SOCIALIST APPEAL September 25, 1999 When Will the New World War Begin Imperialists Now Launch Conflicts Without Formal Declarations of War even (Continued from page 1) At no time in the past would henceforth the conflicts could manner not forseen by the milithe direct analysis of living and this question have been By James Burnham never be forced back within that tarists, to concrete events.
concrete reality. Every new his raised. War was always a social framework, that it was now torical crisis, deep as may be activity with certain convenctionrace toward war on a world scale.
What This Means its roots in the past, is yet novel al standards and rules. Wars be inter imperialist war, at least as The phrase, prelude to the The profound importance of and unprecedented in certain of gan with a formal announcement such a war has been up to now Marxists its fundamental aspects. We are to that effect, called in modern understood. The invasions of new world war. however, may this possibility for have had a more literal meaning should be apparent.
were as likely to be fooled as instruct times a Declaration of War. Manchuria and Ethiopia ed by memories; and convention by the warring parties.
This, in carried out by imperialist powers that was suspected even by those not take it into account, we may It al formulas can never do the turn, was a modified develop against backward nations. In the able and indisputable fact that not that war has suddenly startthe remark wake up some morning to find, work of intelligence.
ment from the more elaborate past, such acts have been freceremones that preceded armed quent enough in the history of since the beginning of the Ethio ed, but that it stared some long Central Task conflict in feudal society. The all the great power; and very pian invasion there have been in while ago. The revolutionists Every serious person knows Declaration of War, in modern often the great power did not see the world taken as a whole bodies would be caught completely most that the new world imperialist times, has itself almost invariab fit to dignfy the colonial aggres of armed men in conflict in num guard, organizationally and poliwar is coming, and is in fact not ly come as the conclusion of sev sion with a formal Declaration. bersnsteadily increasing month tically. Tactics applicable pour tar off. Every Marxist or near eral other standardized actions: Therefore, we are not able to be month, almost without ex colonial civil war might be tape of some kind, conclude defintely from the evi ception. In form these armed men plied long after what began as war the fate of mankind will be breaking off of diplolmatie reladence tions. at issue; that out of this war and then the Declaration of War imperialist war itself will be un China) and in a civil war (Spain. to the inter imperialist conflicts.
general mobilization. Ethiopian affairs that the inter colonial wars. Ethiopia and struggle had been subordinated will come either the workers declared.
But in the Ethiopian war, the On the other hand, if this posrevolution or a social barbarism The past three or four years But there is, when we examine were brought into the Mediterra or is even partly true, we may fleets of Great Britain and Italy sibility turns out to be the case, terrible and devastating in international relations have than ever before known in this witnessed a more complete break. the camesticht emere closelyesen sige nean; in the Spanish War, there anticipate a different tempor in tory. Every revolutionist under down in usual diplomacy. in Wificant difference between in the have been tens of thousands of certain developments associated his central task is to prepare for things, than has ever before oc sions, on the one hand, and ear: dollars worth of munitions pour claration of War: as for examthe challenge of the coming war curred. Since the withdrawal of literes colonial centerprises and the ed in by the great powers, and ple, the passing of reformists ation that it shall be at once the tions, the act has come first, and centuries, there was still left, riners between the ships, airplanes blown social patriotism, measures death of the monstrosity of cape the formality is either added on the world vast, virgin. terri: and submarines of the powers; by Governments for consolidas as yet and in China there is present a tion of the nation. etc. In fact, italism and the birth of the new gether. Armies march, ships are not brought under the sway to considerable concentration.
the the voting of the war budgets All the more fatal, then, will sunk, cities bombed, treaties vio capitalist exploitation, and often armed forces of the powers, some by the French Communist and lated, all without benefit of the not even definitely under the in of whose tactics have amounted, Socialist Parties in January, and be any miscalculation concerning fluence of any single great na to at least partial intervention. the pro Armament vote of the the nature and manner of the traditional rules.
new war. simple major error Does this mean that the new tion. But by the eve of 1914, alBritish Trades Union Congress What Next?
may well prove disaster. Nor, imperialist war will never be most the entire world had been this month, which we have tended to avoid miscalculation, is it formally initiated, never declar divided up among the great powIt is still, of course, possible ers, either as colonies, dominions, point to as an example of a dif.
enough to rely passively on what ed. subject nations, or as some other that a temporary solution can ference in the character of the we have learned from the past.
No Formalities type sphere of influence. be found for both the Spanish labor movement now as compared the The New Aspect Chinese struggles with 1914 (when such votes or This meant that capitalism had and There was, as we know, no reached its progressive limit, though it is not possible that curred only after the Declara Right on the surface there is declaration of war when Japan and was entering its decline as any solution could endure for tion of War. might seem to peculiarity of the present world invaded Manchuria, none when world system. The War of 1914 long. But the sequence of events strengthen the possibility which and 18 was not a war of capitalist during the past three years now have been discussing, and to situation which is all important. there has been none in connec expansion, but a war for the re raises also, as another and dis suggest that the difference lies This peculiarity is suggested by tion with the Spanish events. division, of the world among the tinct possibility, the alternative rather in the changed form of asking the simple question, How None of these situations is how great powers, and out of the war that the process which began the development of the new war.
lever, exactly comparable to an there did in fact come a re divi may continue, and that the armed tics by other means.
with the invasion of Ethiopia will the new war begin. War is a continuation of our war sion, enshrined and legalized in the Versailles Treaty and the by a series of almost insensible have always had an easy construggles now going on may pass period of peace. Heretofore we League of Nations.
gradations into conflict on a vention to distinguish the twoEnd of Versailles world scale, into the new im the convention of the War Declar.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN shall we do it?
perialist world war. This pro ation. If this convention is, or GETTING CRITICAL MARX Circulation is the life blood of The Versailles system summed cess might, furthermore, be com may be removed, shall have IAN ANALYSIS OF THE any periodical bet a capitalist the relationship of forces which pleted with no formalities what to look more closely than ever EVENTS IN THE RUS publication or the organ of a re held at the end of the war, after ever, above all with no formal at events themselves. In an ar81A, SPAIN AND THE ENTIRE volutionary party. WE MUST the military defeat of the Cen Declarations of War. Military ticle next week, propose to WORLD? THE SOCIALIST AP BUILD THE APPEAL CIRCUL tral Powers. It could hold only tacticians have already speculated make such an examination of the PEAL, OF COURSE!
ATION! You can help in this! until intolerable inner conflicts with this notion from the point Spanish events, and to suggest.
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