What Is Communist Anarchism?

150 Pages·2016·0.76 MB·English

by  Alexander Berkman

Thispropositionneedsonlytobestatedtobeseenasthoroughly
false. For justice is administered by human beings, by judges and
juries, and every human being has his particular interests, not
to speak of his personal sentiments, opinions, likes, dislikes, and What Is Communist
prejudices, from which he can’t get away by merely putting on
Anarchism?
a judge’s gown and sitting on the bench. The judge’s attitude to
things — like every one else’s — will be determined, consciously
and unconsciously, by his education and bringing up, by the
environment in which he lives, by his feelings and opinions, and
particularly by his interests and the interests of the social group Alexander Berkman
towhichhebelongs.
Consideringtheabove,youmustrealizethattheallegedimpar-
tiality of the courts of justice is in truth a psychological impossi-
bility.Thereisnosuchthing,andcannotbe.Atbestthejudgecan
berelativelyimpartialincasesinwhichneitherhissentimentsnor
hisinterests—asanindividualormemberofacertainsocialgroup
— are in any way concerned. In such cases you might get justice.
But these are usually of small importance, and they play a very
insignificantrôleinthegeneraladministrationofjustice.
Let us take an example. Suppose two business men are disput-
ing over the possession of a certain piece of property, the matter
involvingnopoliticalorsocialconsiderationsofanykind.Insucha
casethejudge,havingnopersonalfeelingorinterestinthematter,
may decide the case on its merits. Even then his attitude will to a
considerableextentdependonhisstateofhealthandhisdigestion,
onthemoodinwhichhelefthome,onaprobablequarrelwithhis
spouse, and other seemingly unimportant and irrelevant yet very
decisivehumanfactors.
Orsupposethattwoworkingmenareinlitigationovertheown-
ershipofachickencoop.Thejudgemayinsuchacasedecidejustly,
sinceaverdictinfavourofoneorotherofthelitigantsinnoway
affectstheposition,feelings,orinterestsofthejudge.
Butsupposethecasebeforehimisthatofaworkingmaninlitiga- 1929
tionwithhislandlordorwithhisemployer.Insuchcircumstances
60
Now,then,canyouexpectyourbosstofeelandactagainsthis
interests? Can you expect the capitalist to be guided by the inter-
ests of his employees? Can you expect the mine owner to run his
businessintheinterestsoftheminers?
We have seen that the interests of the employer and employee
aredifferent;sodifferentthattheyareopposedtoeachother.
Cantherebejusticebetweenthem?Justicemeansthateachgets
his due. Can the worker get his due or have justice in capitalist
society?
Ifhedid,capitalismcouldnotexist:becausethenyouremployer
couldnotmakeanyprofitsoutofyourwork.Iftheworkerwould
gethisdue—thatis,thethingsheproducesortheirequivalent—
wherewouldtheprofitsofthecapitalistcomefrom?Iflaborowned
thewealthitproduces,therewouldbenocapitalism.
It means that the worker cannot get what he produces, cannot
getwhatisduetohim,andthereforecannotgetjusticeunderwage
slavery.
‘Ifthatisthecase,’youremark,‘hecanappealtothelaw,tothe
courts.’
Whatarethecourts?Whatpurposedotheyserve?Theyexistto
uphold the law. If someone has stolen your overcoat and you can
prove it, the courts would decide in your favor. If the accused is
richorhasacleverlawyer,thechancesarethattheverdictwillbe
totheeffectthatthewholethingwasamisunderstanding,orthat
itwasanactofaberration,andthemanwillmostlikelygofree.
But if you accuse your employer of robbing you of the greater
part of your labor, of exploiting you for his personal benefit and
profit, can you get your due in the courts? The judge will dismiss
the case, because it is not against the law for your boss to make
profits out of your work. There is no law to forbid it. You will get
nojusticethatway.
Itissaidthat‘justiceisblind.’Bythatismeantthatitrecognizes
nodistinctionofstation,ofinfluence,ofrace,creed,orcolor.
