The Socialism of to-day

Bibliographic data

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

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

240 THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. The absolute impotence ¿'nd sterility of the Communes at Paris and in Spain clearly pi ove that Socialism, though it may snatch a victory by surprise, is unable to draw profit from its momentary triumph. A polIdeal revolution is often an easy matter ; social evolution is inevitable ; but a Socialistic revolu tion is impossible, for the simple reason that the economic face of society cannot be changed in a day, or by force. Neverthe less, many governments certainly act exactly as if they wished to provoke a terrible overthrow. In fact, on the one hand, ever growing military systems and more and more crushing taxes are reducing the people to ruin and driving them to despair ; while, on the other hand, every manifestation of their sufferings and all their wishes for reform are mercilessly suppressed. Socialism, even in a militant form, exists to-day, as we have seen, everywhere ; but while in free countries, such as England, Switzerland, or Belgium, it organizes congresses and banquets, where it speechifies, sings, drinks, and smokes, in States where it is persecuted to the death, as in Russia, it has recourse to the dagger, to incendiarism, to poison, and to dynamite. A govern ment which refuses to grant liberty has against it all those who claim liberty, from the best citizens to the worst scoundrels. Let it grant liberty, and its only enemies will be those who deserve the hulks, that is to say, happily still, a very insignifi cant number. Intelligent revolutionists see clearly that coercion gives them weapons. On this subject. Citizen Brousse, author of the article in the Avant-garde, which was condemned at Geneva in 1878, says as follows :—“ Our aim being the destruction of the State, we ought not to wish for the Republic which would give to the State a solid foundation, such as it has in Switzerland and in the United States. The form of government most advantageous to us is that which we can most easily destroy, that is, the restoration of the legitimist monarchy. . . . Relying on the results of Sociological science, we maintain that the Conservative Republic, which is about to be established in France on the ruins of radicalism, being the final advance which the State can make, will cement, to the great detriment of the proletariat of Europe an indissoluble alliance between all the elements of the

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: The Socialism of to-day

Monograph

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation