British Socialism: An Examination of Its Doctrines, Policy, Aims and Practical ProposalsBarker, J. Ellis
History
British Socialism: An Examination of Its Doctrines, Policy, Aims and Practical Proposals
Barker, J. Ellis
Socialism; Socialism -- Great Britain
Socialism is, on the whole, hostile to the State. All Socialists hate
the State as at present constituted, because it protects the property
which they wish to seize. However, many Socialists hate not only the
State in its present form. They have become doubtful whether private
capital or the State is the greater evil. They long for liberty, and
would not welcome the restraint of any State, and least of all that of
the absolute, all-regulating, and constantly interfering Socialistic
State. Hence many Socialists have become Anarchists. Socialists may be
divided into two classes--Communists and Anarchists--and Prince
Kropotkin, the foremost Anarchist leader living, described the two
Socialistic sections as follows: "A section of Socialists believes
that it is impossible to attain Socialism without sacrificing personal
liberty on the altar of the State. Another section, to which we
belong, believes, on the contrary, that it is only by the abolition of
the State, by the conquest of perfect liberty by the individual, by
free agreement, association, and absolute free federation, that we can
reach Communism."[1073] Many Socialists, seeing the enemy rather in
the State than in private capital, express their passionate hatred of
the State: "The State at present is simply a huge machine for robbing
and slave-driving the poor by brute force."[1074] "The Parliament ever
cries for more money, more money for the service of the State. Just
heavens! Of what service is the State? Of very little service to
honest, industrious men,"[1075] The philosopher of British Socialism
frankly confesses himself a revolutionary Anarchist: "As an
international revolutionist I have always been strongly sympathetic
with all movements for local autonomy as most directly tending to
destroy the modern 'nation' or centralised bureaucratic State."[1076]
"It is quite true that Socialism will have to take over the accursed
legacy of existing national frontiers from the bourgeois world-order;
but Socialism will take it over merely with the view of killing it off
and burying it at the earliest possible moment. The modern nation or
centralised State is a hideous monstrosity, the offspring of
capitalism in its various phases; in its present shape the outcome of
the developed capitalism of the great industry. We quite admit that in
form it may, and probably will, survive the earlier stage of
Socialism, but its ultimate disappearance is none the less certain.
The sentiment of the national patriotism will then, let us hope, be
reduced to its last expression--the holding of annual dinners, or some
harmless festivity of this sort, such as is affected by the natives of
certain English counties resident in the metropolis. The Nationalist
movement, therefore, is an old Radical 'plank' which clearly no longer
belongs to us as Socialists."[1077]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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