59
Even in this simple instance you can observe the effect of au-
thority: its effect on the one who possesses it and on those over
whomitisexercised.Authoritytendstomakeitspossessorunjust
andarbitrary;italsomakesthosesubjecttoitacquiesceinwrong,
Contents
subservient,andservile.Authoritycorruptsitsholderanddebases
itsvictims.
If this is true of the simplest relations of existence, how much
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
more so in the larger field of our industrial, political, and social
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
life?
We have seen how your economic dependence upon your boss
Chapter1:WhatDoYouWantOutOfLife? 10
will affect your actions. Similarly it will influence others who are
dependent upon him and his good will. Their interests will thus
Chapter2:TheWageSystem 16
controltheiractions,eveniftheyarenotclearlyawareofit.
And the boss? Will he also not be influenced by his interests? Chapter3:LawandGovernment 21
Willnothissympathies,hisattitudeandbehaviorbetheresultof
hisparticularinterests? Chapter4:HowtheSystemWorks 29
Thefactis,everyoneiscontrolled,inthemain,byhisinterests.
Chapter5:Unemployment 37
Our feelings, our thoughts, our actions, our whole life is shaped,
consciouslyandunconsciously,byourinterests.
Chapter6:War? 42
I am speaking of ordinary human nature, of the average man.
Here and there you will find cases that seem to be exceptions. A
Chapter7:ChurchandSchool 53
greatideaoranideal,forexample,maytakesuchholdofaperson
that he will entirely devote himself to it and sometimes even sac- Chapter8:Justice 56
rificehislifeforit.Insuchaninstanceitmightlookasiftheman
acted against his interests. But that is a mistake — it only seems Chapter9:CanTheChurchHelpYou? 77
so.Forinrealitytheideaoridealforwhichthemanlivedoreven
gavehislife,washischiefinterest.Theonlydifferenceisthatthe Chapter10:ReformerandPolitician 82
idealist finds his main interest in living for some idea, while the
Chapter11:TheTradeUnion 95
strongestinterestoftheaveragemanistogetonintheworldand
live comfortably and peacefully. But both are controlled by their
Chapter12:WhoseIsThePower? 107
dominantinterests.
The interests of men differ, but we are all alike in that each of Chapter13:Socialism 113
us feels, thinks, and acts according to his particular interests, his
conceptionofthem. Chapter14:TheFebruaryRevolution 130
58 3
Chapter15:BetweenFebruaryandOctober 137 Itis moneyand theinfluence and authoritywhich moneycom-
mands,thatalonecountintheworld.
Chapter16:TheBolsheviki 145 Notjustice,butpossession.
Broaden this example to cover your own life, and you will find
Chapter17:RevolutionandDictatorship 156
that justice and equality are only cheap talk, lies which you are
taught,whilemoneyandpoweraretherealthing,realities.
Chapter18:TheDictatorshipatWork 162
Yetthereisadeep-seatedsenseofjusticeinmankind,andyour
Chapter19:IsAnarchismViolence? 172 betternaturealwaysresentsitwhenyouseeinjusticedonetoany
one.Youfeeloutragedandyoubecomeindignantoverit:because
Chapter20:WhatisAnarchism? 181 we all have an instinctive sympathy with our fellow-man, for by
nature and habit we are social beings. But when your interests or
Chapter21:IsAnarchyPossible? 185 safetyareinvolved,youactdifferently;youevenfeeldifferently.
Suppose you see your brother do wrong to a stranger. You will
Chapter22:WillCommunistAnarchismWork? 194
callhisattentiontoit,youwillchidehimforit.
Whenyouseeyourbossdoaninjusticetosomefellowworker,
Chapter23:Non-CommunistAnarchists 210
you also resent it and you feel like protesting. But you will most
probably refrain from expressing your sentiments because you
Chapter24:WhyRevolution? 213
mightloseyourjoborgetinbadwithyourboss.
