Socialism in eRepublik

Day 858, 12:02 • Published in Russia Russia • by CPSU_Official
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Русский перевод статьи

What is the job of a Socialist on erepublik? Different parties have answered this question in different ways in different places. Is it to gain power through parliamentary elections and to legislate Socialism into being? Or is it rather to ignore traditional politics altogether and to concentrate solely on the establishment and growth of worker communes?

Let us first investigate parliamentary route to eSocialism. A Socialist party that adopts this method commits itself to the conquest of political power, for the establishment of a Socialist government whose business it will be to abolish capitalism and bring about Socialism. Judge for yourself if such a thing is possible. In the first place, Socialists themselves admit that the possessing classes will not give up their wealth and privileges without a bitter fight. The question one must answer then is if the thing is at all practical?

Suppose that the Socialists could some day secure that majority. Will they then be able to change capitalism to Socialism? Just stop and consider: the plutocrats, the bourgeoisie, and all the other forces that benefit by capitalism; would they just sit quietly and permit the changing of the country in such a manner as to deprive them of their wealth and privileges? Can you believe that?

The Socialist must realise this very well. It would take a monumental political upheaval to achieve, as such that can hardly be of the Socialist's own creation in most countries. Even if such an event could be manufactured it would certainly not be done within the confounds of parliament. It would take some form of socio-economic revolution.

What then is the use of playing the parliamentary game if one cannot easily legislate socialism into existence without the contradiction of a revolution? Some then may claim that they mean to use politics only for the purpose of propaganda. There was some reason in the concept of preaching Socialism from the platform of parliament and in educating the people from it. So these Socialists favour political activity and take part in elections in order to have an opportunity to advocate Socialism.

It may seem a harmless thing, but it has proved the undoing of Socialism in both erepublik and real life. Because nothing is truer than that the means you use to attain your object soon themselves become your object. So money, for example, which is only a means to existence, has itself become the aim of our lives. Similarly with government. The 'elder' chosen by the primitive community to attend to some village business becomes the master, the ruler. Just so it happens with the Socialists.

Little by little they change their attitude. Instead of electioneering being merely an educational method, it gradually becomes their only aim to secure political office, to get elected to legislative bodies and other government positions. The change naturally leads the Socialists to tone down their revolutionary ardor; it compels them to soften their criticism of capitalism and government in order to avoid persecution and secure more votes. Up until the main stress of Socialist propaganda in the eUK has not laid any more on the educational value of politics but on the actual election of Socialists to office.

These Socialist parties do not speak of revolution. They claim that when they get a majority in Congress or Parliament they will legislate Socialism into being: they will legally and peacefully abolish capitalism. In other words, they are reformers who want to change things by law. Let us see, then, how this is to be done.

LET'S CONTINUE TOMORROW

Author Johnobrow Dadds, United Kingdom

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