harman - how marxism works

8/17/2019 Harman - How Marxism Works

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How MarxismWorks

Chris Harman


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How Marxism Works -Chris Harman

First published May 1979Fifth edition published July 1997

Sixth edition published July 2000Bookmarks Publiations !td" #o 1 Bloomsbury Street" !ondon $%1B &'(" (n)landBookmarks" P* Box 1+0,-" %hia)o" .llinois +0+1+" /SBookmarks" P* Box &&," Sydney South" S$ 2000" ustralia

%opyri)ht Bookmarks Publiations !td

.SB 1 ,9,,7+ 27 3

4his online edition prepared by Mar e5man

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Contents

.ntrodution 7

1 $hy 5e need Marxist theory 9

2 /nderstandin) history 1-

& %lass stru))le 2-

3 %apitalism6ho5 the system be)an &1

- 4he labour theory of alue &9

+ (onomi risis 3-

7 4he 5orkin) lass -1

, 8o5 an soiety be han)ed --

9 8o5 do 5orkers beome reolutionary +-

10 4he reolutionary soialist party +9

11 .mperialism and national liberation 7&12 Marxism and feminism 79

1& Soialism and 5ar ,&

Further readin) ,7


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Introduction4here is a 5idespread myth that Marxism is diffiult: .t is a myth propa)ated by the enemies of

soialism ; former !abour leader 8arold $ilson boasted that he 5as neer able to )et beyond the

first pa)e of Marx


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Why we need Marxist theory$hat do 5e need theory for $e kno5 there is a risis: $e kno5 5e are bein) robbed by our

employers: $e kno5 5e


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Still others belieed the 5orkers ould ahiee their )oals by eonomi ation" 5ithout onfrontin)

the army and the polie: )ain" their ar)uments led to mass ations: .n (n)land in 1,32 the 5orld


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5ould automatially )et better:

related ie5 spoke not of han)in) all indiiduals" but a fe5 key ones ; those 5ho exerise

po5er in soiety: 4he idea 5as to try to make the rih and po5erful =see reason


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Understanding history.deas by themseles annot han)e soiety: 4his 5as one of Marx


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soiety" ho5 an anyone eer rise aboe soiety and see ho5 to han)e the onditionin)

mehanisms .s there some HodEordained minority that is ma)ially immune to the pressures that

dominate eeryone else .f 5e are all animals in the irus" 5ho an be the lion tamer

4hose 5ho hold this theory either end up sayin) soiety annot han)e Klike the naked apersL or

they beliee han)e is produed by somethin) outside soiety ; by Hod" or a =)reat man


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4he physial differenes bet5een men of the uri)naian and Ma)dalenian ultures K2-"000 yearsa)oL on the one hand" and present day men on the other is ne)li)ible" 5hile the ultural differene isimmeasurable:

By =ulture< the arhaeolo)ist means the thin)s 5hih men and 5omen learn and teah one another

Kho5 to make lothes from furs or 5ool" ho5 to make pots out of lay" ho5 to make fire" ho5 to

build homes" and so forthL as opposed to those thin)s that animals kno5 instintiely:

4he lies of the earliest humans 5ere already astly different from those of other animals: For they5ere able to use the physial features peuliar to humans ; lar)e brains" forelimbs apable of

manipulatin) obAets ; to be)in to shape their surroundin)s to suit their needs: 4his meant humans

ould adapt themseles to a 5ide ran)e of different onditions" 5ithout any han)e in their physial

make up: 8umans no lon)er simply reated to onditions around them: 4hey ould at upon those

onditions" be)innin) to han)e them to their o5n adanta)e:

t first they used stiks and stones to attak 5ild beasts" they lit torhes from naturally ourrin)

fires to proide themseles 5ith heat and li)ht" they oered themseles 5ith e)etation and animal

skins: *er many tens of thousands of years they learnt to make fire themseles" to shape stones

usin) other stones" eentually to )ro5 food from seeds they themseles had planted" to store it in

pots made out of lay" and to domestiate ertain animals:

%omparatiely reently ; a mere -"000 years a)o" out of half a million years of human history ;

they learnt the seret of turnin) ores into metals that ould be shaped into reliable tools and

effetie 5eapons:

(ah of these adanes had an enormous impat" not merely in makin) it easier for humans to feed

and lothe themseles" but also in transformin) the ery or)anisation of human life itself: From the

be)innin) human life 5as soial: *nly the Aoint efforts of seeral humans ould enable them to kill

the beasts" to )ather the food and keep the fires )oin): 4hey had to ooperate:

4his ontinual lose ooperation also aused them to ommuniate" by utterin) sounds and

deelopin) lan)ua)es: t first the soial )roups 5ere simple: 4here 5as not enou)h naturally

)ro5in) produe any5here to support )roups of humans more than perhaps a ouple of doGen

stron): ll effort had to be put into the basi tasks of )ettin) the food" so eeryone did the same Aob

and lied the same sort of life:

$ith no means of storin) any ?uantities of food" there ould be no priate property or lass

diisions" nor 5as there any booty to produe a motie for 5ar:

4here 5ere" until a fe5 years a)o" still hundreds of soieties in many different parts of the )lobe

5here this 5as still the pattern ; amon) some of the .ndians of orth and South meria" some of

the peoples of (?uatorial fria and the Paifi *ean" the bori)ines of ustralia:

ot that these people 5ere less leer than ourseles or had a more =primitie mentality

ustralian tribes kno5 the habits" markin)s" breedin) )rounds and seasonal flutuations of all the

edible animals" fish and birds of their huntin) )rounds: 4hey kno5 the external and some of the lessobious properties of roks" stones" 5axes" )ums" plants" fibres and barks they kno5 ho5 to makefire they kno5 ho5 to apply heat to reliee pain" stop bleedin) and delay the putrefation of freshfood and they also use fire and heat to harden some 5oods and soften others 4hey kno5somethin) at least of the phases of the moon" the moement of the tides" the planetary yles" and these?uene and duration of the seasons they hae orrelated to)ether suh limati flutuations as

5ind systems" annual patterns of humidity and temperature and fluxes in the )ro5th and presene of natural speies .n addition they make intelli)ent and eonomial use of the byEproduts of animals

killed for food the flesh of the kan)aroo is eaten the le) bones are used as fabriators for stone toolsand as pins the sine5s beome spear bindin)s the la5s are set into neklaes 5ith 5ax and fibrethe fat is ombined 5ith red ohre as a osmeti" and blood is mixed 5ith haroal as paint::: 4hey


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hae some kno5led)e of simple mehanial priniples and 5ill trim a boomeran) a)ain and a)ain to)ie it the orret ure:::

4hey 5ere muh more =leer< than us in dealin) 5ith the problems of suriin) in the ustralian

desert: $hat they had not learnt 5as to plant seeds and )ro5 their o5n food ; somethin) our o5n

anestors learnt only about -"000 years a)o" after bein) on the (arth for 100 times that period:

4he deelopment of ne5 tehni?ues of produin) 5ealth ; the means of human life ; has al5ays

)ien birth to ne5 forms of ooperation bet5een humans" to ne$ social relations.