Chapter25:TheIdeaistheThing 219 Your interests suppress the better urge of your nature. Your de-
pendence upon the boss and his economic power over you influ-
Chapter26:Preparation 227 enceyourbehavior.
SupposeyouseeJohnbeatandkickBillwhenthelatterisonthe
Chapter 27: Organization of Labor for the Social Rev-
ground.Bothmaybestrangerstoyou,butifyouarenotafraidof
olution 241
John,you’lltellhimtostopkickingafellowwhoisdown.
Butwhenyouseethepolicemandothesamethingtosomeciti-
Chapter28:PrinciplesandPractice 260
zenyouwillthinktwicebeforeinterfering,becausehemightbeat
youuptooandarrestyoutoboot.Hehastheauthority.
Chapter29:ConsumptionandExchange 265
John,whohasnoauthorityandwhoknowsthatsomeonemight
Chapter30:Production 275 interfere when he is acting unjustly, will — as a rule — be careful
whatheisabout.
Chapter31:DefenseoftheRevolution 285 The policeman, who is vested with some authority and who
knows there is little chance of any one interfering with him, will
bemorelikelytoactunjustly.
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Foreword
Iconsideranarchismthemostrationalandpracticalconception
of a social life in freedom and harmony. I am convinced that its
Chapter 8: Justice realizationisacertaintyinthecourseofhumandevelopment.
Thetimeofthatrealizationwilldependontwofactors:first,on
how soon existing conditions will grow spiritually and physically
No, my friend, terrible as it is to admit it, there is no justice in unbearabletoconsiderableportionsofmankind,particularlytothe
theworld. laboring classes; and, secondly, on the degree in which Anarchist
Worseyet:therecanbenojusticeaslongasweliveundercondi- viewswillbecomeunderstoodandaccepted.
tionswhichenableonepersontotakeadvantageofanother’sneed, Our social institutions are founded on certain ideas; as long as
toturnittohisprofit,andexploithisfellowman. thelatteraregenerallybelieved,theinstitutionsbuiltonthemare
Therecanbenojusticeaslongasonemanisruledbyanother;as safe.Governmentremainsstrongbecausepeoplethinkpoliticalau-
longasonehastheauthorityandpowertocompelanotheragainst thority and legal compulsion necessary. Capitalism will continue
hiswill. aslongassuchaneconomicsystemisconsideredadequateandjust.
Therecanbenojusticebetweenmasterandservant. Theweakeningoftheideaswhichsupporttheevilandoppressive
Norequality. present-day conditions means the ultimate breakdown of govern-
Justice and equality can exist only among equals. Is the poor mentandcapitalism.Progressconsistsinabolishingwhatmanhas
street cleaner the social equal of Morgan? Is the washer woman outlivedandsubstitutinginitsplaceamoresuitableenvironment.
theequalofLadyAstor? It must be evident even to the casual observer that society
LetthewasherwomanandLadyAstorenteranyplace,private is undergoing a radical change in its fundamental conceptions.
or public. Will they receive equal welcome and treatment? Their The World War and the Russian Revolution are the main causes
very apparel will determine their respective reception. Because of it. The war has unmasked the vicious character of capitalist
even their clothes indicate, under present conditions, the differ- competition and the murderous incompetency of governments to
ence in their social position, their station in life, their influence, settlequarrelsamongnations,orratheramongtherulingfinancial
andwealth. cliques.Itisbecausethepeoplearelosingfaithintheoldmethods
The washer woman may have toiled hard all her life long, may that the Great Powers are now compelled to discuss limitation of
havebeenamostindustriousandusefulmemberofthecommunity. armaments and even the outlawing of war. It is not so long ago
The Lady may have never done a stroke of work, never been of that the very suggestion of such a possibility met with utmost
the least use to society. For all that it is the rich lady who will be scornandridicule.
