When the war drums throb no longer (1944)

From the May 1944 issue of the Socialist Standard

  “It will be the primary aim of my government to insure that in this period food, homes and employment are provided for my people, that good progress is made with the rebuilding of our damaged cities; and that in industry, mining, and agriculture smooth transition is made from war to peace."—The King's Speech

At the time of writing, the fanfare which signals the opening of the western offensive is sounding at full blast. "It will not be long now. The end of the war in Europe is in sight," so says the man in the street. It does not seem to strike him that the cessation of hostilities between the Allies and Germany may set in motion forces almost as destructive of human life and well-being as war itself. The end of the war is expected to see the beginning of a happier and fuller life for all those nations who have struggled against the tyranny imposed upon the world by Hitler and Co.—the dawn of a new era for mankind.

Our masters are glib in promises in war time. Economic security for all, medical attention for all, education for all, houses for- all—AFTER THE WAR!

The wage slave, whether at the front, on munitions or other war work, is anticipating great joys in store: they are all to be his—after the war.

History does not say so, but even when this is pointed out to him, he says, "Yes, I know what happened in the past, but this is going to be different." To some extent our masters have improved their method of baiting the trap, and this may account for the wage slaves' optimism. During the last war the "Homes for Heroes" were displayed on posters, and this is practically all he saw of them; now we are informed there is an actual model—he can go and look at it if he so desires and has the time. The cynic was not far wrong when he said, "You can fish for ever in the bottomless pit of human credulity." He may have a new house with wages so low that to raise the eternal rent he may have to deny himself other necessities. We shall see.

Our masters are already beginning to speculate on the outcome of the war, and on what to anticipate when "peace" becomes the order of the day.

Here is the way the best informed amongst them have sized it up.

United States big business expects to come out on top, and is already preparing to boss the show. Russia may occupy second place; her position in the Far East will be strengthened by the coming defeat of Japan—the work of the Allies. Britain will be relegated to the third of the great powers, her influence both in Europe and Asia gradually declining—so they say. China is emerging as the coming nation in the Far East.

Uncle Sam wants expansion so that the capitalist class of the United States can find an opening for their investments everywhere, but the American exploiter shies at political responsibility, consequently there is indecision, which may result in a failure in the diplomatic sphere.

Russia keeps as many cards as possible up her sleeve: she will not show her hand until she is sure she has the trumps. Will she continue to make use of her "communist" agents, or will she discard them in favour of her capitalist pals? In one sense she has an advantage. Under State capitalism there is no internal competition; she can take goods from Germany as her share of reparations without any fear of causing unemployment: the other capitalist nations are not in this fortunate position.

Britain is rapidly becoming the centre, the rallying point of the forces of reaction; kings who have lost their thrones, rulers whose people have discarded them congregate here to pull the strings which the “balance of power" policy allows them to manipulate. In Spain, in Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia and many other places the peoples' will is diverted to what is considered desirable from the standpoint of the aspirations of defunct royalist groups. The "War for Democracy" brings together strange bedfellows. Britain can safely count on the support of all the conservative elements in the ruling class world.

China is building up along modern capitalist lines during the war with Japan: she is receiving considerable help from the Allies. We may calculate on her rapidly conquering the markets of the Far East. Her mineral wealth is considerable, her population greater than that of any other country, very industrious, and her business men as astute as any on the planet.

Our lords and masters expect a change in industrial plans after the defeat of Germany: they hope the war with Japan will keep industry stable during the transformation from the production of war materials to the production of consumption goods.

Wage bills are expected to drop 25 per cent., overtime will cease. The incomes of the working class will decline. It is calculated that three years after the war with Germany ends that the unemployed in the United States will number over 8,000,000 and in this country over 2,000,000.

What Europe and the rest of the capitalist world will look like, our masters' scribes have not yet ventured to forecast.

The wage slaves of Britain will be interested to learn that it is proposed in certain quarters to build air-raid shelters in the houses that are to be erected after the war. .

If capitalism is to continue, they may be ready in time for the next blood bath. The capitalist class in the meantime will promise much more to induce the slaves to go on breeding ("We want more babies").

The present writer is not a prophet: what is stated above has been obtained from a careful reading of capitalist publications, but there is one factor which our masters have never even taken into consideration, a factor which may upset things somewhat, and that is the ideas and attitude of the working class.

How will the wage-slaves react towards what is coming? Will, they take it lying down? Perhaps not.

It is our duty to explain painstakingly to our fellows what is wrong with capitalist society. We must get them to realise that neither in war or peace is there any cessation of the class struggle. Between the capitalist class and the working class there is an immeasurable gulf fixed.

All men who live by selling their labour power must get together and fight in all lands under all capitalist conditions, exclusively for their own hand. This is the only safe policy.

They must make the world theirs.

In opposition to our masters' proposal, we propose working class unity. The revolutionary watchword is the "Abolition of the wages system." Those who stand for wages stand for commodity production, wage slavery—capitalism, let us make the world the common property of the inhabitants of the earth, and so place the means of life in such a position that wealth can be produced for the well-being and enjoyment of mankind. This is the only way to end exploitation, to relegate to the limbo of forgotten things rent, interest, profit, wages, money and all the slave-owning mechanism.

Argument in this connection must be accompanied by effort. The main thing is to generate in the minds of our class—the will to be free. There would be no war anywhere, even now, if the working class willed otherwise.

All capitalist power rests upon the rock of working class ignorance, and what a solid rock it is. We must shatter this rock with the force of Socialist knowledge. We are aided by the conditions capitalist development unfolds.

Those of our class who return from the front will come home ripe and ready to organise for Socialism. We must be there to place before them the information they should have. What it is essential they should understand. They must know before they can do.

Our capitalist masters may have miscalculated somewhat. It is to be hoped they have. Engels held the view that the working class would obtain power during a crisis. This war will result in an economic crisis that will make the contradictions of capitalism glaringly apparent, and the cause of them more clear.

This may be the last war, we hope so. If capitalism is removed, we know it will be. Therefore we know our duty. To educate, and organise and educate, until the workers tackle the job they alone can successfully undertake. Then the poet's vision will have become a reality, and the time will have arrived.

"When the war-drums throb no longer.
And the battle-flags are furled,.
In the parliament of man.
The federation of the world! "

He was a Utopian! I hope to see the day when we can repeat the lines of my old American Comrade Covington Hall at a time when intelligence has permeated the ranks of our class and they take possession of the public powers with full understanding of what they are called upon to accomplish.

Here they are

"The world ye sowed is ripe, England
The harvest dance is on,
The strength of Esau rising and the strength of Jacob gone.
Oh mother of Plutocracy around your reeking heir.
The madsouled system suicides—the Revolution's Here! " 

SPEED THE DAY.

Charles Lestor