For example" 5hen people first learnt to )ro5 their o5n food Kby plantin) seeds and domestiatin)

animalsL and to store it Kin earthen5are potsL there 5as a omplete reolution in soial life ; alled

by arhaeolo)ists =the neolithi reolution some 5ould speialise in makin) pots" some

in minin) flints and later metal for tools and 5eapons" some in arryin) throu)h elementary

administratie tasks for the settlement as a 5hole: More ominously" the stored surplus of food

proided a motie for 5ar:

People had be)un by disoerin) ne5 5ays of dealin) 5ith the 5orld around them" or harnessin)

nature to their needs: But in the proess" 5ithout intendin) it" they had transformed the soiety in

5hih they lied and 5ith it their o5n lies: Marx summed up this proess> a deelopment of the

=fores of prodution< han)ed the =relations of prodution< and" throu)h them" soiety:

4here are many more reent examples: Some &00 years a)o the ast maAority of people in this

ountry still lied on the land" produin) food by tehni?ues that had not han)ed for enturies:

4heir mental horiGon 5as bounded by the loal illa)e and their ideas ery muh influened by the

loal hurh: 4he ast maAority did not need to read and 5rite" and neer learned to:

4hen" 200 years a)o" industry be)an to deelop: 4ens of thousands of people 5ere dra5n into thefatories: 4heir lies under5ent a omplete transformation: o5 they lied in )reat to5ns" not

small illa)es: 4hey needed to learn skills undreamt of by their anestors" inludin) eentually the

ability to read and 5rite: ail5ays and steamships made it possible to trael aross half the (arth:

4he old ideas hammered into their heads by the priests no lon)er fitted at all: 4he material

reolution in prodution 5as also a reolution in the 5ay they lied and in the ideas they had:

Similar han)es are still affetin) ast numbers of people: !ook at the 5ay people from illa)es in

Ban)ladesh or 4urkey hae been dra5n to the fatories of (n)land or Hermany seekin) 5ork: !ook

at the 5ay many find that their old ustoms and reli)ious attitudes no lon)er fit:

*r look at the 5ay in the past -0 years the maAority of 5omen hae )ot used to 5orkin) outside the

home and ho5 this has led them to hallen)e the old attitude that they 5ere irtually the property of their husbands:

%han)es in the 5ay humans 5ork to)ether to produe the thin)s that feed" lothe and shelter them

ause han)es in the 5ay in 5hih soiety is or)anised and the attitude of people in it: 4his is the

seret of soial han)e ; of history ; that the thinkers before Marx Kand many sineL" the i!ealists

and the mechanical materialists# ould not understand:

4he idealists sa5 there 5as han)e ; but said it must ome out of the skies: 4he mehanial

materialists sa5 that humans 5ere onditioned by the material 5orld but ould not understand ho5

thin)s ould eer han)e: $hat Marx sa5 5as that human bein)s are onditioned by the 5orld

around them" but that they reat bak upon the 5orld" 5orkin) on it so as to make it more habitable:

But in doin) so they han)e the onditions under 5hih they lie and therefore themseles as 5ell:


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4he key to understandin) han)e in soiety lies in understandin) ho5 human bein)s ope 5ith the

problem of reatin) their food" shelter and lothin): 4hat 5as Marx


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Class struggle$e lie in a soiety that is diided into lasses" in 5hih a fe5 people hae ast amounts of priate

property" and most of us hae irtually none: aturally" 5e tend to take it for )ranted that thin)s

hae al5ays been like this: But in fat" for the )reater part of human history" there 5ere no lasses"

no priate property" and no armies or polie: 4his 5as the situation durin) the half a million years of human deelopment up to -"000 or 10"000 years a)o:

/ntil more food ould be produed by one person


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.t 5as not Aust the first han)e from purely a)riultural soieties to soieties of to5ns and ities that

)ae rise" neessarily" to ne5 lass diisions: 4he same proess 5as repeated eery time ne5 5ays

of produin) 5ealth be)an to deelop:

So" in Britain 1"000 years a)o" the rulin) lass 5as made up of feudal barons 5ho ontrolled the

land and lied off the baks of the serfs: But as trade be)an to deelop on a bi) sale" there )re5 up

alon)side them in the ities a ne5 priile)ed lass of 5ealthy merhants: nd 5hen industry be)an

to deelop on a substantial sale" their po5er in turn 5as disputed by the o5ners of industrialenterprises:

t eah sta)e in the deelopment of soiety there 5as an oppressed lass 5hose physial labour

reated the 5ealth" and a rulin) lass 5ho ontrolled that 5ealth: But as soiety deeloped both the

oppressed and the oppressors under5ent han)es:

.n the sla"e soiety of nient ome the slaes 5ere the personal property of the rulin) lass: 4he

slae o5ner o5ned the )oods produed by the slae beause he o5ned the slae" in exatly the

same 5ay as he o5ned the milk produed by a o5 beause he o5ned the o5:

.n the feu!al soiety of the Middle )es the serfs had their o5n land" and o5ned 5hat 5as

produed from it but in return for hain) this land they had to do a number of days 5ork eery year on the land o5ned by the feudal lord: 4heir time 5ould be diided ; perhaps half their time they

5ould be 5orkin) for the lord" half the time for themseles: .f they refused to do 5ork for the lord"

he 5as entitled to punish them Kthrou)h flo))in)" imprisonment or 5orseL:

.n modern capitalist soiety the boss does not physially o5n the 5orker nor is he entitled to

physially punish a 5orker 5ho refuses to do unpaid 5ork for him: But the boss does o5n the

fatories 5here the 5orker has to )et a Aob if he or she 5ants to keep alie: So it is fairly easy for

him to fore the 5orker to put up 5ith a 5a)e 5hih is muh less than the alue of the )oods the

5orker makes in the fatory:

.n eah ase the oppressin) lass )ets ontrol of all the 5ealth that is left oer one the most

elementary needs of the 5orkers hae been met: 4he slae o5ner 5ants to keep his property in a)ood ondition" so he feeds his slae in exatly the same 5ay as you mi)ht oil your ar: But

eerythin) surplus to the physial needs of the slae" the o5ner uses for his o5n enAoyment: 4he

feudal serf has to feed and lothe himself 5ith the 5ork he puts in on his o5n bit of land: ll the

extra labour he puts in on the lord


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possible to find soieties in 5hih this 5as still so: Many of the tasks done by the state in our

soiety 5ere simply done informally by the 5hole population" or by meetin)s of representaties:

Suh meetin)s 5ould Aud)e the behaiour of any indiidual 5ho 5as onsidered to hae broken an

important soial rule: Punishment 5ould be applied by the 5hole ommunity ; for instane by

forin) misreants to leae: Sine eeryone 5as a)reed on the neessary punishment" separate

polie 5ere not needed to put it into effet: .f 5arfare ourred all the youn) men 5ould take part"

under leaders hosen for the oasion" a)ain 5ithout any separate army struture:

But one you had a soiety in 5hih a minority had ontrol oer most of the 5ealth" these simple

5ays of keepin) =la5 and order< and or)anisin) 5arfare ould no lon)er 5ork: ny meetin) of

representaties or any )atherin) of the armed youn) men 5ould be likely to split alon) lass lines:

4he priile)ed )roup ould only surie if it be)an to monopolise in its o5n hands the makin) and

implementation of punishments" la5s" the or)anisation of armies" the prodution of 5eapons: So the

separation into lasses 5as aompanied by the )ro5th of )roups of Aud)es" poliemen and seret

poliemen" )enerals" bureaurats ; all of 5hom 5ere )ien part of the 5ealth in the hands of the

priile)ed lass in return for protetin) its rule:

4hose 5ho sered in the ranks of this =state< 5ere trained to obey 5ithout hesitation the orders of their =superiors< and 5ere ut off from all normal soial ties 5ith the exploited mass of people: 4he

state deeloped as a killin) mahine in the hands of the priile)ed lass: nd a hi)hly effetie

mahine it ould be:

*f ourse" the )enerals 5ho ran this mahine often fell out 5ith a partiular emperor or kin)" and

tried to put themseles in his plae: 4he rulin) lass" hain) armed a monster" ould often not

ontrol it: But sine the 5ealth needed to keep the killin) mahine runnin) ame from the

exploitation of the 5orkin) masses" eery suh reolt 5ould be follo5ed by ontinuation of soiety

alon) the old lines:

4hrou)hout history people 5ho hae really 5anted to han)e soiety for the better hae found

themseles up a)ainst not Aust the priile)ed lass" but also an armed mahine" a state" that seres itsinterest:

ulin) lasses" to)ether 5ith the priests" )enerals" poliemen and le)al systems that baked them

up" all )re5 up in the first plae beause 5ithout them iilisation ould not deelop: But one they

are established in po5er" they ome to hae an interest in hinderin) the further deelopment of

iilisation: 4heir po5er is dependent upon their ability to fore those 5ho produe 5ealth to hand

it oer to them: 4hey beome 5ary of ne5 5ays of produin) 5ealth" een if more effiient than

the old" lest ontrol esape from their hands:

4hey fear anythin) that ould lead to the exploited masses deelopin) initiatie and independene:

nd they also fear the )ro5th of ne5 priile)ed )roups 5ith enou)h 5ealth to be able to pay for

arms and armies of their o5n: Beyond a ertain point" instead of aidin) the deelopment of prodution" they be)an to hinder it:

For example" in the %hinese (mpire" the po5er of the rulin) lass rested upon its o5nership of the

land and its ontrol oer the anals and dams that 5ere neessary for irri)ation and to aoid floods:

4his ontrol laid the basis for a iilisation that lasted some 2"000 years: But at the end of this

period prodution 5as not muh more adaned than at the be)innin) ; despite the flourishin) of

%hinese art" the disoery of printin) and )unpo5der" all at a time 5hen (urope 5as stuk in the

Dark )es:

4he reason 5as that 5hen ne5 forms of prodution did be)in to deelop" it 5as in to5ns" throu)h

the initiatie of merhants and raftsmen: 4he rulin) lass feared this )ro5th in po5er of a soial

)roupin) that 5as not ompletely under its ontrol: So periodially the imperial authorities took harsh measures to rush the )ro5in) eonomies of the to5ns" to drie prodution do5n" and to

d t th f th i l l


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4he )ro5th of ne$ forces of pro!uction ) of ne5 5ays of produin) 5ealth ; lashed 5ith the

interests of the old rulin) lass: stru))le deeloped" the outome of 5hih determined the 5hole

future of soiety:

Sometimes the outome" as in %hina" 5as that ne5 forms of prodution 5ere preented from

emer)in)" and soiety remained more or less sta)nant for ery lon) periods of time:

Sometimes" as in the oman (mpire" the inability of ne5 forms of prodution to deelop meant thateentually there 5as no lon)er enou)h 5ealth bein) produed to maintain soiety on its old basis:

%iilisation ollapsed" the ities 5ere destroyed and people reerted to a rude" a)riultural form of

soiety:

Sometimes a ne5 lass" based upon a ne5 form of prodution" 5as able to or)anise to 5eaken and

finally oerthro5 the old rulin) lass" to)ether 5ith its le)al system" its armies" its ideolo)y" its

reli)ion: 4hen soiety ould )o for5ard:

.n eah ase 5hether soiety 5ent for5ards or bak5ards depended on 5ho 5on the 5ar bet5een

the lasses: nd" as in any 5ar" itory 5as not ordained in adane" but depended on the

or)anisation" ohesion and leadership of the rial lasses:

.n print edition" the aboe lines appear on pa)es 2-E&0:


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Capitalism – how the systembegan*ne of the most ludirous ar)uments you hear is that thin)s ould not be different to the 5ay theyare no5: et thin)s 5ere different: nd not on some distant part of the )lobe" but in this ountry" not

so lon) a)o: mere 2-0 years a)o people 5ould hae re)arded you as a lunati if you had

desribed to them the 5orld 5e lie in no5" 5ith its hu)e ities" its )reat fatories" its aeroplanes" its

spae expeditions ; een its rail5ay systems 5ere beyond the bounds of their ima)ination:

For they lied in a soiety 5hih 5as oer5helmin)ly rural" in 5hih most people had neer

traelled ten miles outside their loal illa)e" in 5hih the pattern of life 5as determined" as it had

been for thousands of years" by the alternation of the seasons:

But already" 700 or ,00 years a)o" a deelopment had be)un 5hih 5as eentually to hallen)e this

5hole system of soiety: Hroups of raftsmen and traders be)an to establish themseles in to5ns"

not )iin) their series for nothin) to some lord as the rest of the population did" but exhan)in) produts 5ith arious lords and serfs for foodstuffs: .nreasin)ly they used preious metals as a

measure of that exhan)e: .t 5as not a bi) step to seein) in eery at of exhan)e an opportunity to

)et a little extra of the preious metal" to make a profit:

t first the to5ns ould only surie by playin) one lord off a)ainst another: But as the skills of

their raftsmen improed" they reated more 5ealth" and they )re5 in influene: 4he =bur)hers


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.n a 5ord" they 5anted to re"olutionise soiety: 4heir lashes 5ith the old order 5ere not only

eonomi" but also ideolo)ial and politial: .deolo)ial hiefly meant reli)ious" in an illiterate

soiety 5here the hief soure of )eneral ideas about soiety 5as hurh preahin):

Sine the medieal hurh 5as run by bishops and abbots 5ho 5ere feudal lords in their o5n ri)ht"

it propa)ated proEfeudal ie5s: attakin) as =sinful< many of the praties of the urban bour)eoisie:

So in Hermany" 8olland" Britain and Frane in the 1+th and 17th enturies the middle lasses ralliedto a reli)ion of their o5n> Protestantism ; a reli)ious ideolo)y that preahed thrift" sobriety" hard

5ork Kespeially for the 5orkers@L and the independene of the middle lass on)re)ation from the

po5er of bishops and abbots:

4he middle lass reated a Hod in their ima)e" in opposition to the Hod of the Middle )es:

4oday 5e are told at shool or on teleision about the )reat reli)ious 5ars and iil 5ars of that

period as if they 5ere Aust about reli)ious differenes" as if people 5ere daft enou)h to fi)ht and die

merely beause they disa)reed oer the role of the blood and body of %hrist in the 8oly

%ommunion: But muh more 5as at stake ; the lash bet5een t5o ompletely different forms of

soiety" based upon t5o different 5ays of or)anisin) the prodution of 5ealth:

