The Passing Show: South African Realities (1960)

The Passing Show Column from the July 1960 issue of the Socialist Standard

South African Realities

Anyone who doubts the validity of the Socialist interpretation of events in South Africa — that what we are seeing is the emergence of a new capitalist class, together with the corresponding proletariat, in a country still ruled by the landowners — would do well to look at The Times Supplement on South Africa, which appeared on May 31st. Valuable figurcs are given to back up the verdict that “during the 50 years of the Union, South Africa has developed from a pastoral country into a modern industrial state,” and that the last two decades have witnessed “unprecedented industrial growth.” Steel production, for example, has increased a hundredfold in twenty-five years. The total gross value of the output of South Africa's manufacturing industries has gone up from £40 million in 1915-16 to £1,424 million in 1955-56, thirty-five times as much. Even allowing for inflation, there is still obviously a gigantic increase here.

As the Supplement puts it, “it has become clear that new policies and fundamental changes in attitude are necessary if rapid industrial growth is to be continued into the next half century.” This means, of course, that the policies of the capitalists will have to replace the policies of the landowners. The justification for this is to be found in that favourite phrase of the capitalists, “economic realities.” The Supplement says:

At this time political issues completely overshadow economics in any assessment of the future—the key question being whether government policies will be in harmony with economic realities (industry’s complete reliance on a stable, settled, urban non-white labour force) or whether there will be further attempts to impose on industry racial policies that will increasingly undermine productivity and progress. . . . It has now become quite clear to industrialists that South Africa can realize its great potential and its ambitions to become the “workshop of Africa” only if a contented and stable labour force is built up and if existing barriers to productivity are removed. . . . Industry itself is now beginning to recognize what this means in terms of housing, social welfare and minimum wages, and the need to encourage the emergence of a property-owning African middle class with a stake in maintaining social stability.

It would be hard to improve on these quotations as a statement of the aims and ambitions of the South African capitalist class at the present time. The capitalists now dominate the South African economy: how long will it be before they dominate South Africa politically?—especially since capitalism dominates all the other “civilized” countries of the world. Well, they themselves are optimistic. As the Supplement sums up: “South African industrialists are confident that economic realities will prevail and that a new and constructive approach to the problems of growth in a multi-racial society will emerge.”

Race Hate

The fascist British Union Movement has been distinguishing itself again, this time when some of its members followed an American Negro comedian along the street, shouting abuse at him from a loudspeaker van. There have been some indignant comments on the incident from those who consider themselves left-wingers. No doubt these protests are sincere, but they are illogical. For the capitalist system breeds race hatred. Only in the last twenty years we have seen the ruling classes of various countries, whenever it was in their own interests, whipping up hatred of the Jews, the Germans, the British, the Russians, the Americans, and many more. From time to time every capitalist country goes to war, and needs the working class to kill and be killed in defence of its masters’ profits. The official propagation of race hatred is one of the means inevitably used to lash the workers into the necessary frame of mind. So that people who oppose racialism and at the same time support capitalism (private or state) are merely defeating their own ends.

In the meantime Mosley’s fascists demonstrate the gentlemanly standards of the “white civilisation” they claim to be defending, by hurling insults at a foreign visitor in the open street.

Mutual Help Society

From The Times (9-6-60):

The Institute of Directors have accepted an invitation from the State Scientific and Technical Committee of the U.S.S.R. to send a goodwill and fact-finding mission to Russia to study problems of Soviet industrial management.

Sir Richard Powell, Director-General of the Institute of Directors, said that the mission is “an attempt to get an overall picture of top Russian management policy in industry and commerce. . . . It should prove a unique opportunity for high ranking British businessmen to see their Russian counterparts at work.” 

Without question the ruling class of Russia and the ruling class of Britain could help each other a great deal by showing each other how they run their respective businesses, and keep their respective working classes in order. Although capitalism in Britain is still largely private, while in Russia it is state-run, nevertheless the two economic systems are the same in every important respect. The “high-ranking British business men” and their “Russian counterparts” will have a great deal in common. We look forward to the day when the British and Russian working classes will co-operate in the establishment of Socialism, just as today our masters collaborate for the better running of capitalism.

Alwyn Edgar