Author: alanjjohnstone
A Conversation with Karl
Question 1: Dr Marx , you are well known as the author of a book on economics but I think you studied law at university, didn’t you?Karl Marx: Although I studied jurisprudence, I pursued it as a subject subordinated to philosophy and history. In the year 1842-43 , as editor of the Rheinische Zeitung, I first found myself…
Producers and Parasites
The only useful people today are those engaged in producing the wealth. It is they alone who must eliminate the parasites and usher in a new social order. The future of civilisation is in the hands of the producing class. Many other workers talk about “my job.” It is partly habit and partly belief that…
Paul Lafargue
From the issue 7 1994 of the Idler Magazine: The French labour activist. Paul Lafargue, dreamed of a three hour day for everyone, was thrown in prison for subversion and in 1883 wrote a searing attack on the work ethic called The Right to be Lazy. If you think you work too hard now, spare a thought for…
Robert Owen and New Lanark
Paternalism is a common attitude among well-meaning social reformers. Stemming from the root pater, or father, paternalism implies a patriarchal, benevolent but superior sensibility. Paternalistic social reformers feel a social responsibility and believe that they should “uplift” those beneath them, but also see those they help as inferior, or childlike, in some way. Paternalistic industrialists…
The Myth of the Transitional Society
‘Critique’ has recently published the translation of an article by Ernest Mandel, in which he develops his now familiar theme that, in the course of social evolution, there intervenes – and must intervene – between capitalism and socialism a transitional “society” with its own social base, relations of production, etc. [i] This is a point of view worth discussing but,…
Ending War
From the April 1984 issue of the World Socialist The Parties within the World Socialist Movement stand uniquely against capitalism. We reject that system utterly and completely in whatever guise it appears: State capitalism, run by “communists”, “mixed-economy” capitalism, run by “socialists”, social-democrats or centrists; or the more openly vicious variety of unfettered “free” capitalism run…
Mark Twain’s ‘The War Prayer’
It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading…
The Materialist Conception Of History
For an easy to understand explanation of the Materialist Conception of History, read on. The socialist is politically opposed to the system in which he finds himself; this opposition arises from an analysis of capitalism, and the realization that socialism will solve the majority of the economic and social problems that exist today. We further claim…
A World to Share, A Planet to Spare, A World in Common
Editorial from the April 1984 issue of the World Socialist Across the entire face of the planet useful labour is held back and subject to domination by world capital. World Socialism will establish the freedom in which it can concentrate its energies solely on human needs. This will be world co-operation to produce more food;…
In Response to Reformism
We in the World Socialist Movement are often accused of being opposed to reforms, social legislation ostensibly designed to ameliorate some more or less intolerable situation such as the NHS or Social Security. However, to the contrary, the World Socialist Movement is NOT opposed to reforms per se, any more than it ADVOCATES them. Socialists should not support or agitate for reforms…