Full text : The Socialism of to-day

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THE  SOCIALISM  OF  TO-DAY.

transformation  of  the  social  order,  if  necessary,  by  means  of
revolution,  it  was  the  latter  which,  from  1869,  got  the  upper
hand,  and,  as  always  happens,  under  the  most  marked  and
violent  form.
Meanwhile  the  International  protested  energetically  against
the  war  of  1870,  both  at  Paris,  at  London,  and  in  Germany.
On  the  12th  of  July  the  Parisian  federation  published  a  manifesto ­
  addressed  to  the  workers  of  all  countries,  but  principally
to  their  “brothers  of  Germany,”  of  which  the  following  is  an
extract  :—“  To  the  bellicose  cries  of  those  who  are  themselves
exempt  from  the  blood-tax,  or  who  find  in  the  public  misfortunes ­
  a  source  of  new  speculations,  we  oppose  our  emphatic
protest,  we  who  wish  for  peace,  labour,  and  liberty.  War  is  the
indirect  means  by  which  Governments  stifle  the  liberties  of
the  people.”  The  general  council,  in  its  turn,  addressed  a
manifesto  to  the  members  of  the  International  in  Europe  and
in  the  United  States.  It  was  probably  drawn  up  by  Marx,
and  contains  some  noteworthy  passages.  “  The  people  of
Paris  have  protested  against  the  war  with  so  much  energy  that
the  Prefect  of  Police  has  forbidden  all  expression  of  opinion  in
the  streets.  Whatever,  then,  may  be  the  issue  of  the  war,  the
funeral  knell  of  the  Second  Empire  has  already  sounded  in
Paris.  ...  If  the  working  classes  of  Germany  permit  the
present  war  to  lose  its  purely  defensive  character  and  to  degenerate ­
  into  an  offensive  war  against  the  people  of  France,
victory  or  defeat  will  be  equally  disastrous.  All  the  miseries
that  desolated  Germany  after  its  war  of  independence  will  be
reproduced  with  accumulated  force.”  The  general  council  then
quoted  several  addresses  to  the  French  working  men  published
by  German  sections.  At  Chemnitz  50,000  Saxon  working  men
sent  words  of  sympathy  to  their  French  brothers.
The  Berlin  section,  replying  to  the  Paris  manifesto,  said,
“With  heart  and  hand  we  adhere  to  your  proclamation.  We
solemnly  vow  that  neither  beat  of  drum,  nor  thunder  of  cannon,
nor  victory,  nor  defeat  shall  divert  us  from  our  efforts  to  establish ­
  the  union  of  the  workers  of  all  countries.”  The  manifesto
added,  “  The  single  fact  that,  while  official  France  and  Germany
are  rushing  into  a  fratricidal  war,  the  German  and  French
            
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