Socialism National or International Routledge Library Editions: Political Science Volume 48

184 Pages·2009·9.459 MB·English

by  Franz Borkenau

SOCIALISM
NATIONAL or INTERNATIONAL
*
S OCI ALI S M
NATIONAL or INTERNATIONAL
By
FRANZ BORKENAU
LONDON
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, LTD.
BROADWAY HOUSE : 68-74 CARTER LANE, E.C.
First Published 1942
Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London
To
W I F E
m y

CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface . . . . . . . . ix
I T he Problem . . . . . . . i
II T rade-Union Internationalism and International
M igrations . . . . . . . 1 0
III Internationalism and Utopian Socialism . . 32
IV T he Nation-State and Social Legislation . . 39
V Labour and Protective T ariffs . . . . 59
VI Imperialism . . . . . . . 75
VII Socialist Internationalism before 1914 . . 96
VIII T he Four Y ears’ War, the Comintern and Soviet
Russia . . . . . . . . 1 2 7
IX Labour and the League of Nations . . . 144
X A New Internationalism . . . . . 157
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PREFACE
M any people will find this little study unduly sceptical,
negative and destructive of ideals. Only towards the end
there emerges, dimly enough, a positive programme. If
I seem to concentrate on criticism of the prevalent type
of labour internationalism, it is because I believe that our
present ordeal is largely due to glib optimism about the
possibilities of peace and an uncritical acceptance of
ideals. It would have been easy to be more “ construc­
tive ” . But in my view the success of the Federal Union
idea in socialist circles points to a state of mind that is
still essentially utopian and unrealistic. As long as this
state of mind lasts, criticism, I am inclined to think, is
more important than so-called “ constructive ” ideas.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Needless to say, there is' nothing particularly original
in the views expressed in the following pages. All I
wanted to do was to show certain well-known facts in
their relation to the origin and scope of labour inter­
nationalism, and to demonstrate as forcibly as I could
the need for a new realistic outlook, neither nationalist
nor internationalist in the old sense, but *'( superim­
perialist ” and for that very reason internationalist in a
new sense.
If the objection is raised that this is not a specifically
socialist policy, I agree. A political doctrine should
never be made to suit one party only. The world is
becoming daily more socialist, in the sense that economic
and political liberalism are on the decline. But it is not a
foregone conclusion that the socialist parties must profit
ix
Preface
from this decline. Germany shows that those who fail to
take advantage of the new trends may be the victims of
them. If a new world is to be built without using
methods of the most cruel despotism, all main sections
of the democratic nations will have to be agreed upon
certain essentials. All sections will have to abandon
cherished ideas and doctrines. All old problems will have
to be considered again, in a new light. I have tried to
contribute a little to this task of clarification.
I am much indebted to Mrs. E. J. Blair for revision of
manuscript.
London,
January 1942.
x