11 July 19, 1919.
THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE The Conquest of Capitalism TH CHE Socialist who does not know Capital From the Finnish Communist Paper Viesti in every country are the directors of tens and ism is a poor Socialist. He gives the Published at Stockholm.
possibly hundreds of corporations; at the same working class, which is fighting against the Translated by OKSANEN time their servants, bookkeepers, are on the iookout for the smaller undertakings. The forces of Capitalism, a wrong understanding of the enemy; at the same time persuading it themselves. One of its branches, the agricul supremacy of the bankers is not limited to the to use methods of attack which lead only to tural trust, extends its tentacles far outside boundry of the state, nor even greater boundries. This is international. Foreign capidisappointment and defeat not to victory. He the boundry of the United States. They are thus proves false to the workers, and betrays wound around the farmer in Canada, Mexico tal flows wherever dividends are to be had, as he will probably join the enemy ranks and prices in America, but it has made agreements and the Kaiser invested tens of millions for them to the enemy; during a decisive battle and even in Finland. It not only controls the the American dollar was invested in every corner of the Old World. So had the Czar turn his weapons against the workers.
with the steel kings of Europe not to underbid To know Capitalism means to have know them, and for this kindness they have divided the rainy day in American railroads and real estate. German capital had secretly and publedge of its various phases. It is not an un the markets of the world.
changing condition that can be sufficiently un The steel trust not only produces steel, and licly undermined English capital by holding derstood by an occasional random reading of all rnat is manuiactured from steel, from a the largest amount of stock in John Bull the Erfurt Program, or by an acquaintance needle to a giant battleship, but everything corporations and at the same time compelling with a few maxims of the bourgeois rule of else imaginable. Over night it has constructed the proud Englishman to buy the cheaper German goods.
some countries. Capitalism is an evolution, factories, costing millions, and next to these ary process, its development before the world it has built cities, with dwellings, stores, churExportation of goods which was the chief war was rapid, and during the war increased ches, newspapers, saloons and brothels. All aim of the nation, is now substituted by sendwith furious speed.
these it directs and uses as a mieans of exploit ing capital into foreign countries to net dividends.
We in Finland, had the opportunity to ob ation. Above all things it produces paper, The developing industry and the serve some of the phenomena. the centraliz profitable stock, and other obligations with greater exploitation, produce so much surplus interest bearing coupons.
Its directors are Capital that its investment is one of the most grafting, the rapidity with which the peasants among the world greatest bankers. At the ings mean something when we learn that in became sympathizers with the bourgeoisie, and the greater rapidity with which the conditions banks in the United States was under the con1910 the approximate investments in the world amounted to of the workers deteriorated.
trol of Morgan Jr. who is indirectly connected 160 billion dollars. The share When the Russian revolution became a fact with the steel trust, while the other banking dollars. of the United States, 26 billion dolwe saw the proverbial treachery of the most system was under the control of the oil trust.
liberal bourgeoisie in action. The ravenous These two systems were connected, except in lars; of France, 22 billion dollars; of Gerwolf emerged from its liberal lambskin. large joint investments, by the government many, 19 billion dollars. The annual interest, which amounts to billions, is invested in the Eventually we were face to face with Impe finance committee, which was the center of same way as the principal.
rialism itself, with its usurpation and looting, capitalistic business and which looked after its in the form of German militarism. That was interests when the national loans were up for What is the goal of capital? It is autocracy, a revelation. Nothing remained vague! consideration.
monopoly. The beginning of capital was comThose social democrats who are trying to Banks hold the reins of production of the petition, but its later development destroys heal the wounds of the working class with entire business world. We have examples of cometition. As a haberdasher thanks God for democracy do not understand that what this in Finland, where the National Bank is the failure of his competitor, so Rockefeller has been tried in Finland during the past year gathering up all the threads of business. Busirubbed his hands and smiled when he heard is the culmination of Capitalism, and that the ness establishments are unable to get credit, that his last competitor had comitted suicide.
only way out is social revolution. They do and so are swallowed up. Through its agents He sent his millions of profit to seek other not understand that Imperialism is nothing the tourist nobility, it bought Swedish real profit in Central and South America, in Euelse than Capitalism and that the workers estate. Its branch offices in small cities and rope, Africa, and Asia. That China was conmust struggle directly against it for Social villages were devices for getting the money quered by enlightenment of a kerosene lamp ism. In order to fully understand the neces of the people for undertakings which turned is a well known story. But in those countries sity of a revolution we must understani the out unsuccessful, e. went bankrupt, and American capital meets English, French, and theory of Imperialism.
then were turned over to the bankers at ridiGerman capital. There exists keen competition What is the basic economic principle of culously low prices. The National Bank was in the sale of their goods credits, money, Imperialism?
the leader of the opposition to the uniting of investment and public loans in which each Briefly, it is the centralization of the means the private banks, but these private banks tries to crowd the other to the side. But as of production. We knew this to be the direc were allowed to join in draining the money in our economic scheme of competition, the tion of the developmeit of Capitalism, but we froin the people for the purpose of obtaining reduction of price and interest would be dewere unable to estimate its achievement or funds for the community, or the state. The trimental to the capitalists of the various observe the rapidity with which it was reach establishment of an Emission Company meant countries, they must seek other means to acing this end. At home we were familiar with that the accumulating surplus money in the complish their purposes. So long there is any industrial union circles, The match swindler banks might be used in forming industrial en part of the earth surface unapportioned, it and his accomplices were known by this term. terprises and new companies, which would is possible for them to separate sections where We applied the terms monopoly and trust to then remain in the control, and under the each can exert its own influence, or consider sugar and paper products which could be ob directorship of the banks. The stocks of these it a colony where it is possible to have a monotained only through one agent, because these banks were circulating on the market as bait poly on the exploitation. This, however, does products were subject to the protection of for the savings of the credulous people; at the not seem to satisfy for they are crowded upon duty and customs. There existed mining cor exchanges they were sold at a high price and the same areas, and finally they must resort porations and logging companies who owned bought back at a very low figure. Watering to their political remedies.
half of several provinces.
stock became a favorite habit; capital was What are the politics of financial capital?
But we learned that in other countries there created upon paper without an equivalent in It is just that phenomenon which is known were organizations more powerful than our s: vestment in the plant or in goods. com by the term Imperialism. This term comes the German syndicate and the American trust. pany with a million dollars in property could from the Latin word imperium which means We knew that the oil trust had a complete very well pay dividends on five million dollars empire (imperator, commander, kaiser. an monopoly, that the capital of the steel trust capital. The small bourgeoisie and the pea aspirant to world power. England is the is reckoned in billions, and that its yearly sants were dragging the same net with the leader in this field, she has independent coprofits amount to hundreds of millions. The banking capital, the former got its plunder by lonies (Canada, Australia, South Africa. same is true of all industries. These trusts being a faithful agent of large capital, and the regular colonies (India, and various parts of are not separate business concerns, but are latter had the good fortune to buy and to sell Africa. proprietory colonies (Egypt. and united, as for example, the steel trust; it at prices which were controlled by the large vassal states (Portugal, Norway. Every sells its products to itself, for it is made up capitalists.
where in China, Persia, etc. England is of many companies having a capital of hund As an illustration of the power of the banks struggling to exert her influence.
reds of millions each, which are trusts in let it be mentioned that the directors of banks (Concluded in our nert Issue)