welcomed,whowillbepreferred. Similarlyisbreakingdownthebeliefinotherestablishedinstitu-
I have chosen this homely example because it is typical of the tions.Capitalismstill‘works’,butdoubtaboutitsexpediencyand
entirecharacterofoursociety,ofourwholecivilization. justiceisgnawingattheheartofever-wideningsocialcircles.The
RussianRevolutionhasbroadcastedideasandfeelingsthatareun-
56 5
dermining capitalist society, particularly its economic bases and school preach to you ‘the will of God’: capitalism is good and
thesanctityofprivateownershipofthemeansofsocialexistence. necessary, they tell you; you must be obedient to your masters,
For not only in Russia did the October change take place: it has for‘itisGod’swill’thatthereberichandpoor,andwhoevergoes
influencedthemassesthroughouttheworld.Thecherishedsuper- againstitisasinner,anon-conformist,ananarchist.
stition that what exists is permanent has been shaken beyond re- So you see that church and school are still with the masters
covery. againsttheirslaves,justasinthepast.Liketheleopard,theymay
Thewar,theRussianRevolution,andthepost-wardevelopments changetheirspots,butnevertheirnature.Stillchurchandschool
havecombinedalsotodisillusionvastnumbersaboutSocialism.It sidewiththerichagainstthepoor,withthepowerfulagainsttheir
isliterallytruethat,likeChristianity,Socialismhasconqueredthe victims,with‘lawandorder’againstlibertyandjustice.
world by defeating itself. The Socialist parties now run or help to Nowasformerlytheyteachthepeopletorespectandobeytheir
runmostoftheEuropeangovernments,butthepeopledonotbe- masters. When the tyrant was king, church and school taught re-
lieveanymorethattheyaredifferentfromotherbourgeoisrégimes. spectforandobediencetothe‘lawandorder’oftheking.Whenthe
TheyfeelthatSocialismhasfailedandisbankrupt. kingisabolishedandarepublicinstituted,churchandschoolteach
InlikemannerhavetheBolsheviksproventhatMarxiandogma respectforandobediencetorepublican‘lawandorder’.OBEY!that
andLeninistprinciplescanleadonlytodictatorshipandreaction. is the eternal cry of church and school, no matter how vile the
To the Anarchists there is nothing surprising in all this. They tyrant,nomatterhowoppressiveandunjust‘lawandorder’.
havealwaysclaimedthattheStateisdestructivetoindividuallib- OBEY! For if you will cease obedience to authority you might
erty and social harmony, and that only the abolition of coercive begintothinkforyourself!Thatwouldbemostdangerousto‘law
authorityandmaterialinequalitycansolveourpolitical,economic andorder’,thegreatestmisfortuneforchurchandschool.Forthen
and national problems. But their arguments, though based on the youwouldfindoutthateverythingtheytaughtyouwasalie,and
age-long experience of man, seemed mere theory to the present was only for the purpose of keeping you enslaved, in mind and
generation, until the events of the last two decades have demon- body,sothatyoushouldcontinuetotoilandsufferandkeepquiet.
stratedinactuallifethetruthoftheAnarchistposition. Such an awakening on your part would indeed be the greatest
The breakdown of Socialism and of Bolshevism has cleared the calamityforchurchandschool,forMasterandRuler.
wayforAnarchism. Butifyouhavegonethusfarwithme,ifyouhavenowbegunto
There is considerable literature on Anarchism, but most of its think for yourself if you understand that capitalism robs you and
larger works were written before the World War. The experience that government with its ‘law and order’ is there to help it do it;
oftherecentpasthasbeenvitalandhasmadecertainrevisionsnec- ifyourealizethatalltheagenciesofinstitutionalizedreligionand
essaryintheAnarchistattitudeandargumentation.Thoughtheba- educationserveonlytodeludeyouandkeepyouinbondage,then
sic propositions remain the same, some modifications of practical youmightrightlyfeeloutragedandcryout,‘Istherenojusticein
applicationaredictatedbythefactsofcurrenthistory.Thelessons theworld?’
oftheRussianRevolutioninparticularcallforanewapproachto
various important problems, chief among them the character and
activitiesofthesocialrevolution.
6 55
Butthetruthcannotbesuppressedforever.Moreandmoreper- Furthermore, Anarchist books, with few exceptions, are not ac-
sonsgraduallycametoseethatthe‘agitators’whohadbeenkilled cessible to the understanding of the average reader. It is the com-
were right. They came to understand that slavery was wrong and monfailingofmostworksdealingwithsocialquestionsthatthey
badforthem,andtheirnumbersgrewallthetime.Thetyrantmade arewrittenontheassumptionthatthereaderisalreadyfamiliarto
severe laws to suppress them: his government did everything to a considerable extent with the subject, which is generally not the
stop them and their ‘evil designs’. Church and school denounced case at all. As a result there are very few books treating of social
thosemen.Theywerepersecutedandhoundedandexecutedinthe problemsinasufficientlysimpleandintelligiblemanner.
mannerofthosedays. For the above reason I consider a restatement of the Anarchist
Sometimestheywereputonabigcrossandnailedtoit,orthey position very much needed at this time — a restatement in the
hadtheirheadscutoffwithanaxe.Atothertimestheywerestran- plainestandclearesttermswhichcanbeunderstoodbyeveryone.
gled to death, burned at the stake, quartered, or bound to horses Thatis,anABCofAnarchism.
andslowlytornapart. Withthatobjectinviewthefollowingpageshavebeenwritten.
This was done by the church and the school and the law, often
Paris,1928.
evenbythedeludedmob,invariouscountries,andinthemuseums
to-dayyoucanstillseetheinstrumentsoftortureanddeathwhich
wereusedtopunishthosewhotriedtotellthetruthtothepeople. Introduction
Butinspiteoftortureanddeath,inspiteoflawandgovernment,
in spite of church and school and press, slavery was at last abol- IwanttotellyouaboutAnarchism.
ished,thoughpeoplehadinsistedthat‘itwasalwayssoandmust I want to tell you what Anarchism is, because I think it is well
remainso’. you should know it. Also because so little is known about it, and
Later, in the days of serfdom, when the nobles lorded it over whatisknownisgenerallyhearsayandmostlyfalse.
the common people, church and school were again on the side of I want to tell you about it, because I believe that Anarchism is
therulersandtherich.Againtheythreatenedthepeoplewiththe thefinestandbiggestthingmanhaseverthoughtof;theonlything
wrath of God if they should dare to become rebellious and refuse that can give you liberty and well-being, and bring peace and joy
toobeytheirlordsandgovernors.Againtheybroughtdowntheir totheworld.
maledictions upon the heads of the ‘disturbers’ and heretics who Iwanttotellyouaboutitinsuchplainandsimplelanguagethat
dared defy the law and preach the gospel of greater liberty and there will be no misunderstanding it. Big words and high sound-
well-being. Again those ‘enemies of the people’ were persecuted, ing phrases serve only to confuse. Straight thinking means plain
hounded, and murdered — but the day came when serfdom was speaking.
abolished. ButbeforeItellyouwhatAnarchismis,Iwanttotellyouwhat
Serfdom gave place to capitalism with its wage slavery, and itisnot.
again you find church and school on the side of the master and That is necessary because so much falsehood has been spread
ruler. Again they thunder against the ‘heretics’, the godless ones about Anarchism. Even intelligent persons often have entirely
who wish the people to be free and happy. Again church and wrong notions about it. Some people talk about Anarchism
54 7
withoutknowingathingaboutit.AndsomelieaboutAnarchism,
becausetheydon’twant youtoknowthetruthaboutit.
Anarchism has many enemies; they won’t tell you the truth
about it. Why Anarchism has enemies and who they are, you
Chapter 7: Church and School
will see later, in the course of this story. Just now I can tell you
that neither your political boss nor your employer, neither the
capitalist nor the policeman will speak to you honestly about
Anarchism. Most of them know nothing about it, and all of them Yes, my friend, it has always been so. That is, law and govern-
hateit.Theirnewspapersandpublications—thecapitalisticpress ment have always been on the side of the masters. The rich and
—arealsoagainstit. powerful have always doped you by ‘God’s will’, with the help of
Even most Socialists and Bolsheviks misrepresent Anarchism. thechurchandtheschool.
