he'll be rather 6tupid to a,t' tor it. Most likely hil enlightened .....·eethe..rt will ten ' him: "Wake up, Bad; we're Ii.,_ Ing under _ialiMII. You''I'e Me-. reading that andeDt history again ..lid you''I'e a ..""Iatrla for th.e paN. You.''I'e got to brea1l: Y01l.l"\f!lf of thal habit. 1'. . .tudr · illt: aedielne,' and I ha'l'e no tt•• 10 be ~ .. _iAlt' up dut.. c..n upthe Community "."..,Iew.,. Senice:' I ",ust .. Iso break the neW!! to the S,..uthern ~racke" and theil' North')rn wusins, and other members of the Jim (;row fratemity, that onder. ltOCislism America will ·no 'hnger be "a white man'. countl-y.~ Jt will belong to the colon
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The Jim Crow gangster$ who . aition perioo ha... been pall8~d .trut around in Eelf _ utistied thou;:h, once all t he problems ignoranCf! as ~prepenutives oC of obundance and plenty have the " supeil'ior" race may have to be'"6 a great hunger deci$i~ role in th .. rf!volution, in and thirst fOr. beauty and har&llian r~ with the trade unions and mony in ail the aurroundiDglI of the rf!volutionary party; and in Iheir livea. T hl prosperit)-, authorities were emphatic on this freedom and equa.lity to glin. YOu point. The crowded 8lum.. and ea.n be t y!>ur b<>ots the Negr<.>e ' the is)lated, god-forsaken, farm will join the revolution t(l tight houus will be demolished at for t hlot - once it beeomea clear about Ihe .ame time. to them that it cann(lt be gained A new sdenee and n\<W art will ex<:ept by !,ence and art of batuH(lns of the revolution will city planning. There ia &eia1ism some of W(lID."'II. the e",andpation (If tlle Ihe be!t and mO>!t ea~r Btud_ N"'If~ ...ill beein ... ith the ent. in the universities will to,ke aho!(lllolte &lid unconditicmal aboll_ up the study of city planning, or every form of f:C(lnomic ' not for the profitable judaposi4illCri ..ination and dluckantal'e, tion of slums and fa.ctory smoke_ alld nroc~ from that t(l f .. n ,ta<:ks, but f or the c(lnstruction eq .. alily iD ' ,11 domain,e. of cities fit to live in. Art In the Race prejudice will vani. h with new l<.>eiety will undoubtedly be the ,nding (If the s<.>eial By.. tem . more coo~rati~, mOre '<.>eial. tha.t produeed >In
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of the ( uture aoc:it.li,t lodet,.. N!(erred 1111 • m.~r of course to the lIumef'01.l11 "Wondn Cltie," ..il ich had been r iv", poeUe n.me~ _ "Ardi,," "AIgard" and so on; Wonder Cltln cleligned f or beauty, for U!!.e of living, :01 attractiVf:nen t.o the ey e and to th whole Wi n",. Farm in&" of coune, will be reorgan iud li ke indul l ry on a la"", aeale. The. " ( Iory Ill'1'11 i , already in u il lenee 10 11 iat'g9 utellt in !.he West. Tens of thoun nds of &e ru In lingl e unih an! operated with modern lDachine methods an d lIoCientifie util_ Ization of the "",11 , f ar Ihe privata p rofit ot .b!!.ent~ owners. These !ae\ory famll .. Ill not be broken up. T MY will be tIIhn onl' and developed on a "nul' Kale. EvO'n_ tually th .... hole of agr Icul tural prodlletion ... ilI be «Induc ted on the basil of 1.ewry firms. The agricultural worker. will not live
In cultural backward ne.., in lonely. i!Mllated firm houlIu. T hey
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wm live In the 10"'n Ind work in the ~OIIntry, jUat la t h fac:tory worker will live in the coun_ try IIId work in t~ town. The separation betwu n m.nuII Ind in tell .... tua l I.OOr will be broken down. The di"i,io n be_ t'nen !OpI!eillliled kn o_ledge of • in g-Iv ~ ubje.: t. and ignorance 0. the r ut, which i. a charl cteristic feature of clpitali.m, w itl be r1imj nat~. The hal f-men, produc_ ed by tlleu artif iclll di\' isions, who know o!lly one thinK and Cln do only one thing, will give 'ilia,. to the whole men who ('an do lIlany thing. Ind know some_ thi ng about eve l')'th lng. There wilJ be I revolution in " 1'1. T!!e clan society, which aplib the populatlon into $ep_ arate Ind anta goniltic group. of thf privile.-ed and the deprived, . pli'- thepersonai ilr of the art-
