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After the War Ends
Pannekoek, Anton
http://www.connexions.org/CxArchive/MIA/pannekoe/1917/after-war-ends.htmhttp://www.marxists.org/archive/pannekoe/1917/after-war-ends.htm Publisher: The Class Struggle Year Published: 1917 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX10851 When the soldiers return to their homes, new misery and new want are grinning at them. Awful as have been the sufferings that war has brought, in one respect the lot of the proletarians is still worse in times of peace. In war times the workers are needed; the bourgeoisie needs their enthusiasm, their willingness to sacrifice, their good will and the spirit of the army is an important factor in warfare. Money, therefore, becomes a secondary consideration, subservient to the aims of the war; aid and assistance are granted with unaccustomed liberality. The working class suffers, it is butchered, but those at home at least maintain a certain livelihood. That ceases with the coming of peace. The workers are not longer needed as soldiers; they are no longer comrades, defenders of the fatherland, heroes. Once more they become beasts of burden, objects of exploitation. Let them look for work, if they are hungry. Subject Headings |