The Socialism of to-day

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 835096955

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-28834

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Laveleye, Émile de

Title:: The Socialism of to-day

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Field & Tuer

Year of publication:: 1884

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XLIV, 331 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

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THE RISE AND FALL OF THE INTERNATIONAL. 1/5 working men are interchanging messages of peace and brother hood—this grand fact, without precedent in the history of the past, enables us to foresee a brighter future. It shows that a new society is arising whose International rôle will be peace, because the basis of nations will be everywhere the same, namely, labour.” After Sedan and the fall of the Empire, a movement of sympathy in favour of the French Republic took place in all the sections of the International, even in Germany. On the 5th of September the German Social Democrats, assembled at Brunswick, published a manifesto containing the following passage :—“ It is Germany’s interest to conclude a peace which France can accept with honour. It is asserted that the annexa tion of Alsace and Lorraine will preserve us for ever from a war with France. It is, on the contrary, the surest way to trans form into a European institution and to perpetuate in United Germany the system of military despotism. Peace on such terms will be only a truce, until France shall be strong enough to reconquer her lost provinces. The war of 1870 bears in its train a war between Germany and Russia, as certainly as the war of 1866 bore that of 1870. Unless a revolution breaks out in Russia beforehand, which seems improbable, the war between Germany and Russia may be looked upon as a cer tainty. If we take Alsace and Lorraine from France, she will ally herself to Russia. It would be useless to point out the deplorable consequences.” These warnings by no means pleased the general in command, Vogel von Falkenstein, who, by virtue of the state of siege, sent the leaders to dream of the coming peace in the casements of Königsberg. I have endeavoured by these extracts to throw light on the cosmopolitan tendency of the International. It is, in fact one of the characteristic traits of modern Socialism. It is clearly derived from the ideas of the Manchester school and ultimately from the teachings of Political Economy, which always considers the good of humanity and readily forgets the existence of separate States. Establish universal free trade, say the Economists, abolish custom-houses and stand ing armies, make the laws everywhere identical, and soon

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