ilt, too. A fev.· M'leeted people have the oppo rtunity to .tudy and practice an, rem ote frOm the life of the people. At the aame Ume, not thoo,uand ., but m illions of rhiJdren hive the Ipark of talent, or even of aeniUI, .nllfted Ollt before it hla a rhance to heeome a name. Cbll_ ilren of the poor, who l ike 10 c!",w ' a lready in ""hool, _ n ha ve to put all thOle ide.. 0111 of their m ind •. They un't afford to be drawlnt pictures. The,. Ji ave to learn IOme trade .... here t he,. ca n make a Hvlng, . nd forael about their Irti sti c a.piratlona. I n t he ne"" B()('ie\.i everybody will be In .rtist of IOrne 80rt or other, .nd every artist will be a worker. Educat ion will be for i n_ tellectual punui ll and m. nu.l ocou pa t ion I • im uItanOOUll)', f I"Onl childhood to old age. Ma n .... ot the eMph l tic opi nion that chil dren ~!'!ou ld ni'a,e In producti v. labor f rum the atre of nine, not . at tile upenle of his "edoca" tion" but u .n nun!i.\ part of it. From an tidy .lte, ehlldren ' " " \1 I"un to use tools . nd to make ,omNhin.- useful 1 0 the peon1e. Tile ~hi1d wm have the r"" - '.et!on of leaming by doinll', and the IIItilllclion of heinlt' Ullttul and pl"O
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There will be such a r@vonution whole raee of ·people enjOy"ing in the relation! or children and and expressing' all thoae things. parEnu .. we ean haMly" conI have a theory _ alrll.ln "eeive of in this monstl'(lU8 elan personal opiniOll and not a pro_ society of the preaent. Parenta ~ram _ that there, will be two otten think they have been en_ kinds /If Jabor under aodalism. - dowed by 10me mysterious super. All, without exception, will parnatllralpower with th@ rigflt to ticipate in the orgtnlzed producabuse and mistreat ·children. tive pr~es B, the ~ouree of the Primitive man never had such l"",pl~'s maintenance and aDunri@:hu, nenr dr@smed of aueh dance. But that will take up only · things. I t la only doe to the de_ a small amount of time, as algeneration wh ich followed the . ready indi~ated. Then, I villualize introduction of ·private pro~rty, anothH form of purely voluntary that the mistreatment of ehil- l&bor, unorpnized, an&ldtistie, dren and the double mi.treatment prac~iced as a means of artistic of women became the rul e. Prim_ self-expreuion, and t .reely given itive man in his natural state for the general gGOd or a. a never knew zucll thinga. And the service of friendship. • fumre soeiety will kn ow them Handi~raft.s, once the ba8i~ atill Iou. form of production, were virEYery ehild who has a tal,mt tuallY" wiped out by the devel. for muaie or drawing or IICIllpt- opment of capitalism because of ing or molding or writing - and their ~omparatlve inefficiency, th@re ia no such th1ntr .. a ehild and many of the old Blrills of without aame talent _ ean be_ t~ artisans hav@ been loat. The come an artist of one sort or cooperative machine pro c e sa , another. One who h .. an instinet which produced more things· fast. and feeling for words Can be- er and eaaler. eliminated h andi_ come . a writtr. T~re will be craft as 11 se rious f..etor in the poets who will glorify the great produ~~i"" process. and this prog_ thell'lC of human solidarity, and reuive historical development ean · they will not he starved and rid- never be revel'Md. leuled 11.", they are in thi s itrnor. But under socialism, where ant society. ~he poel$ will be mBchine industry will be develhonored, perhap~ above all, be- oped to the highest degree, pro-eause they luwe more insight due-in" even more abundantly" than any others. many times over than a t the AIl.slded cultur.ll developm~nt present stage of Ita deYelopment, und@r ~ialism will not be so me. I can foresee a revJval, a new &peeJal Irift or op~rtunity for flowe.ing of handicralt.s on a new favored individuals, but th@ h@r- basis. If th is is theoretii..lly inj~ of 11.11. Th@ 60Cialiat man admissible aa a Corm ef laOOr in ..m haye tlle most prkeless /If the socialist society, perhaps my 11.11 pou@ssions. He will have tim@. lpe<:ulfttive suggestion ean be He will lIave leisure. He will· considered under the heading of have tim~ and the · lMans to live. art. to
