Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: KLASSENKAMPF In reading of social problems as they develop on the Continent, no one can fail to be struck with the way in which they are embittered by the spirit of class- warfare. So keenly is it felt, and so deeply does it appeal to the people, that by a certain party—the German Social Democrats—it has been accepted as the principle of progress itself; and the summons to hatred has become not only the basis of an economic system, but also the war-cry of a crusade. All crusaders have their war-cry, upon which depends very largely their success. What are the characteristics of a successful war-cry? In the first place it must represent a definite, simple idea, which can be understood quickly and without great effort by many people of very various degrees of intelligence ; and in the second place it must appeal directly, and without the necessity of any demonstration, to the emotions of the multitude. To their understanding of these conditions the Socialist leaders in Germany have owed much of their influence. " Class-warfare " is the cry by which from the first they have summoned the people to rallyround their standard, and it is their uncompromising loyalty to this cry which has kept the German Social Democrats a compact fighting body when the ranks of English Socialists are breaking up in confusion and compromise. The principle contained in the cry is very simple. All past history, it maintains, is the history of struggles for pre-eminence among different classes, and these struggles have now concentrated and culminated in one fierce uncompromising wrestle between the bourgeoisie or capitalist on the one hand, and the proletariat on the other. And just as the bourgeoisie has fought itself into pre-eminence in the past, so the proletariat will, inevitably and by the im...