Out of Capitalism Into Socialism
Panken, Jacob
By Jacob Panken Out of Capitalism Into Socialism The Spirit off the Workers I* Undaunted Despite Heavy Blows of Past Year—The Future Belongs to Socialism. *J*UH spirit of the workers...
...That cannot be condoned or justified...
...In Italy and Germany, as well as Russia, the State is supreme...
...On top of it has come the las...
...The powers of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation may be extended to control banking to serve the banking interests...
...There a minority group hat gained control of all the functions of life, political, economic and social...
...Labor, which is the greatest victim of capitalist civilization and of its unhappy results, that is, wars, and industrial depressions, will be the greatest beneficiary of Socialism...
...By virtue of that, the liens against property will be paid by a reduced currency while the property itself retains its intrinsic values...
...Fascism and State Capitalism place the workers in a worse condition...
...Socialism challenges all of these...
...That is unfortunate in the Hussion experiment...
...State Capitalism is introduced...
...The determination of the working class to carry on until the cause triumps is undiminished...
...Another instance is the measure to protect small property owners whose property is mortgaged, calling for the flotation of a two billion dollar bond issue...
...With redoubled ffort the struggle for emancipation will go on...
...They have pleaded for a policy courageously to face the fundamental social problems giving rise to these catastrophes, and offered a constructive program for their solution...
...Here, not only the economic forces of pre-war supremacy, but the difficulties created by the war and the most unjust peace, combined to thwart progress...
...And it sought to get it at any price...
...It lets property for rent and even charges interest...
...Socialists have warned the world of the fatal consequences of drifting...
...In the revolutionary ferment, power went to the ruthless...
...Life In all its forms must be coordinated with the interests of the State...
...The purpose there may not be as in Italy and Germany...
...The jobless armies are constantly growing larger...
...In place of orderly government, it has set up the rule of the gun and the dungeon...
...Capitalism was helped in its development by political democracy...
...Fear as a constructive force or dictatorial methods are poor builders...
...The State governs, regulates and controls labor's activities, prohibits freedom of action, regulates the life of the workers—enslaves them, and exercises some control of capital...
...Many regard what has happened In Germany and elsewhere as reaction...
...It should be remembered that that reaction and special privilege have behind them tradition, habits of thinking and living, and most of the institutions, economic, cultural and others...
...Discredited autocratic governments toppled...
...it has a different aspect than in the Fascist states...
...Collective ownership and democratic control is needed...
...Unfortunately, we cannot recall any victories (in the past year in which to rejoice In spite of all heroic efforts of Socialists and of organized labor, it was a year of hardship, of unemployment, of bitter disillusionment and of great human misery...
...Capitalism and State Capitalism are only doing what economic forces compel...
...The World War, with its wholesale destruction of life and property, wi'h iti insane hatreds, passions and prejudices, with its resultant unjust and unstable peace left us most trying legacies, severely torturing mankind...
...Yet in Russia society is divided into classes, a ruling class and a class that is ruled...
...Socialists had foreseen in the development of society towards Socialism the possibility of a form of state capitalism, sometimes called state Socialism...
...In the course of time individual capitalists are replaced by corporate bodies—corporate Capitalism arises...
...The Fascist state in Italy and Germany indicate a definite tendency towards State Capitalism...
...In the evolution of society we may probably well have to go through the stage of State Capitalism...
...Consider the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, an instrument devised to control the flow of finance and the credit...
...But the real causes are deeply rooted in our economic and social institutions...
...J*UH spirit of the workers remains undaunted despite the blows which have been administered in (iermany and elsewhere...
...There it is claimed that the purpose is to lay the groundwork for Socialism...
...It is not strange, therefore, that fifteen years after the war the world economic crisis should, ae it did, produce corresponding political crises in all countries...
...Democracy, which was shaken everywhere to its foundations by four years of carnage and destruction, four years of volcanic social life, never gained a real foothold in those revolutionary countries...
...The attempt is being made to organize a modern industrial society by a people, and under conditions not ready for it, to collectivize farming with a peasant population that opposes it Compulsion is the method...
...Accepted principles of democracy and freedom, long cherished human rights, ethical and moral values, respect for human integrity were all put to great strain...
...Everywhere the forces of reaction, tyranny and cruelty are openly contesting with the forces of liberty and democracy for supremacy...
...These are symptoms of a disintegrating capitalist civilization...
...Fifteen years ago a war-weary and disillusioned world was anxious for peace and order...
...The Socialist world is being hatched, and unless civilization is destroyed, the new world will be a Socialist world...
...Many excuses have been offered by leaders of business and politics and their intellectual spokesman for these major crises...
...On this May 1st, American Socialists send their greetings to their comrades all over the world...
