August 23, 1919 THE COMMUNIST Pege Nine States, and of the world, up to 1917 was served by the democrats, everything vital in of a hesitating, compromising, reformist form of police repression. Then a new society them, and leave them nothing but the repulsive stern reality of a proletarian test of character, having as its goal merely the strength they capitulated before the capwill have been created, with elenients completetransfer of the larger industries of the ly new, with principles purely proletarian. The italist state without the representative societies of resistence will have ended by ennation from the hands of individual of that state so much as requesting them larging their field of action to such a degree they groups of capitalists to the control of the will have absorbed nearly everything political.
to do so.
government. The war has hastened the Emil Pouget, the best known anarchoComplete extermination of the capidevelopment of government ownership syndicalist writer in Europe, is the one talist class is the goal of the class conin the various countries until the fondest individual recognized as the modern the.
scious worker, but it is only the socialist, dreams of the reformist socalists are reoretical exponent of syndicalism.
well grounded in the principles of MarxFolalized. In fact, some of them have be lowing the lead of Sorel, Pouget deism, who can point the way to working come alarmed at the rapid spread of gov clares: class conquests of power. The Russian ernment ownership under the stimulus revolution is an illustration of the abi)of the war, and Allan Benson, presi Syndicalism does not look to a simple modi ity of Marxian socialists to correctly fication of the governmental personnel, but rathdential candidate on the socialist ticket er to a reduction of the state to zero, by transgauge a revolutionary crisis and to unplanting into the syndicalist organs the few usein 1916, was compelled to exclaim that fui functions which keep up the illusion of the derstand the action necessary for workalthough he considers himself a socialist, others, purely and simply.
value of government, and by suppressing the ing class conquest of power. Instead of he believed President Wilson was makdemanding anything from the capitalisi So we see that both the syndicalist state or trying by any action, direct 02 ing a grave mistake by introducing SO and the reform socialist aim to stroll into cialism at too great a pace. The former otherwise, to force concessions from it, the co operatice commonwealth or inpresidential candidate for the socialists dustrial republic while the capitalist workers for the conquest of the political the socialist endeavors to arouse the believes we should proceed at a slower class maintains control of the state. Both pace. While we should take a step at state of capitalism; to seize and destroy aim to build the structure of the new a time they should be slow, deliberate society within the shell of the old. proletariat in its place. This is in comit and establish the dictatorship of the steps, enabling us to feel our ground well, While the revolutionary socjalist has no and not such a helter skelter gallop to objection to building a new society withplete harmony with revolutionary theory Ward socialism as Mr. Wilson has so reckand practice. Marx and Engels in the in the shell of the old he recognizes the lessly indulged in. Other socialists in Communist Manifesto of 1848 cieclared fact that it is impossible to even begin the United States, who are more pro building the structure of the new society working class is to raise the proletariat the first act in the revolution by the gressive than Mr. Benson, look with fa while the capitalist class maintains convor upon such socialization of industries, trol of the state. The fundamental falto the position of the ruling class, and the and in harmony with the European relessons learned from the experience of lacy that brands both the position of the form parties, work for a constant extenthe Paris Commune proved to the revolureform socialist and the syndicalist as tionary workers that the proletariat can:sion of the achievements gained, con hopelessly utopian is their misconception not simply lay hold of the ready made sidering such action sufficient to drive of the state.
the capitalist out of one position after anmachinery of the capitalist state and Although the spokesmen of both or weild it in its own interest, but must esother and gradually expropriating it ganizations declare the state is the in tablish its own particular form of class within the bounds of capitalist legality, strument of class domination, they pic domination.
without any change in governmental ture this state as a machine from which The fact that the socialist points to power. Alongside of and within the cap some parts can be taken without wreckitalist state occurs the peaceful penetra ing the whole apparatus. The fact that the insufficiency of the syndicalist ortion of socialism into the capitalist sys the reformer uses parliamentarism and ganization as a means to emancipate tem. Thus does the reform socialist the syndicalist what he terms direct acthe working class does not mean that he minimizes the importance of all industrial build the new society within the shell tion does not change their fundamental organizations as centers of resistence of the old.
misunderstanding of the structure of the If syndicalism can be said to have a capitalist state. When this idea of seagainst the encroachments of the capitaltheoretical foundation it is based upon curing benefits for the workers within ist class. The beneficial effects of the Sorel book, The Socialist Future the confines of the capitalist state is carstruggle for better conditions under of the Syndicats, published in 1898.
which a group of workers sell their laried into a revolutionary crisis the shalThe book attracted little attention until lowness of parliamentarism and syndibor power should never be overlooked.
the entry of Millerand into the French calist direct action is completely exposed, Through the efforts of unions to improve the conditions of the worker, thousanda cabinet brought parliamentary socialism not only as insufficient weapons in the into disrepute in the labor movement of struggle for working class emancipation, from an individualist bias are aroused of persons who before looked upon life Europe. In this book Sorel correctly de but as positive impediments in that strugclares the state is an organ of authority, gie. The recent failure of the syndical and brought into the organization. This used by the capitalist class to impose its ists of France to lead the masses of the activity develops discipline and mutual will upon the workers. Through direct workers into a political strike, which was fidelity, and the suppression of individaction of the syndicats (industrial uncalled for July 21 as a protest against ualism and the identity of interest existions) the workers will gradually take Allied intervention in Russia is the latest ing within the group is learned in the over one function of the state after anexpose of the reformistic tactics of the struggles on this field. In this struggle other, until there is very little for the syndicalists. For weeks the workers of the confiict of interest between the worker and the master manifests itself. It is state to do. Union action of the work three countries had been preparing for at this point that the political struggle ing class is substituted for state action. a general political strike, when just beasserts itself. The union organization, The syndicalist does not ask for laws fore the hour to call the strike the bourwhose activity is limited to the commodfrom the legislator for protection of the geois Chamber of Deputies expressed working class as does the reform social its distrust of one of the minor members ity struggle, only represents a particular group of the working class against a ist, but he expects to force from the legis of the Clemenceau cabinet. The leaders given group of the capitalist class. In lator facilities for proceeding with the of the syndicalists professed to believe transfer of power from the state to the the repudiation of this member was the the political struggle all this clivision disunion. This transformation comes about signal for the fall of the cabinet, hence appears and the representatives of the through the unions taking control of they tabled the orders for the strike to working class political organization, inthose departments that directly concern await the outcome of the parliamentary stead of facing the capitalist class as the labor, such as government employment squabble. So we see the most rabid op representatives of the workers in a single agencies, old age pension departments, ponents of the working class political ac industry or group of industries, speas as the representatives of the working workmen compensation, shop and fac tion childishly placing their salvation in tory inspection offices, etc. Sorel exthe hands of a capitalist parliament. class as a whole. Hence the political plains his conception of the gradual de Whether this action on the part of the struggle extends the conflict beyond the confines of the unions. The revolutioncline of state power and the ascendency syndicalists was stupidly or perfidy or ary socialist takes advantage of the poof the power of the industrial unions in cowardice, it was a betrayal of the revthe following: olutionary workers in Russia and also litical struggle and even nominates cendidates for office, not as a means of atthe workers in the Allied countries. The It is necessary that the uniong strip the state of its powers, little by little, by demanding most logical explanation is that it was tempting to ameliorate the condition or the worker under capitalism, but in order them incessantly, by interesting the public in their ignorance and inability to recognize a efforts, by denouncing the abuses without respite, to be in a position to teach the working by showing the incompetence or the dishonesty revolutionary opportunity which made of the public administrations. They will thus cowards of them. Rather than face the class the modus operandi of the capitaleventually take away from the old forms, pre