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not b~ content ruN'ely to Know what he reads ' in books, or to write bookll, or to co nIin e himself exclusively to any other purely intellectual o<:cupaticm. He will be train~ from childhood to use hiB hands pr do what he wan ts to do, what he likes to do. 1 should imagine that un der such conditions man, the toolus ing anima l, will a~sert himself once "ra il). There will be a re_ surgen<:e of free _lance cabinet makero, W-Qemak"n, hand tailors, book.binders, ele. These al"t;$ans of the tutU N! won't compete with mMhine indu!try _ t hat would be anachronis tica lly ahaurd _ but will ply t heir c raft~ as a speci al fonn of r ecreation and artistic self eapt'f:Bsion, and to make g ifts r or friend s. If tiley want tu do it tha t way, who;> is go;> ing to stop them? I n th~ pnu nt soci~l y \·u)' t~", get a chance to do the work they really want to do, and thueby they are deprived of life 's most solid ~atiabetion. "Blessed is he who has f ound hi . work," "aid Carlyle. But how man y a", ~ blessed ? MOlIt peOple do wh a t ,eem s bellt to m ake a livi ng. T hO!le who are able to choose their work, and to pe rsist in it at all cost.. , are very rare. Taking t he presen t soddy as it is, I penona Uy have had the work 1 wan~d, that I thought the time required, the O('eupa. tion I "'&3 made for _ that- of a protessionnl revolutlonlst. But in a socialist flociety, where the", will be no need and no roOm for soc ial struggles Or r evolufion, the lik es of me would have to f ind another trade. r have thought that under such cireumst&nces I
would be a cabinetmalter, IUI my grandfa ther was, a man who took pride in hi~ fine work with wood' and tool •. Ano ther would be a book+binder, another a shoemaker, another a t ailor _ the~ are a lot of f ine old erafta whic.h will challenl'lI the ingenious and the toolminded. Un~er socialism people will not f ear t o love their nelghbor lest t he y be taken advantage 01, nor be a a h a m e d of diJJin~rel!ted friendship, free from all self-int erut and ealeumtion. There will be )l(Iwer{ul impulses to give things to e&<:h other, and the only pOlI si ble way of giving' will be by doing, by making. There will be no chanee to "buy" a present for anybody _ beeauae nothing will be for !Ut.le; and besides. everybod y will be free to take anything he need!! from the !Juper-a'bundant general store of material things rolling Jrom the assembly lines. Preaenb, to mean anything, will have to be .. ade, outsiae the general proceu. I t hink they w!ll be, and !luch gift." will be really trell!!ured and dis_ played on IIP/leial 'oooasions. I imagine that when a ma.. gou to his wedding, he'll .... e.r • eoat of many colon, like J'oseph in the Bible, handmade for him by a friend who is an u;pert tailor, who has made it f or trim BII a service of love. On holidays, he'll we.r I. handm.de ahoe, molded \(0 his own.foot hy a friend who is • craftsman, who t aku pr ide in h is perfect work. And when he, in turn, wants to pre!lent a gift to • fri end, he will m.k~ it for him. Your house, the houu of the we!l-l't'gul ated family, will have as t he things it is 'Proude"! of, certain thinra apedally made for you by people who lib you, This easy chair made \(0 )'OIlr own
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• by y(mr f"';end ao.aoo · without the "g~ ttin&, ahead" phil_ 110. This hand.mortilS(!d hardwood 'ol101'hy of capitalism say ~ocial b'lO\ceaae made for you by -. iam would not ''work'' because eabinetmaker, as a pft. And pt'OJIle would have no inccnth·es. those picture. and decorationa on They really have a low opinion the walla _ they weroiled primcialist society, have been rt'bound itive societies before people knew In fsncy leatiler, by an old-fash. anything about pl'ivate ' property ioned book_binder, a real crafts- and special c1asl interests. The man. He doea this outside hh desire 10 be approved by one's general contribution to the eo-- associates will Ite a powerful inoperative labor pr~s, u a fonn centive. tn the new lIOciety the of ereati'Ve setf-expreuiO;>R and as mO l l useful peo;tple will be acan act of friendship. I think it c1aimll<:!, not the most "8u«.e$Swill be a great joy and aatiBlac- ful" in the bulllness of getting tion 10 be an upert craftsman ahead of otheM!: nol the rich exir.. the coming time. ploiwrs, the slick faken, the ly,Morality, wbich in class society ing politiciemi, and the gtlnerels Is either a hypocritical cover tor tamed for slaughter. material self-interest, or an u_ The youth will venerate herou capist withdrawal from the ha rsh of a new t~ - th,e lJCientift, l'
