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Before many workers went to college, working-class organisations had to
provide their members with a general education, which of course was all
the better since those studying it were better motivated and what they
studied wasn’t biased in favour of the status quo. Below is an
education syllabus in use in the Socialist Party in the 1930s and
1940s, plus further details on the first two courses.
1. History of
Working Class
Movement – Economic
Kautsky: From
Handicraft to
Capitalism.
2. History of
Working Class
Movement – Political and Ideological
Stekloff:
History of the First
International.
R. M. Rayner:
Story of Trade
Unions; or
S. Webb:
History of Trade
Unionism.
3. How to Study
S. Webb:
Methods of Social Study.
4. Value
Boudin: Theoretical System of Karl Marx Part 1. Ch. 1.
Marx: Capital, Ch. 1.
5. Primitive
Society and Earl
Civilisations
Engels: Origin of the Family.
Lafargue: Evolution of Property.
Bogdanov: Short Course of Economic Science Ch. 1-5.
6. Exchange,
Money, Banking
Marx: Capital, Ch. 2-3.
Walter Leaf: Banking.
7. Feudalism
and Merchant
Capitalism
Bogdanov: Short Course of Economic Science Ch. 3-7.
8.
Capital and Labour.
Marx: Capital, Ch. 4-9.
Boudin: Theoretical System of Karl Marx, Part 2, Ch. 1-10.
9. Industrial
Capitalism
Beard: Industrial Revolution; or
Croome & Hammond: The Economy of Britain.
Communist Manifesto.
10. Notes on
Social Credit,
Crises, Capitalist Economics
F. C. Hood: British Economists.
11.
Materialist Conception of
History – Geographical Factors
Fairgreive: Geography and World Power.
12.
Materialist Conception of
History – General
A. Wolf: Essentials of Scientific Method.
Kautsky: Ethics and the M.C.H.
1.
HISTORY OF WORKING CLASS
MOVEMENT – ECONOMIC
1.
Origin of the Working Class –
the commodity ‘Labour Power’
Technical
and social background
of ‘absolute’ Surplus Value.
Reform
Act 1832, and the ‘Rights
of Man’; Luddites and Peterloo.
2.
Reform Movements –
Four springs:-.
Working class revolt; Dorchester Labourers; Tolpuddle Martyrs;
Chartists.
Tory-Liberal conflict: Corn Laws and Factory etc. Acts.
Humanitarians and Idealists: Social Workers and Utopian Socialists.
Technical needs of expanding capitalism: Industrial Revolution.
3. Trade
Union Movement
Purpose (price, etc. of labour power).
(Distinguish from Med. Guilds.)
Development:
Statute of Apprentices 1562 controlled wages; early unions during
eighteenth century.
1799 prohibition of “’all combinations’ in restraint of trade” (fear of
Fr. Revoln; absolute surplus value).
Relaxation 1824 – Owen’s Grand Nat.Consolidated 1825. Strength of
movement diverted by Chartism. Co-op movement, and riots.
Tolpuddle Martyrs 1834.
Revival 1850-80: Expanding capitalism (‘relative’ S.V.). Skilled and
craft unions; non-revolutionary; Junta.
New Unionism 1880-90 brought in unskilled (depression 1876-86) – Booth,
Hyndman, Tillet, Mann Burns; from Liberalism to Labourism.
Taff Vale decision 1906 legalised union funds. Osborne judgment 1913
legalised political activities.
‘General Strike’ followed by T.U. Disputes Act 1927, requiring
“contracting in” for political levy.
C. 20 amalgamation into big unions (half membership in 12 big unions).
T.U. leaders backed wars 1914 and 1939, supported “more production” and
brake on wage increases.
T.U. Act 1946 permitted “contracting out” Labour Government and the
T.U. Congress.
4.
Limitations of Economic
aspect of movement
Value of commodity ‘Labour Power’.
Industrial Reserve Army.
Political Machinery the means of class domination.
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2. HISTORY OF WORKING CLASS
MOVEMENT – POLITICAL & IDEOLOGICAL
1.
Political power the means of
class domination.
2. Need
for ‘democracy’ in
commodity society.
3. Two
fold aspect of the class
struggle.
4.
Reform movements:
Trade Unionism.
Humanitarianism & Utopian socialism.
Political Labour Parties;
Labour Rep. Cttee 1896.
Labour Party 1906.
I.L.P., S.D.F., S.L.P., B.S.P., C.P.
5.
Internationals
First,
Workingmen’s Association
(1864-73)
Origins and promoters.
Constituent elements (conflicts).
Work:
Support of strikes, Communards, ‘oppressed nationalities’.
Exposure of war-makers.
Education – spread of socialist ideas.
Decline: Crushing of Commune.
Hostility of Governments.
Disruptive work of Anarchists.
Backwardness of workers.
Second
(1889-1914) –
Exclusion of Anarchists.
Rival ‘Reformers’ & T.U. Congress.
Attitudes of components to reformism, State, permeation, war, pacifism,
nationalism, opportunism.
Rise of national political labour parties.
Lingering end in confusion and final treachery 1914.
Third
(so-called) (1915-17) –
Effect of war on reform parties.
Third
(Moscow) (1919) –
Bolshevik Manifesto and formation of communist parties.
Belief in imminence of world revolution.
Hotch-potch of every variety of opportunist movement and policy –
revolutionary intentions overtaken by reformism.
Attitude of S.P.G.B. to Second and Third Internationals –
Need for international of socialists recognising class struggle and
need for political power for Socialist Rev.
6.
Revolutionary Socialist
Movement
Scientific foundations (Marx, Engels, etc.) – L.T.V./M.C.H.
Isolated political revolutionaries compelled to adhere to reform
parties.
Origin of S.P.G.B. 1904 – secession from S.D.F.
Object and Principles (lessons of history).
“Hostility” – reforms and reformism.
Democratic control and organisation.
Some Party controversies.
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