True,themajorityofthemdon’tknowanybetter.Butthosewhodo Butmustitalwaysremainso?
knowbetteralsooftenlieaboutAnarchismandspeakofitas‘disor- In olden days, when the people were the slaves of some tyrant
derandchaos’.Youcanseeforyourselfhowdishonesttheyarein — of a tsar or other autocrat — the church (of every religion and
this:thegreatestteachersofSocialism—KarlMarxandFriedrich denomination)taughtthatslaveryexistedby‘thewillofGod,’that
Engels — had taught that Anarchism would come from Socialism. itwasgoodandnecessary,thatitcouldnotbeotherwise,andthat
TheysaidthatwemustfirsthaveSocialism,butthatafterSocialism whoeverwasagainstitwentagainstGod’swillandwasagodless
therewillbeAnarchism,andthatitwouldbeafreerandmorebeau- man,aheretic,ablasphemerandasinner.
tifulconditionofsocietytoliveinthanSocialism.YettheSocialists, The school taught that this was right and just, that the tyrant
whoswearbyMarxandEngels,insistoncallingAnarchism‘chaos ruled by ‘the grace of God’, that his authority was not to be ques-
and disorder’, which shows you how ignorant or dishonest they tioned,andthathewastobeservedandobeyed.
are. Thepeoplebelieveditandremainedslaves.
The Bolsheviki do the same, although their greatest teacher, But little by little there arose some men who had come to see
Lenin,hadsaidthatAnarchismwouldfollowBolshevism,andthat thatslaverywaswrong:thatitwasnotrightforonemantoholda
thenitwillbebetterandfreertolive. wholepeopleinsubjectionandbelordandmasterovertheirlives
ThereforeImusttellyou,firstofall,whatAnarchismisnot. andtoil.Andtheywentamongthepeopleandtoldthemwhatthey
Itisnot bombs,disorder,orchaos. thought.
Itisnot robberyandmurder. Then the government of the tyrant pounced upon those men.
Itisnot awarofeachagainstall. They were charged with breaking the laws of the land; they were
Itisnot areturntobarbarismortothewildstateofman. calleddisturbersofthepublicpeace,criminals,andenemiesofthe
Anarchismistheveryoppositeofallthat. people. They were killed, and the church and the school said that
Anarchism means that you should be free; that no one should itwasright,thattheydeserveddeathasrebelsagainstthelawsof
enslaveyou,bossyou,robyou,orimposeuponyou. Godandman.Andtheslavesbelievedit.
8 53
Think it over, my friend, and see what capital and government Itmeansthatyoushouldbefreetodothethingsyouwanttodo;
aredoingforyou,doingtoyou. and that you should not be compelled to do what you don’t want
Soontheywillagainbecallingonyouto‘defendyourcountry!’ todo.
Intimesofpeaceyouslaveinfieldandfactory,inwaryouserve Itmeansthatyoushouldhaveachancetochoosethekindofa
ascannonfodder—allforthegreatergloryofyourmasters. lifeyouwanttolive,andliveitwithoutanybodyinterfering.
Yetyouaretoldthat‘everythingisallright’,thatitis‘God’swill’, It means that the next fellow should have the same freedom as
thatit‘mustbeso’. you,thateveryoneshouldhavethesamerightsandliberties.
Don’t you see that it is not God’s will at all, but the doings of Itmeansthatallmenarebrothers,andthattheyshouldlivelike
capital and government? Can’t you see that it is so and ‘must be brothers,inpeaceandharmony.
so’ only because you permit your political and industrial masters Thatistosay,thatthereshouldbenowar,noviolenceusedby
to fool and dupe you, so they can live in comfort and luxury off one set of men against another, no monopoly and no poverty, no
your toil and tears, while they treat you as the ‘common’ people, oppression,notakingadvantageofyourfellow-man.
the‘lowerorders’,justgoodenoughtoslaveforthem? Inshort,Anarchismmeansaconditionorsocietywhereallmen
‘Ithasalwaysbeenso,’youremarkmeekly. andwomenarefree,andwhereallenjoyequallythebenefitsofan
orderedandsensiblelife.