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e;eneral good of all: an d to their and l ee what California u like <'"operative atruggle to. ~omplete on Ill., 28"' day <.>f January, they w\1l never be the same apin. t he conquest of natu l'f'. The people will struggle co- And t he daring souls, the piooperatively _ and through the neers .... ho will find th is out, will -..rite letters back ' and t~ word competition of alternate plana _ to move mountains , to change ",ill paH, and the idu will grow the courae of rivers, to control up am ongst the people in the climate and to get t he full bene. fro~n North: "Why ahouldn'l fit of all its change s. They will we, w ith .11 our abundance _ we organ ize hul'''' migration9 with "",n afford it, w e have plenty the seaaons. 'Wh y aho'uld only the wby II'houl dn't we travel around birds have the r igh t to move and enjoy climate with · the leaSoo th when- it ~ts cold In the aona _ jUtt like the birds." North! The rich have already . The people will haY the lociel,. which permit" it.. day In tone year - even wben Havi ng conquered nature, havit's rain ing. ing IKllv~d the problems of matSome people wh(l have lived erial ellistence, having taken in a froat-bound place all Iheir care of the problem of health., lives tn (O.y continue for lom" t he a<)eialiAt man will begin fin _ yean, even under the n ...... so- ally - as TrotRkr foreo:ut in dety, jul!.t ·from tradition, habit hi$ briUi ant work Llteratal'l' and ar.d Ignorance. But onee you get Re'l'olution _ to st.udy, to know them t o e<Jme to the Land of t he and to conqu er himuU. The study Sundown Se. on a trial journey, and mastery of the hod)' and the [76]
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mind will bring the socialist man to ph)'ll!eal and mental harmony and perfection, to the realization in lif" of the old a!!pirlng motto: "a aound mind in a a
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• • and proNo I)eed for of paruitical .... hich represent s state and .... hich of the substance With of e1Use5 and thei r interests there will · be "polIties ," be_ eaUSe politic, I. use ntially an expression of the cial'! Itroggle; and no more partiu, as they are now known, for partlu are th e politieal· representatives of cia5lle1I. That is not to uy there won't ~ .differences · and heated debatu . Groupingfl, we must u_ IJIlme, will arise in the coune of t"hese diSJl'llte'!. But they will not be based on Jep.rate elan !ntereltS. They will be "parties" based on ditferencu of opinion as to what kind of an economic plan we Mould "have ; what great fl(:heme of hi~hway. should be developed; what system of edu. cation; what type of ~hitecture
for t!>e Wonder Cities. Differ. enee. on these, and numerous olher queftionl of pu~lic inter. {'at and general con.tern, .... ilI 'five the com~titive instinct. of the . peopl~ all k.inds of r oom for fN:e eJq)renion. Grouping$ will be formed and contend with each other for popular support w ithout "politics" or parties In the old ""'IUIe of clas. ab"\l&"&"le and the c"nflict of mate rial intuests. In the elaulen aociety of the futur
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to be ell')llained. in the ~Ialilt ~o<: iety because they wOllldn't know it otherwise. Trobky, in hia laM T~t. .- . written in anticipatiOll fill deal'" 1111<1: "Life ;a buotiful. Ld the foture ,eneratiOIlll dea_ It of all evil. oppreQion and "ioJeJM:e and enjoy It to the f ..II," J ..lt ponder thOll
