The Class Struggle

Class struggle is a false idea according to one debater on the WSM Discussion Forum. Socialists by contrast see it as a fact of daily life. Marx famously declared in the Communist Manifesto that "the history of all hithero existing society is the history of class struggle." Fact or fiction? Judge for yourself.

Socialists continuously refer to "the capitalist system," "the
capitalist class," and "the working class." We are living in a
class society and to use a euphemism, we call the shots as we see
them - and as they are. Is it not curious, and somewhat mystifying, the comparative rarity with which these terms are used by any of the media, or the politicians representing and defendingthe capitalist system? We are not surprised, because a lifetime under this system has taught us that the order of the day is always
camouflage and deception. As for the term" class struggle," very
rarely will it be used in bourgeois, political language, much less
acknowledged in reality. But the class struggle most certainly
does exist - it permeates the lives of the working class in every
aspect, whether they realize it or not.

In a society wherein the vast majority are non-owners of the
instruments of wealth production and distribution and a minority
are the owners, a conflict of interests must exist. It is a conflict
that arises from an economic division in society which creates
two completely antagonistic positions between the non-owners
who work, produce, and receive wages, and the owners who pay
wages, receive profits, and are non-productive. Each group has
opposing interests with a different economic status. The socialist
does not conjure this situation from his imagination - we merely
analyze the system, drawing attention to the obvious.

It is in the interests of the working class to work for as short a
time as possible, for as high wages as possible. Conversely, it is in
the interests of the capitalist class to increase the labor time as
much as is practical, without affecting the productivity Of the
labor power employed, assuming of course that there will be a
market for the commodities produced; and to keep the wage level
as low as possible, as long as this also does not impair the
productivity of the workers. From this basis a class struggle
ensues.

Now we ask, is this true or is it not? The next question would
be - is it desirable? And the follow-up on this would be - is it
necessary?

We find it most terribly undesirable to live in a society where
there is unending conflict between sections of the population
which give rise to a variety of social evils. We state that it most
certainly is not necessary because there is an alternative. In a
socialist society there will be no classes whatsoever - the c1ass
struggle will have been relegated to the history books.

Trade Unions are positive proof of the class struggle. Trade
Unions are groups of men and women of the working class
organized in the economic field to maintain and improve the
standard of living of their members. The standard of living would
include wages paid, employment time, conditions of work,
pensions, vacation and sick leave plans, and so on.
We acknowledge the absolute necessity of Trade Unions
under capitalism, and we support the active participation of
workers within the Trade Union movement in their attempts to
safeguard, and improve, their wage levels and working
conditions. At the same time we also fully realize the limitations of the
Trade Union. They serve the working class only on the economic
field whereas the emancipation of the working c1ass can only be
achieved with political action through an international socialist
movement. Furthermore, the internal operation of the Trade
Union will always reflect the knowledge and attitudes of the
membership. To the extent that the workers look to leaders to
solve their problems, relying solely on their interpretations of
given situations, they be come willing to sacrifice proper
democratic procedures, and the Trade Union becomes a fertile field for
demagogues leading a gullible membership. In addition, the
Trade Union can be used for purposes not related to their true
function and not in the interests of the membership.

All disputes and negotiations over wages are evidence of the
class struggle. All negotiations concerning conditions of work are
evidence of the class struggle. All disputes regarding labor time,
vacations, retirement and so-called social security payments are
evidence of the class struggle. And when the disagreements
between the employers and the employees reach an impasse, with
the workers deciding to withhold their labor power by calling a
strike, this becomes a classic manifestation of the existence of a
class struggle. Strikes are a devastating, perpetual occurrence
under this system. Their history has been written in the economic
anguish and suffering of the working class; and in addition with
blood and violence when thugs have be en employed by owners as
strike breakers. The hardships, brutality, imprisonment, and
punishment that has been endured by striking workers is your
evidence, beyond dispute, of a class struggle that is being waged
endlessly and with vigor. The socialist has not invented the class
struggle - it operates as an independent social phenomena be-
cause of the economic basis of a class divided society. Workers,
for generations, have been duped into believing that there exists
under capitalism a family of interests, when in reality the
complete opposite is the case.

Class society not only produces antagonisms between the
classes, but it also produces conflicts within the classes them-
selves. Workers find themselves competing with each other for
jobs, capitalists with each other in the market place.

Is it reasonable to tolerate a system that produces conflict and
competition when there is an alternative both practical and
possible-one that will encourage mutual aid and co-operation?

The socialist case is both simple and dramatic - we just want to
be co-owners of the world in which we live. We do not wish to
remain in a subject and slave position for the rest of our lives. The
planet we live on should be owned and controlled by the whole of
the human race - not by just a part of the human race. Does this
sound unreasonable? We think not.

If it can be proved that the re is a class struggle and that this
class struggle results in suffering, insecurity, and poverty, and
that it need not be tolerated for one second longer than it takes the
working class to become socialist, why not do something about
it!

We are the sole advocates of the highest expression of the class
struggle on the political fie1d - the demand for the abolition of
class society, together with the class struggle, through the
establishment of socialism.

Why should the human race be involved in an internal struggle
of a social and economic origin, when the solution for the
permanent eradication of that struggle exists, only awaiting
awareness and acceptance? To indulge in an unnecessary and
futile struggle between sections of society over material issues,
when such a struggle should have long age been eliminated, with
the introduction of socialism, is to retard unreasonably the
development and progress of mankind.

(This essay first appeared in World Without Wages by Samuel Leight)