‘Canthatbe?’youask;‘andhow?’
‘Notbeforeweallbecomeangels,’yourfriendremarks.
Well, let us talk it over. Maybe I can show you that we can be
decentandliveasdecentfolksevenwithoutgrowingwings.
52 9
tiancountrymenoftheNazarene’scommand,‘Thoushaltnotkill’,
werebrandedcowardsandshutupinprison;radicalswhodeclared
that the war was only in the interests of capitalism were treated
as‘viciousforeigners,and‘enemyspies’.Speciallawswererushed
Chapter 1: What Do You Want
throughtostifleeveryfreeexpressionofopinion.Direpunishment
was meted out to every objector. From the Atlantic to the Pacific
Out Of Life?
hundred-percenters,drunkwithmurderouspatriotism,spreadter-
ror.Thewholecountrywentmadwiththefrenzyofjingoism.The
nation-widemilitaristpropagandaatlastswepttheAmericanpeo-
Whatisitthateveryonewantsmostinlife?Whatdoyouwant
pleintothefieldofcarnage.
most?
Wilson was ‘too proud to fight’, but not too proud to send oth-
After all, we are all the same under our skins. Whoever you be
ers to do the fighting for his financial backers. He was ‘too proud
— man or woman, rich or poor, aristocrat or tramp, white, yellow,
to fight’, but not too proud to help the American plutocracy coin
redorblack,ofwhateverland,nationality,orreligion—weareall
gold out of the lives of seventy thousand Americans left dead on
alikeinfeelingcoldandhunger,loveandhate;weallfeardisaster
Europeanbattlefields.
anddisease,andtrytokeepawayfromharmanddeath.
The‘warfordemocracy’,the‘wartoendwar’provedthegreat-
Whatyoumostwantoutoflife,whatyoufearmost,thatalsois
est sham in history. As a matter of fact, it started a chain of new
true,inthemain,ofyourneighbor.
wars not yet ended. It has since been admitted, even by Wilson
Learned men have written big books, many of them, on sociol-
himself,thatthewarservednopurposeexcepttoreapvastprofits
ogy, psychology, and many other ‘ologies’, to tell you what you
forBigBusiness.ItcreatedmorecomplicationsinEuropeanaffairs
want, but no two of those books ever agree. And yet I think that
than had ever existed before. It pauperized Germany and France,
youknowverywellwithoutthemwhatyouwant.
andbroughtthemtothebrinkofnationalbankruptcy.Itloadedthe
They have studied and written and speculated so much about
peoplesofEuropewithstupendousdebts,andputunbearablebur-
this,forthemsodifficultaquestion,thatyou,theindividual,have
dens upon their working classes. The resources of every country
become entirely lost in their philosophies. And they have at last
werestrained.Theprogressofsciencewasregisteredbynewfacil-
come to the conclusion that you, my friend, don’t count at all.
ities of destruction. Christian precept was proven by the multipli-
What’s important, they say, is not you, but ‘the whole’, all the
cationofmurder,andthetreatiesweresignedwithhumanblood.
people together. This ‘whole’ they call ‘society’, ‘the common-
TheWorldWarbuilthugefortunesforthelordsoffinance—and
wealth’, or ‘the State’, and the wiseacres have actually decided
tombsfortheworkers.
thatitmakesnodifferenceifyou,theindividual,aremiserableso
And to-day? To-day we stand again on the brink of a new war,
long as ‘society’ is all right. Somehow they forget to explain how
fargreaterandmoreterriblethanthelastholocaust.Everygovern-
‘society’ or ‘the whole’can be all right if the single members of it
mentispreparingforitandappropriatingmillionsofdollarsofthe
arewretched.
workers’sweatandbloodforthecomingcarnage.
10 51