.n Britain the bour)eoisie 5on: 8orrifi as it must seem to our sent rulin) lass" their anestorsonserated their po5er by tin) off a kin)


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pass a suession of (nlosure ts" 5hih droe peasants a5ay from their o5n means of

prodution" the land 5hih they had ultiated for enturies: 4he land beame the property of a

setion of the apitalist lass and the mass of the rural population 5ere fored to sell their labour to

apitalists or stare:

*ne apitalism had ahieed this monopoly of the means of prodution" it ould afford to let the

mass of the population enAoy apparent freedom and e?uality of politial ri)hts 5ith the apitalists:

For ho5eer =free< the 5orkers 5ere" they still had to 5ork for a liin):

ProEapitalist eonomists hae a simple explanation of 5hat then happens: 4hey say that by payin)

5a)es the apitalist buys the labour of the 5orker: 8e must pay a fair prie for it: *ther5ise the

5orker 5ill )o and 5ork for someone else: 4he apitalist )ies a =fair day


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4he differene )oes into the poket of the apitalist: Marx alled it =surplus alue


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the eduational system:

.n pratie" somethin) else matters as 5ell ; 5hat the 5orker thinks is a =deent 5a)e


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The labour theory of alueBut mahinery" apital" produes )oods as 5ell as labour: .f so" it 5here does apital ome from 8o5 did the means of prodution ome into existene in the

first plae

4he ans5er is not diffiult to find: (erythin) people hae used historially to reate 5ealth ;

5hether a eolithi stone axe or a modern omputer ; one had to be made by human labour: (en

if the axe 5as shaped 5ith tools" the tools in turn 5ere the produt of preious labour:

4hat is 5hy Iarl Marx used to refer to the means of prodution as =dead labour


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*f ourse" not eeryone produes as muh 5ith their labour in a )ien time as eeryone else: .f . set

out" for instane" to make a table" . mi)ht take fie or six times as lon) as a skilled arpenter: But no

one in their ri)ht mind 5ould re)ard 5hat . had made as fie or six times as aluable as a table

made by a skilled arpenter: 4hey 5ould estimate its alue aordin) to ho5 muh of the

arpenter


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Stran)e as it may seem today" plaes suh as *ldham" 8alifax and Bin)ley 5ere the home of

mirales: 8umanity had neer before seen so muh ra5 otton and 5ool turned so ?uikly into

loth to lothe millions: 4his did not happen beause of any speial irtues possessed by the

apitalists: 4hey 5ere al5ays rather noxious people" obsessed only 5ith )ettin) 5ealth into their

o5n hands by payin) as little as possible for the labour they used:

Many preious rulin) lasses had been like them in this respet $ithout buildin) up industry: But

the apitalists 5ere different in t5o important respets:

4he first 5e hae dealt 5ith ; that they did not o5n 5orkers" instead payin) them by the hour for

their ability to 5ork" their labour po5er: 4hey used 5a)e slaes" not slaes: Seondly" they did not

themseles onsume the )oods their 5orkers produed: 4he feudal landlord lied diretly from the

meat" bread" heese and 5ine produed by his serfs: But the apitalist lied by sellin) to other

people the )oods produed by 5orkers:

4his )ae the indiidual apitalist less freedom to behae as he pleased than the indiidual slae

o5ner or feudal lord had: 4o sell )oods" the apitalist had to produe them as heaply as possible:

4he apitalist o5ned the fatory and 5as allEpo5erful 5ithin it: But he ould not use his po5er as

he 5ished: 8e had to bo5 do5n before the demands of ompetition 5ith other fatories:

!et


25/48

4he ompulsie drie for apitalists to aumulate in ompetition 5ith one another explains the

)reat rush for5ard of industry in the early years of the system: But somethin) else resulted a 5ell ;

repeated eonomi risis: %risis is not ne5: .t is as old as the system itself:

.n print edition" the aboe lines appear on pa)es &9E33:


26/48

!conomic crisis4he aumulation of 5ealth on the one hand" of poerty on the other:

4hat 5as ho5 Marx summed up the trend of apitalism: (ery apitalist fears ompetition from

eery other" so he 5orks his employees as hard as possible" payin) 5a)es as lo5 as he an )et a5ay

5ith:

4he result is a disproportion bet5een the massie )ro5th of means of prodution on the one hand"

and the limited )ro5th in 5a)es and the number of 5orkers employed on the other: 4his" Marx

insisted" 5as the basi ause of eonomi risis:

4he easiest 5ay to look at this is to ask> 5ho buys the )reatly expandin) ?uantity of )oods 4he

lo5 5a)es of the 5orkers mean they annot afford the )oods produed by their o5n labour: nd the

apitalists annot inrease 5a)es" beause that 5ould be to destroy profit" the driin) fore of the

system:

But if firms annot sell the )oods they produe" they hae to shut do5n fatories and sak 5orkers:

4he total amount of 5a)es then falls still more" and yet more firms annot sell their )oods: =risisof oerprodution< sets in" 5ith )oods pilin) up throu)hout the eonomy that people annot afford

to buy:

4his has been a reurrent feature of apitalist soiety for the past 1+0 years:

But any ?uikE5itted apolo)ist for the system 5ill soon point out that there should be an easy 5ay

out of the risis: ll that


27/48

%apitalism reates these rises of oerprodution perio!ically beause there is no plannin)" so

there


28/48

polo)ists for the system say this is beause inestment is not hi)h enou)h: $ithout ne5

inestment there are no ne5 Aobs" 5ithout ne5 Aobs there


29/48

The working classMarx be)an The Communist Manifesto 5ith the statement" =4he history of all hitherto existin)

soieties has been the history of lass stru))les:<

4he ?uestion of ho5 the rulin) lass 5as to fore the oppressed lass to keep produin) 5ealth for

it 5as ruial: Beause of this" in eery preious soiety" there had been enormous stru))les

bet5een the lasses 5hih often ulminated in iil 5ar ; the slae uprisin)s in nient ome" the

peasant uprisin)s in medieal (urope" the )reat iil 5ars and reolutions of the 17th and 1,th

enturies:

.n all of these )reat stru))les" the mass of the insur)ent fores 5ere from the most oppressed setion

of soiety: But" as Marx hastened to add" at the end of the day all their efforts sered only to replae

one priile)ed rulin) minority 5ith another: So" for example" in nient %hina there 5ere seeral

suessful peasant reolts ; but they merely replaed one emperor 5ith another: Similarly" those

5ho made the )reatest effort in the Frenh eolution 5ere the =bras nus< ; the poorer lasses of

Paris" but at the end of the day soiety 5as ruled not by them but by bankers and industrialists

instead of the kin) and ourtiers:

4here 5ere t5o main reasons for this failure of the lo5er lasses to keep ontrol of the reolutions

in 5hih they fou)ht:

Firstly" the )eneral leel of 5ealth in soiety 5as fairly lo5: .t 5as only beause the ast mass of

people 5ere kept in abysmal poerty that a small minority had time and leisure to deelop the arts

and sienes to maintain iilisation: .n other 5ords" lass diision 5as neessary if soiety 5as to

pro)ress:

Seondly" the life of the oppressed lasses did not prepare them to run soiety: By and lar)e they

5ere illiterate" they had little idea of 5hat thin)s 5ere like outside their o5n immediate loality"

and" aboe all" their eeryday life diided eah of them a)ainst the other: (ah peasant 5asonerned 5ith ultiatin) his o5n plot of land: (ah raftsman in the to5n ran his o5n small

business and 5as to some extent in ompetition 5ith other raftsmen" not united 5ith them:

Peasant reolts 5ould start 5ith ast numbers of people risin) up to diide the land of the loal

feudal lords" but one the lord 5as defeated they 5ould fall to s?uabblin) amon) themseles about

ho5 they 5ould diide the land: s Marx put it" peasants 5ere like =potatoes in a sak


30/48

Furthermore" apitalism tends inreasin)ly to turn )roups of people 5ho thou)ht of themseles as a

=ut aboe< ordinary 5orkers Ksuh as lerks or tehniiansL into 5a)e labourers 5ho are fored to

or)anise unions and so on as other 5orkers do:

!astly" the deelopment of ommuniations ; rail5ays" roads" air transport" postal systems"

telephones" radio and teleision ; allo5s 5orkers to ommuniate outside their o5n loality or

industry: 4hey an or)anise as a lass on a national and international sale ; somethin) beyond the

5ildest dreams of preious oppressed lasses:

ll these fats mean that the 5orkin) lass an not only be a fore 5hih rebels a)ainst existin)

soiety" but an or)anise itself" Keletin) and ontrollin) its o5n representaties" so as to han)e

soiety in its o5n interest" and not Aust to set up yet another emperor or )roup of bankers: s Iarl

Marx put it>

ll preious historial moements 5ere moements of minorities in the interests of minorities: 4he proletarian moement is the selfEonsious independent moement of the immense maAority in theinterests of the immense maAority:

.n print edition" the aboe lines appear on pa)es -1E-&:


31/48

How can society be changed".n Britain the oer5helmin) maAority of soialists and trade unionists hae )enerally ar)ued that

soiety an be transformed $ithout iolent reolution: ll that is needed" they say" is for soialists to

5in enou)h popular support to )ain ontrol of the =traditional< politial institutions ; parliament and

the loal ounils: 4hen soialists 5ill be in a position to han)e soiety by )ettin) the existin) state ; the iil serie" the Audiiary" the polie" the armed fores ; to enfore la5s to urtail the po5er

of the employin) lass:

.n this 5ay" it has been laimed" soialism an be introdued gra!ually and 5ithout iolene" by

reformin) the present set up:

4his ie5 is usually referred to as =reformism


32/48

4he seond reason apitalism annot be reformed is that the existin) state mahine is not =neutral

)eneral ; bri)adier ; olonel ; lieutenant ; %* ; priate: t no sta)e in that hain of ommand doeleted representaties ; MPs or loal ounillors ; )et a look in: .t is Aust as muh an at of mutiny

for a )roup of priates to obey their loal MP rather than the offier: 4he army is a massie killing

machine. 4he people 5ho run it ; and hae the po5er to promote other soldiers into ommandin)

positions ; are the )enerals:

*f ourse" in theory the )enerals are responsible to the eleted )oernment: But soldiers are trained

to obey )enerals" not politiians: .f )enerals hoose to )ie orders to their soldiers 5hih are at

ariane 5ith the 5ishes of an eleted )oernment" the )oernment annot ountermand those

orders: .t an only try to persuade the )enerals to han)e their minds" K#the )oernment kno5s the

sorts of orders that are bein) )ien ; beause military affairs are inariably seret" it is ery easy for

)enerals to hide 5hat they are doin) from )oernments they don


33/48

Do you think these people are )oin) to obey )oernment orders to take eonomi po5er a5ay from

their friends and relaties in bi) business" Aust beause &&0 people 5alk into a lobby in the 8ouse of

%ommons $ould they not be muh more likely to opy the example of the %hilean )enerals"

Aud)es and senior iil serants" 5ho sabota)ed the )oernment


34/48

4he third reason 5hy reformism is a dead end is that parliamentary =demoray< ontains inbuilt

mehanisms for preentin) any reolutionary moement findin) expression throu)h it:

Some reformists ar)ue that the best 5ay to take on the po5er of those 5ho ontrol the key positions

in the state mahine is for the left to obtain a maAority in parliament first: 4his ar)ument falls

beause parliaments al5ays understate the leel of reolutionary onsiousness of the mass of the

population:

4he mass of the people 5ill only beliee that they themseles an run soiety 5hen they be)in in

pratie to han)e soiety throu)h stru))le: .t is 5hen millions of people are oupyin) their

fatories or takin) part in a )eneral strike that ideas of reolutionary soialism suddenly seem

realisti:

But suh a leel of stru))le annot be maintained indefinitely unless the old rulin) lass is remoed

from po5er: .f it han)s on" it 5ill 5ait until the oupations or strikes deline" then use its ontrol

oer the army and polie to break the stru))le:

nd one the strikes or oupations be)in to falter" the feelin) of unity and onfidene amon) the

5orkers be)ins to 5ane: Demoralisation and bitterness set in: (en the best be)in to feel that

han)in) soiety 5as Aust a 5ild dream:4hat is 5hy employers al$ays prefer strike otes to be taken 5hen 5orkers are at home by

themseles" )ettin) their ideas from the teleision and the ne5spapers" not 5hen they are united at

mass meetin)s" able to hear other 5orkers< ar)uments:

4hat is also 5hy antiEunion la5s nearly al5ays inlude a clause forcing 5orkers to all off strikes

5hile seret" postal ballots are taken: Suh lauses are aurately alled =oolin) off< periods ; they

are desi)ned to pour old 5ater on the onfidene and unity of 5orkers:

4he parliamentary eletoral system ontains %uilt in seret ballots and oolin) off periods: For

instane" if a )oernment is brou)ht to its knees by a massie strike" it is likely to say" =*I" 5ait

three 5eeks until a )eneral eletion an resole the ?uestion demoratially:< .t hopes that in the

interim the strike 5ill be alled off: 4he 5orkers< onfidene and unity 5ill then fade: (mployers

may 5ell be able to blaklist militants: 4he apitalist press and the teleision an be)in funtionin)

normally a)ain" hammerin) home proE)oernment ideas: 4he polie an arrest =troublemakers both deeloped their ie5s by seein) the 5orkin) lass ination ; Marx sa5 the Paris

%ommune" !enin the ussian =Soiets< K5orkers< ounilsL of 190- and 1917:

But Marx and !enin insisted that the 5orkin) lass ould not be)in to onstrut soialism until it

had first destroyed the old state based on bureaurati hains of ommand" and seondly reated a


35/48

ne5 state based on entirely ne5 priniples: !enin underlined ho5 ompletely different this state had

to be from the old by allin) it =a ommune state" a state 5hih is not a state


36/48

a fore separate from and a)ainst the maAority 5orkin) lass ; as it 5as in (astern Blo ountries

5hih alled themseles =%ommunist


37/48

How do workers becomereolutionary".n Britain most 5orkers this entury hae looked to the !abour Party and parliament to han)esoiety: lar)e minority hae baked the reationary ideas of the 4ory party: 4he supporters of

reolutionary soialism hae )enerally been fe5 in number:

4his indifferene or een opposition of 5orkers to reolutionary soialism is hardly surprisin): $e

hae all been brou)ht up in a apitalist soiety 5here it is taken for )ranted that eeryone is selfish"

5here people are ontinually told by the ne5spapers and teleision that only a priile)ed minority

hae the ability to take the key deisions in industry and the state" 5here the mass of 5orkers are

tau)ht from the first day they enter shool to obey orders )ien by =their elders and betters Frane in 1,71" ussia in 1917" Hermany and 8un)ary

in 1919" .taly in 1920" Spain and Frane in 19&+" 8un)ary in 19-+" Frane in 19+," %hile in 1972E

7&" Portu)al in 197-" .ran in 1979" Poland in 19,0:

4he explanation for these upheaals lies in the ery nature of apitalism itself: %apitalism is a

risisEprone system: .n the lon) run it annot proide full employment" it annot proide prosperity

for all" it annot seure our liin) standards today a)ainst the risis it 5ill produe tomorro5: But

durin) the apitalist =booms< 5orkers ome to expet these thin)s:

So" for instane" in the 19-0s and early 19+0s" 5orkers in Britain ame to expet permanent full

employment" a =5elfare state< and )radual but real improements in liin) standards: By ontrast"

oer the last 2- years suessie )oernments hae allo5ed unemployment to inrease to a realfi)ure of more than 3 million" hae ut the 5elfare state to shreds" and hae attempted a)ain and

a)ain to ut liin) standards:

Beause 5e are brain5ashed into aeptin) many apitalist ideas" 5e aept some of these attaks:

But ineitably a point is reahed 5here 5orkers find they an stand it no more: Suddenly" often

5hen no one expets it" their an)er suddenly flares and they take some ation a)ainst employer or

)oernment: Perhaps they sta)e a strike" or or)anise a demonstration:

$hen this happens" 5hether they like it or not" 5orkers be)in doin) thin)s that ontradit all the

apitalist ideas they hae preiously aepted: 4hey be)in to at in solidarity 5ith one another" as a

lass" in opposition to the representaties of the apitalist lass:

4he ideas of reolutionary soialism that they used to reAet out of hand no5 be)in to fit in 5ith

5hat they are doin): Some at least of the 5orkers be)in to take those ideas seriously ; proidin)

those ideas are aessible:

4he sale on 5hih this takes plae depends on the sale of the stru))le" not on the ideas in

5orkers< heads to be)in 5ith: %apitalism fores them into stru))le een if they be)in 5ith proE

apitalist ideas: 4he stru))le then makes them ?uestion these ideas:

%apitalist po5er rests on t5o planks ; ontrol of the means of prodution and ontrol of the state:

real reolutionary moement be)ins amon) the ast mass of 5orkers 5hen stru))les oer their

immediate eonomi interests lead them to lash 5ith both planks of apitalist rule:

4ake for example a )roup of 5orkers 5ho hae been employed in the same fatory for years: 4he

5hole normal humdrum pattern of their lies is dependent on their Aobs there: *ne day the employer


38/48

horrified and 5ant to do somethin): .n desperation they deide that the only 5ay to ontinue to lead

the sort of lies apitalism has tau)ht them to expet is to oupy the fatory ; to hallen)e the

employer


39/48

The reolutionary socialist party4he basi premise of Marxism is that the deelopment of apitalism itself dries 5orkers into reolt

a)ainst the system:

$hen suh reolts break out ; 5hether a mass demonstration" an armed insurretion or een a bi)

strike ; the transformation of 5orkin) lass onsiousness is astonishin): ll the mental ener)y that

5orkers preiously frittered a5ay on a hundred and one diersions ; from doin) the horses to

5athin) the telly ; is suddenly direted to5ards tryin) to deal 5ith the problem of ho5 to han)e

soiety: Millions of people 5orkin) on suh problems produe solutions of amaGin) in)enuity"

5hih often leae established reolutionaries as be5ildered as the rulin) lass by this turn of eents:

So" for instane" in the first ussian reolution of 190- a ne5 form of 5orkers< or)anisation" the

soiet ; the 5orkers< ounil ; )re5 out of the strike ommittee set up durin) a printin) strike: t

first the Bolsheik Party ; the most militant of the reolutionary soialists ; treated the Soiets 5ith

distrust> they did not beliee it 5as possible for the mass of preiously nonEpolitial 5orkers to

reate a )enuinely reolutionary instrument:

Suh experienes are found in many strikes> the established militants are taken ompletely by

surprise 5hen 5orkers 5ho hae i)nored their adie for so lon)" suddenly be)in to or)anise

militant ation themseles:

4his spontaneity is fundamental: But it is 5ron) to dra5 the onlusion ; as anarhists and nearE

anarhists do ; that beause of spontaneity" there is no need for a reolutionary party:

.n a reolutionary situation" millions of 5orkers han)e their ideas ery" ery ?uikly: But they do

not all han)e all their ideas at one: .nside eery strike" eery demonstration" eery armed uprisin)

there are al5ays ontinual ar)uments: fe5 5orkers 5ill see the ation they are takin) as a prelude

to the 5orkin) lass takin) ontrol of soiety: *thers 5ill be half a)ainst takin) any ation at all"

beause it is disturbin) the =natural order of thin)s


40/48

t the same time" this demoray is not merely a system of eletion but a ontinual debate 5ithin the

party ; a ontinual interation of the soialist ideas on 5hih the party is based 5ith the experiene of

lass stru))le:

But the reolutionary soialist party must also be centralise! ) for it is an atie party" not a debatin)soiety: .t needs to be able to interene olletiely in the lass stru))le" and to respond ?uikly" so it

must hae a leadership apable of takin) dayEtoEday deisions in the name of the party:

.f the )oernment orders the Aailin) of pikets" for instane" the party needs to reat at one" 5ithout the

need to onene onferenes to take demorati deisions first: So the deision is made entrally andated upon: Demoray omes into play after5ards" 5hen the party hammers out 5hether the deision

5as orret or not ; and maybe han)es the party leadership if it 5as out of touh 5ith the needs of the

stru))le:

4he reolutionary soialist party needs to maintain a fine and deliate balane bet5een demoray andentralism: 4he key is that the party does not exist for its o5n sake" but as a means for brin)in) a

reolutionary han)e to soialism ; and that an only be throu)h class stru))le:

So the party must ontinually adapt itself to the stru))le: $hen the stru))le is lo5" and fe5 5orkers

beliee in the possibility of reolutionary han)e" then the party 5ill be small ; and must be ontent to

be so for to dilute its politial ideas in order to inrease its membership 5ould be pointless: But 5henthe stru))le inreases" lar)e numbers of 5orkers an han)e their ideas ery fast" realisin) throu)h

stru))le their po5er to han)e thin)s ; and then the party must be able to open its doors" other5ise it

5ill be left on the sidelines:

4he party annot su%stitute for the 5orkin) lass: .t must be part of the lass stru))le" ontinually

tryin) to unite the most lassEonsious 5orkers to proide a leadership for the stru))le: or an the

party ditate to the lass: .t annot simply prolaim itself the leadership" but must 5in that position"

proin) the orretness of soialist ideas in pratie ; 5hih means anythin) from a small strike to thereolution itself:

Some people see the reolutionary soialist party as the preursor of soialism: 4his is ompletely

5ron): Soialism an only ome about 5hen the 5orkin) lass itself takes ontrol of the means of produin) 5ealth and uses this to transform soiety:

ou annot build an island of soialism in a sea of apitalism: ttempts by small )roups of soialists to

ut themseles off and lead their lies aordin) to soialist ideas al5ays fail miserably in the lon)

term ; for a start" the eonomi and ideolo)ial pressures are al5ays there: nd in uttin) themseles

off from apitalism" suh small )roups also ut themseles off from the only fore that an brin)soialism> the 5orkin) lass:

*f ourse" soialists fi)ht a)ainst the de)radin) effets of apitalism eery day ; a)ainst raism"

a)ainst sexism" a)ainst exploitation" a)ainst brutality: But 5e an only do so by takin) the stren)th of

the 5orkin) lass as our base:

.n print edition" the aboe l ines appear on pa)es +9E72:


41/48

Imperialism and national liberation4hrou)hout the history of apitalism the employin) lass has al5ays looked to an additional soure of

5ealth ; the seiGure of 5ealth produed in other ountries:

4he )ro5th of the first forms of apitalism at the lose of the Middle )es 5as aompanied by the

seiGure by 5estern states of ast olonial empires ; the empires of Spain and Portu)al" of 8olland andFrane" and" of ourse" of Britain: $ealth 5as pumped into the hands of the rulin) lasses of 5estern

(urope" 5hile 5hole soieties in 5hat has beome kno5n as the 4hird $orld Kfria" sia and SouthmeriaL 5ere destroyed:

4hus" the =disoery< of meria by (uropeans in the 1+th entury produed a ast flo5 of )old into

(urope: 4he other side of that oin 5as the destrution of 5hole soieties and the enslaement of

others: For example" in 8aiti" 5here %olumbus first established a settlement" the natie 8ara5ak .ndians Kperhaps half a million in allL 5ere exterminated in Aust t5o )enerations: .n Mexio the .ndian

population 5as redued from 20 million in 1-20 to 2 million in 1+07:

4he .ndian population of the $est .ndies and of parts of the mainland 5as replaed by slaes aptured

in fria and transported aross the tlanti under abominable onditions: n estimated 1- millionslaes suried the tlanti rossin) 5hile about 9 million died in transit: bout half the slaes 5ere

transported in British ships ; 5hih is one reason 5hy British apitalism 5as the first to expand

industry:

4he 5ealth from the slae trade proided the means to finane industry: s an old sayin) put it" =4he5alls of Bristol are emented 5ith the blood of the ne)roes< ; and this applied Aust as muh to other

ports: s Iarl Marx put it" =4he eiled slaery of the 5a)e 5orker in (urope re?uired for its pedestal

slaery pure and simple in the e5 $orld:<

4he slae trade 5as omplemented by pure lootin) ; as 5hen the British on?uered .ndia: Ben)al 5asso adaned that the first British isitors 5ere stunned by the ma)nifiene of its iilisation: But this

5ealth did not stay lon) in Ben)al: s !ord Maaulay 5rote in his bio)raphy of the on?ueror" %lie>4he immense population 5as )ien up as prey: (normous fortunes 5ere thus rapidly aumulated at

%alutta" 5hile &0 million of human bein)s 5ere redued to the extremity of 5rethedness: 4hey had been

used to liin) under tyranny" but neer tyranny like this:

From that point on5ards Ben)al beame reno5ned not for its 5ealth" but for a )rindin) poerty that

eery fe5 years sa5 millions stare to death in famines" a poerty that ontinues to this day:

Mean5hile" in the 17+0s" at a time 5hen total apital inestment in (n)land 5as no more than N+million to N7 million" the annual tribute to (n)land from .ndia 5as N2 million:

4he same proesses 5ere at 5ork in relation to (n)land


42/48

and fria" 5as hi)her than in (urope in the 17th entury" and fell as 5ealth )re5 in $estern (urope:

4he possession of an empire enabled Britain to deelop as the 5orld

Q (xpulsion of forei)n imperialist troops:

Q /nifiation of the 5hole national territory under a sin)le national )oernment" as a)ainst its diision

bet5een different imperialisms:

Q 4he reEestablishment of the ori)inal lan)ua)e in eeryday life" as opposed to some lan)ua)e imposed by the forei)n rulers:

Q 4he use of the 5ealth produed by the ountry to expand loal industry to brin) about =deelopment<

and =modernisation< of the ountry:

Suh 5ere the demands of suessie reolutionary upsur)es in %hina Kin 1912" 192&E27 and in 193-E

3,L" in .ran Kin 190-E12" 1917E21 and in 1931E-&L" in 4urkey Kafter the First $orld $arL" in the $est.ndies Kfrom the 1920s on5ardsL" in .ndia Kin 1920E3,L" in fria Kafter 193-L and in Cietnam Kuntil the

/nited States 5as defeated in 197-L:

4hese moements 5ere often led by setions of the loal upper lasses or middle lasses" but they

meant that the rulin) lasses of the adaned ountries faed an additional opponent as 5ell as their o5n 5orkin) lass: 4he national moement in the soEalled 4hird $orld hallen)ed the imperialist

apitalist states at the same time as did their o5n 5orkin) lasses:

For the 5orkin) lass moement in the adaned ountries this had )reat importane: .t meant that in

its fi)ht a)ainst apitalism" it had an ally in the liberation moements of the 4hird $orld: So" for example" a Shell 5orker in Britain had an ally in the liberation fores in South fria 5ho 5ere

fi)htin) to take oer the property 5hih Shell o5ned there: .f Shell an th5art the aims of the

liberation moements in the 4hird $orld" then it 5ill be more po5erful 5hen it omes to resistin) the

demands of 5orkers in Britain:


43/48

4his is true" een if the liberation moement in the 4hird $orld ountry does not hae a soialist

leadership ; indeed" een if its leadership merely 5ants to replae forei)n rule by the rule of a loal

apitalist or state apitalist lass:

4he imperialist state 5hih is tryin) to smash that liberation moement is the same imperialist state thatis the )reatest enemy of the $estern 5orker: 4hat is 5hy Marx insisted that =a nation that oppresses

others annot itself be free


44/48

Marxism and feminism4here are t5o different approahes to 5omen


45/48

Feminists hae al5ays reAeted this sort of analysis: Far from approahin) 5omen 5here they hae the

po5er to han)e the 5orld and end their oppression ; 5here they are olletiely stron) at 5ork ; they

approah 5omen as sufferers. %ampai)ns of the 19,0s" for example" foused on suh issues as

prostitution" rape or the threat to 5omen and families from nulear 5eapons: 4hese all start from positions 5here 5omen are 5eak:

Feminism starts 5ith the assumption that oppression oerrides lass diision: 4his leads to onlusions

5hih leae lass soiety intat 5hile improin) the position of some 5omen ; a minority: 4he5omen


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#ocialism and war 4he present entury has been a entury of 5ars: Some 10 million people 5ere killed in the First $orld

$ar" -- million in the Seond" 2 million in the 5ars in .ndohina: nd the t5o )reat nulear po5ers"the /nited States and ussia" still possess the means to destroy the human rae many times oer:

(xplainin) this horror is diffiult for those 5ho take existin) soiety for )ranted: 4hey are drien toonlude that there is some innate" instintie drie in human bein)s that leads them to enAoy mass

slau)hter: But human soiety has not al5ays kno5n 5ar: Hordon %hilde noted of (urope in the Stone)e>

4he earliest Danubians seem to hae been a peaeful folk 5eapons of 5ar as a)ainst huntersR tools are

absent from their )raes: 4heir illa)es laked military defenes: ButT in the later phases of the eolithi

period armaments beame the most onspiuous items:::

$ar is not aused by some innate human a))ressieness: .t is a produt of the diision of soiety intolasses: $hen" bet5een -"000 and 10"000 years a)o" a lass of property o5ners first emer)ed" it had to

find the means to defend its 5ealth: .t be)an to onstrut armed fores" a state" ut off from the rest of

soiety: 4his then beame a aluable means of further inreasin) its 5ealth" by plunderin) other soieties:

4he diision of soiety into lasses meant that 5ar beame a permanent feature of human life:

4he slae o5nin) rulin) lasses of nient Hreee and ome ould not surie 5ithout ontinual 5ars

5hih proured more slaes: 4he feudal lords of the Middle )es had to be heaily armed in order to

subdue the loal serfs and to protet their loot from other feudal lords: $hen the first apitalist rulin)lasses be)an &00 or 300 years a)o" they too repeatedly had to hae reourse to 5ar: 4hey had to fi)ht

bitter 5ars in the 1+th" 17th" 1,th and 19th enturies in order to establish their supremay oer the

remnants of the old feudal rulers: 4he most suessful apitalist ountries" suh as Britain" used 5arfareto expand their 5ealth6reahin) oerseas" lootin) .ndia and .reland" transportin) millions of people as

slaes from fria to the merias" turnin) the 5hole 5orld into a soure of plunder for themseles:

%apitalist soiety built itself throu)h 5ar: o 5onder that those 5ho lied 5ithin it ame 2to beliee

that 5ar 5as both RineitableR and RAustR:

et apitalism ould neer be based entirely on 5ar: Most of its 5ealth ame throu)h exploitin)5orkers in fatories and mines: nd that 5as somethin) 5hih ould be disrupted by any fi)htin)

5ithin the Rhome ountryR itself:

(ah national apitalist lass 5anted peae at home 5hile 5a)in) 5ar abroad: So 5hile enoura)in)

belief in Rmilitary irtuesR it also bitterly attaked RioleneR: 4he ideolo)y of apitalism ombines" in aompletely ontraditory 5ay" exaltation of militarism and paifist phrases:

.n the present entury 5ar preparations hae beome more entral to the system than eer before: .n the

19th entury apitalist prodution 5as based on many small firms ompetin) 5ith eah other: 4he state5as a relatiely small body that re)ulated their relations 5ith eah other and 5ith their 5orkers: But inthe present entury bi) firms hae eaten up most of the small firms" so eliminatin) muh of the

ompetition 5ithin eah ountry: %ompetition is more and more international" bet5een the )iant firms

of different nations:

4here is no international apitalist state to re)ulate this ompetition: .nstead" eah national state exertsall the pressure it an to help its apitalists )et an adanta)e oer their forei)n rials: 4he life and death

stru))le of different apitalists 5ith eah other an beome the life and death stru))le of different

states" eah 5ith its hu)e array of destrutie 5eaponry:


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45ie this stru))le has led to 5orld 5ar: 4he First and Seond $orld $ars 5ere imperialist 5ars"

onflits bet5een allianes of apitalist states oer the domination of the )lobe: 4he %old $ar 5as a

ontinuation of that stru))le" 5ith the most po5erful apitalist states lined up a)ainst eah other in

4* and the $arsa5 Pat:

.n addition to this )lobal onflit" many hot 5ars hae ra)ed in different parts of the 5orld: /sually

they hae been stru))les bet5een different apitalist states oer 5ho should ontrol a partiular re)ion"

suh as the .ranE.ra? 5ar 5hih broke out in 19,0 and the Hulf $ar in 1991: ll the maAor po5ersstoke the fires of 5ar by sellin) the most sophistiated military tehnolo)y to 4hird $orld states:

Many people 5ho aept the rest of the apitalist system do not like this )rim reality: 4hey 5ant

apitalism but not 5ar: 4hey try to find alternaties 5ithin the system: For example" there are those

5ho beliee the /nited ations an preent 5ar:

But the / is merely the arena 5here different states that embody the drie to 5ar meet to)ether: 4herethey ompare their stren)ths 5ith eah other" like boxers measurin) up before a bout: .f one state or

alliane is easily more po5erful than another" then both 5ill see the pointlessness of a 5ar 5hose

outome is kno5n in adane: But if there is any doubt about the outome" they kno5 of only one 5ay

of settlin) the issue" and that is to )o to 5ar:

4his 5as true of the t5o )reat nulear allianes" 4* and the $arsa5 Pat: (en thou)h the $est hadthe military ed)e oer the (astern Blo" the )ap 5as not so )reat for the ussians to beliee themseles

at a hopeless disadanta)e: So" despite the fat that a 4hird $orld $ar 5ould 5ipe out most of the

human rae" both $ashin)ton and Moso5 dre5 up plans for fi)htin) and 5innin) a nulear 5ar:

4he %old $ar ame to an end 5ith the politial upheaal in (astern (urope in 19,9 and the ollapse of

the /SS into its onstituent republis in 1991: 4here 5as then muh talk of a Rne5 5orld orderR and a

Rpeae diidendR:

.nstead" ho5eer" 5e hae seen a suession of barbari 5ars6the 5ar of the $est a)ainst its former ally .ra?" the 5ar bet5een GerbaiAan and rmenia in the former /SS" the horrifi iil 5ars in

Somalia and former u)oslaia:

o sooner is one military rialry bet5een apitalist po5ers resoled than another takes its plae:

(ery5here" rulin) lasses kno5 that 5ar is a 5ay of inreasin) their influene and of blindin)5orkers and peasants 5ith nationalism:

ou an loathe and fear 5ar 5ithout opposin) apitalist soiety: But you annot end it: $ar is the

ineitable produt of the diision of soiety into lasses: 4he threat of it 5ill neer be ended by

be))in) existin) rulers to make peae: 4he armaments hae to be 5rested from their hands by amoement fi)htin) to oerturn lass soiety one and for all:

4he peae moements 5hih emer)ed in (urope and orth meria at the end of the 1970s did not

understand this: 4hey fou)ht to stop the introdution of %ruise and Pershin) missiles" for unilateral

disarmament" for a nulear freeGe: But they belieed that the fi)ht for peae ould sueed in isolation

from the stru))le bet5een apital and labour:

So they failed to mobilise the only po5er apable of stoppin) the drie to5ards 5ar" the 5orkin) lass:

*nly soialist reolution an end the horror of 5ar:

.n print edition" the aboe l ines appear on pa)es ,&E,+:


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harman - how marxism works

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