As the workers cannot increase the share they are getting, to say nothing of appropriating the total product of their industries- which is justly theirs-without directly antagonizing the interests of the capitalists, there is, consequently, no way by which these questions can be fought out "to a finish" along any other line than the line of the mutual antagonisms resulting from these necessarily conflicting interests between the workers and the idlers.

353. Class Consciousness.-To see clearly that two great economic classes have existed in history, that they still exist-to be aware of the conflict of interests between these classes, that is, between the exploiters and the victims of the exploitation-to realize one's identity with his own class, is a necessary condition to taking one's most effective part on either side of this class struggle; and this is what is meant by being class conscious.

354. "States of Consciousness."-John Fiske says that "Life in the animal world is a series of states of consciousness." Any organism is alive just in proportion as it is conscious, and in that proportion only will it struggle for existence. It is true that one may be class conscious with but a slight degree of consciousness. One may know and realize that there are economic classes without intensely feeling his own identity of interest with either class. He may have a shadowy sort of consciousness without having a realization of the matter and of the necessity of this economic class war.

One may be conscious of some disorder in his own physical constitution. This disorder may be really fatal, but the victim will not rise to the death-struggle unless he is not only conscious of the disorder, but conscious of the very serious danger of his malady. One stupefied with drink has a form of consciousness

and will make some effort to protect himself, but he cannot be as practical, as careful, as effective, as if wholly in possession of himself, as if in a more perfect state of consciousness. A sleeping child can protect itself but little, if at all. It comes into more effectiveness in the struggle for existence when half awake. Only when wide awake, however, can it use to the utmost its powers of self-preservation. This holds in the life of groups and classes as well as in all other forms of organic existence. The working class, unconscious of its solidarity, unconscious of its power, unconscious of its relations to the exploiters, may be said to be in the sleeping stage of class consciousness. It is not enough that the worker shall be half awake. He must be altogether awake. He must altogether realize his relations to his fellows, and how he is related to the strugglers in this struggle of economic classes, and how vitally essential to his own welfare is the triumph of his class.3

3. "While modern plutocracy is not a form of government in the same sense that the other forms mentioned are, it is, nevertheless, easy to see that its power is as great as any government has ever wielded. The test of governmental power is usually the manner in which it taxes the people, and the strongest indictments ever drawn up against the worst forms of tyranny have been those which recited the oppressive methods of extorting tribute. But tithes are regarded as oppressive, and a fourth part of the yield of any industry would justify a revolt. Yet today there are many commodities for which the people pay two or three times as much as would cover the cost of production, transportation and exchange at fair wages and fair profits. The monopolies in many lines actually tax the consumer from 25 to 75 per cent of the real value of the goods. Imagine an excise tax that should approach these figures! It was shown in Chapter XXXIII that under the operation of either monopoly or aggressive competition the price of everything is pushed up to the maximum limit that will be paid for the commodity in profitable quantities, and this wholly irrespective of the cost of production. No government in the world has now, or ever has had, the power to enforce such an extortion as this. It is a governing power in the interests of favored individuals, which exceeds that of the most powerful monarch or despot that ever wielded a scepter.

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"The individual has reigned long enough. The day has come for society to take its affairs into its own hands and shape its own destinies. The individual has acted as best he could. He has acted in the only way he could. With a consciousness, will, and intellect of

355. The Irrepressible Warfare.-The age-long class war is nearing a final crisis; and in that final conflict all those who are willing to serve in any way will be found together, and all those who exact service, or wish to exact service, for which they wish to render no corresponding service in return-all these will be found together. And between these two classes the economic and political battle must be fought out "to a finish." There can be no compromise in the nature of the case. Nothing but unconditional surrender can end the war. If the workers surrender, nothing but the continuance of dependence and poverty can come to them as a result while capitalism lasts, and the collapse of capitalism will come just the same.

If capitalism does not surrender, its collapse cannot be avoided by any victory which it can possibly gain over the working people. If capitalism does surrender, as sooner or later it must surrender, the workers will become the masters, but as all men and women must then become useful people, serving others if they expect the service of others, economic class lines must disappear at once and for all time.

The economic class lines established in the world by the misfortune of barbarian wars, perpetuated through out the whole period of civilization by the force of the military, which now condemns the workers to conditions to which they would never submit, were the tasks

his own he could do nothing else than pursue his natural ends. He should not be denounced nor called names. He should not even be blamed. Nay, he should be praised, and even imitated. Society should learn its great lesson from him, should follow the path he has so clearly laid out that leads to success. It should imagine itself an individual, with all the interests of an individual, and becoming fully conscious of these interests it should pursue them with the same indomitable will with which the individual pursues his interests. Not only this, it must be guided, as he is guided, by the social intellect, armed with all the knowledge that all individuals combined, with so great labor, zeal, and talent, have placed in its possession, constituting the social intelligence."-Ward: Psychic Factors of Civilization, pp. 322 24.

of the toilers once free from the guards of the soldiers --this age-long class war will end with the triumph of the working class.

356. The Evolution of Socialism.-It was the coming of slavery, the result of barbarian wars and the earliest form of capitalism, which brought into existence the economic class struggle. Every step in the development of modern capitalism has intensified the conflict of interests between the beneficiaries of capitalism and the victims of capitalism. So long as capitalism lasts this conflict of interests must remain. So long as the interests of these economic classes are opposed to each other, so long these classes must be at war and cannot be at peace. No possible victory of capitalism can end the conflict of interests and so end the class war. Every blow that is struck in this class war is making more evident, and in the end must make it absolutely clear to all men, that only by ending capitalism can this age-long warfare of economic classes be ended also. It is becoming equally clear that the only way to make an end of capitalism is to make a beginning of Socialism. And hence, the creation of economic classes by capitalism and the pitiless class war under capitalism becomes a factor of the first importance in the evolution of Socialism. And Socialism is the final working program of the working man's side of this age-long economic class war.

357. Summary.-1. Economic classes do exist. 2. The economic class war is the result of the conflict of the economic interests of the economic classes. 3. The master class is always the class in control of economic opportunities.

4. The class which is dependent on others for economic opportunities will be dependent in all other relations.

5. The class war cannot be ended so long as conflicting economic interests remain.

6. The working class cannot bring industrial peace by any surrender it can possibly make because conflicting economic interests will still remain.

7. The master class cannot avoid disaster by any victory it can gain over the working class. Mutual strife among the masters will continue the process of mutual self-destruction.

8. Equal economic opportunity for all men will end the class war by removing the cause of the existence of economic classes.

REVIEW QUESTIONS.

1. Describe the economic classes.

2. What is characteristic of all the wars?

3. Give instances of economic wars between members of the master class.

4. Give an account of the evolution of the economic class struggle5. Can the class war cease and capitalism continue?

6. What is meant by class consciousness?

7. Can there be degrees of class consciousness?

8. How many sides will be engaged in the final conflict of the economic class war?

9. What will end the economic class struggle?

10. How is Socialism related to this economic class struggle?