Letter: “Reform of capitalism?” (2020)

Letter to the Editors from the August 2020 issue of the Socialist Standard

“Reform of capitalism?”

Dear Editors

I think I agree with almost everything you stand for but. I don’t understand how global, neoliberal ‘capitalism’ can be replaced with global socialism in practice.

The capitalists have all the money, time and resources including the technological fire-power to oppress the people.

I don’t see how socialism can be achieved in one fell swoop – surely it would have to involve a ‘reform of capitalism’ period first?

I’d be grateful if you could address this problem – a group of us are just trying to work out how best to aid the socialist cause and your organisation is being considered.

Dorothy Reich.

Reply:

The current world order of capitalism can and will only be replaced by socialism when the overwhelming majority of people throughout the world understand and appreciate what real socialism is likely to mean in practice.

The entrenched capitalist class do indeed control both all resources and ‘technological fire-power’. That’s the basis of the capitalist system and their rule. But we have the advantage of numbers – we are the overwhelming majority – and we operate production from top to bottom and make-up the bulk of the armed forces. When we get our act together they won’t be able to stop us establishing socialism through democratic political action.

As things stand, the term socialism (or communism as it is sometimes called) has been tarnished by all states who declare themselves either socialist or communist, but who are in fact really capitalist.

Piecemeal reforms cannot pave the way to socialism because reforms are limited to only working within the current framework. Nor do we support the notion of a government which tries to run capitalism in the interests of the majority, even if it intends for this to only be in the short-term before socialism.

Reforms only aim at trying to improve the current system rather than changing it, working for reforms distracts and diverts us from challenging the system itself. By way of an analogy, reforms are like ‘treating’ an injury with painkillers – you feel a bit better for a short time, but this wears off and the cause of the pain still remains.

It is up to people like you and us and the working class of this and all other countries of the world to join together and share the kind of ideas being propagated by ourselves and our companion parties. 

Editors.