...All must submit to its dictates...
...In the United States these symptoms are evident...
...The struggle must be intensified...
...We are particularly mindful of the heroism and sacrifice of our German and Austrian comrades in their unselfish devotion to the cause of building a Socialist civilization...
...And yet, all of this is needless and criminal waste of human life and social well-being...
...It should rather be encouraged with all this signs of Capitalist disintegration and development toward Socialism...
...It has been unspeakably cruel towards the organized Socialist and labor movement and other political minorities...
...It ia preparing the world for socialization along democratic lines—a Socialist world...
...It might seem as if that plan were devised to protect the small property owners, but the savings banks, the life insurance companies and the title guarantee companies are to be the real beneficiaries...
...We cannot fail, unless civilization itself fails...
...On this May 1st, we call upon American labor to dedicate itself to solidarity of action not merely on the economic, bat also on the political field...
...Therefore, Socialists and sympathizers need not despair if we have set-backs at times...
...But time and events rushed faster than the educational processes of the Socialist movement All efforts to head off disaster proved inadequate...
...In some, these crises are worse than In others...
...It made use of the State to protect the rights of individual capitalists...
...Real relief from the present sit uation will come only when the nation recognizes this fundamental fact: that private enterprise has proven its inability to function in the machine age...
...It employs workers...
...In our own country, the economic and social life of our people has been going from bad to worse...
...The class-conscious workers must realize that, and they must view the situation as it is, as realists...
...Ours is the movement of progress...
...Capitalist States also control capital in order that Capitalism and the baeis upon which it rests be preserved...
...The Capitalist state is controlled by Capitalists...
...Wages are being slashed...
...In Austria, the battle between the Socialist movement and the Fascists is raging, with the result still in the balance...
...In some nations, the strain was too great and civilized social life snapped...
...In some, like Russia, Poland, Hungary and Austria, the Socialist movement made heroic efforts to organize along democratic lines and build a Socialist society...
...Capitalism la attempting to re-arrange its credit system by reducing the obligations through payment by an inflated currency, The intent is that when this Is in a measure accomplished new credits may be issued against the property unencumbered...
...It was the period of revolutions...
...In all, labor has been the greatest victim...
...It is estimated that the number of unemployed has reached the staggering figure ranging from 13,000,000 to 15,000,000...
...The Hitler victory has produced appalling results in Germany...
...The State in Russia is also supreme...
...By Jacob Panken Out of Capitalism Into Socialism The Spirit off the Workers I* Undaunted Despite Heavy Blows of Past Year—The Future Belongs to Socialism...
...We have the resources, the factories, the mechanical power, the engineering and human skill to produce enough to make all men, women and children happy and secure and content...
...The war and the world depression combined have produced a generation of unstable, helpless, hopeless, disillusioned men and women...
...All to the end of preserving the Capitalist system...
...The State, as conceived by these three nations, is the exercise of power as the will of individuals or parties that permit no opposing groups or ideas...
...As sure as the sun rises in the East every morning, the day that is to come will be the day of freedom and liberty and Socialism, suuu By Louis Waldman Labor in the World Crisis /"\N May Day we pause to survey the world we live in, to take counsel on the struggle ahead...
...four years A unparalleled depression, increasing unemployment, idle factories, mounting bankruptcies, constantly falling prices, shrinkage in the values of securities, and the collapse of the private banking structure...
...What this means in human misery and insecurity, we need not here recount...
...It is * form of State Capitalism...
...In the short period of one generation our social order has produced two major disasters: the World War and the present cont.nued economic depression...
...State Socialism In Russia, we have state Socialism...
...Organised Socialism was not yet strong enough to cope with the ignorance of the masses and the crafty, selfish and organized forces of reaction and special privilege...
...New and powerful enemies to progress and to working class interests have arisen...
...The experiment in Russia essayed carefully, also indicates what Socialists have foreseen as a possibility...
...A form of state capitalism emerges controlling capital in the interest of the Capitalist system...
...May Day On this May day labor must not be disheartened...
...In Italy and Germany the new Capitalist form of State under Fascist rule conserves the Capitalist system based upon rent, profit and interest...
...It has Instituted barbaric and savage treatment against the Jews...
...as a retreat...
...Control of Credit Another instance is the unparalleled powers given to the President in the control of monetary arrangements, the power to inflate currency, increase cost of commodities and also to liquidate obligations by reduced values—all constitute a state capitalist process...
...Labor of hand and brain united, intelligent, and prepared to fight for a program of Socialist reconstruction, would become the greatest social force in America for th* emancipation not only of ittelf, but of the rest of mankind...
Vol. 15 • April 1933 • No. 17