In A. talk with Gorky, Lenin said the same thing in almost tlle 'lame word.: ~Our ideal la not to use force a,aiMI aDYone." It i. difficult for liB to COlDpnmend such a possibility, Urine In a IIOClety where eVeol1 the smallest ~hildren are taught th.. ~ they h:we to fight and scramble to prot ect Ihemaewu in a hOltile ..orld. We can hardly vi~ualize a world with<>ut violence, But that'. what socialism meanB. That was the ultimate meaning ot our far _ seeing teachers when t hey said tha t the slate will " 'ither away and eventually die oot. They me ant that eventually all violence of people against each other will wither away and ceaae to be. The people will tUrn their attention th en 10 that mo. t im_ portant problem of all the ' problem of the fr~ development of the human personality. Then hu man nature will berm to change, or rather, t o auert it!! reat se!!. People will ~ver some of the virtues of primitive society. w};lieh w&s based on solidarity and cOOperati on, and Impro"e them and develop them to " higher degree, Leiwre is the condition for all
cultural de""lopment. "The Glory that was Gl'eece," justly celebrated in son~ and story, was the first gn!B t _ confirmation of th is la.... Ancient Greeee, borro..ing from other civlliu.tion s, produeed the firs! truly cultured calli!. In SOme important respects it toueb. ed the highest pea'ks 01U' race ha. yet known; and in the Gold"" Age of Perieles it came to It. fullest flower. Its at!ainmenh In !iteratun!. the drs.ma, BCUlpture, arehitectun!, philosophy, in the j)egin'ling$ of &Cjen~ an.t in the gr~s snd amenities of civ!\lzed inten:ourse _ are the original lPattern fl"lm which Western civUiu.tion stem&. But that glorioul Gree« had a fatal flaw. It. leisure _ and thereof!>re its cultur. _ WN>I Jim_ ited to a very narrow stratum of pririleg-ed aristocrats. It lacked -the technological baais !'7f: 1>Jl1veraal lei sure and eulhu'e. The BOCiety of ancient Greece l'&I!ted . on a base of dehumanizM. alave labor. It was sUrf!>undM by a world of barb aris m, It was constantly embroiled In WIZ"S and eV'E!ntually went do'\1{ll in ruins, and nothing was left of it but what is Icutched on stone and preserved on parchment. A few ruins oC the marveloU6 scu~pture and arehitecture still stand to give an intimation of wlNlt w as knO'W11 and done twenty,t!ve hundred yean ago. Sodaltst aoeiety ..ill stand im_ lIIeaeurabl,. higher than daat or ancient Greece, e"ef\ in itll Golden Al'e. Machla~ alld sc~e will be Ihe slues, and they will be far .ore predllCtjve, a t"'gnd, tea Ihoa..nd t i _ more produc· tlve, th. . the h1lD.. . slav_ of ..cleat Gnee~. UM.er _ialiom. IU wm share ift the brufit. of ""mdanee, Rot l116"el1 a .f.'CH'fli fe .. at th e lop. AU tn. people
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""in hay. tIMe aNI oe _ure for . . e"H' ltiPer .....Iop..ent. All will be an\,I.&, All will be workera and atudentll, buildel'll and creatora. All 1II'i1I be free .ad equal.. Hum ... IOUdarll)' will ell_ eireit' the CioN and collquer it. and subordiro.~ It to the 1I1 e. of man. Th:!.t, my triencb, is not an Idll~ iQAXlllatlon. T"-t Is the Nal.l.Jtic per~ ..e of ollr I'"'at mOW!ment. We oorael.... are not privileged to live in the loei lllilt _ iety of the future, which lack London, in hb tar-reaching Hpiratloll, eaJ.led Ihe Golden FutlIre. It I1 our del tiny, here and now, 1(1 Iiv. in th e lime of the deny ud death agony ot caplt.li~ m. It ia our task t o wade tlIlouKh the blood a nd filth of this outmoded, dylnlr Iystem. Our lIIi... ion b to" du.,. It .,...,. Th.It b our _trucele, Olll law at life. We C&lInot be eltilens of the lloeia1J,t foture, ex~ept by antlel. pation. lIut i t J. precisely thb I'.ntiei,Uion, th i~ \'i~ion oC the
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future, that f ib 113 for our role Aa IoOldien ol·· the HYOlutiOll • .01_ dien of Ihe liberal!on war of hUma!lilr· And that. I think. I, the highest privile~e today. the ~a-tIoa most worth,. of a cl,,_ !Uud man. No m.tter whether we ~rsonally .ee the dawn ot _ialism .or not. M matter what our peraonai fete may be. the eAl;IM for ... hk:h . e fia:ht b" 1OCi.1 evolu tion on its . ide .nd II th e..e1'oH invincible, h wlU conquer Ind brinE' all mankind a new dlY. I t i. eoolla:b for 1lS. t thiDk. it we do our part to haalm on the d.,.. That's what we're bere for. That', all the ineentlve we need.. And the confidenee that we .... riwht aDd tha t fig!' c _ will p ....... JJ. Is an the reward '11', need. That', what the ~lIst poet, WiIliam M,nTis. had In mind . nen he called. III to
".Join in the onl,. b.atlle Wloerel:a n• • an can fail. For ..hoto fadeth .IId .Uetlt, Yet his dHd. sh,n .UII pre.,.il."
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