It is those who have nothing to gain from the war that will end wars. Our world will emerge from this nightmare with the rise of the great humanity.
Twenty million people died, and as many were injured in the First World War.
Before this bloody war, a robust, massive working-class movement was influential in Europe. The workers’ movement was naturally against the inter-imperialist war, opposing the militarist moves of their own governments, organizing massive demonstrations, emphasizing that guns should not be pointed at the peoples of “rival” countries.
Germany and France were two neighbors and great powers on the brink of conflict; the workers’ movement led by the socialist movement responded to the war drums of the sovereigns with peace songs.
How would Germany and France be able to descend on one another when there was a sharp opposition to the war in the factory, on the street, and in the poor neighborhoods?
They couldn’t.
Both imperialist countries took action quickly to get rid of this problem. They began to annihilate determined opponents of the war, well-known French Jean Jaures.
They were killed.
They motivated the so-called “socialist” writers to write about how good war would be for freedom, democracy, and even workers. They started telling stories to the French worker and other stories to the German worker.
Then they went to the “socialist” parliamentarians, who were attached to their seats, who did not want to give up the benefits under the spell of the politics of the existing order and had already abandoned the revolutionary path for a long time, and they were told: “the country needs you”.
Within a week, millions of workers in Europe, who were staunchly against war were now confused and left without an orientation. They were collected from their strike tents, stalls, poor houses and loaded on trains to the front to kill their brothers in other countries.
All this happened in a week.
And?
Humanity could not prevent the war even when there was an enormous opposition to the war, a widespread workers’ movement.
However, that humanity emerged from the war exalted. Contrary to the social democracy in Germany and France that fell in line with the bosses, in Russia a revolutionary leadership that dared to say “We will not fight for the Tsar, for the bosses”, exerted its authority.
This revolutionary leadership brought to power the Russian workers and poor peasants in the third year of the war, and the process of the foundation of the Soviet Union started.
The working people in Germany, who were pushed to a hideous war due to the betrayal of the social democrats, revolted in 1918, helped end the war, destroyed the Empire, and the ruling class of Germany was forced to declare a Republic. If the scoundrel leaders of social democracy had not come to the rescue of the German monopolies, the Soviet Republic would have been established in 1919.
The working class could not prevent the outbreak of the First World War due to the betrayal of its leaders, but it played the key role in ending that war.
They betrayed great humanity in 1914, but in 1917 and 1918 great humanity reappeared on the stage of history in its worker’s overalls!
Now, where is that great humanity as NATO, the war and terror organization of the western imperialist countries, is trying to expand to the east and as the capitalist Russian Federation, which was established as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union with the counter-revolution, is trying to stop this expansion with a nationalist and militarist discourse?
In Europe, the working-class is dynamic, but there is no working-class movement because there is no leadership. If the working class does not stand against the corrupt, exploitative capitalist system, unfortunately, it will play no role. Most of the left, which was tasked with paving the way and leading the working class, has become a part of the existing political order. The “communist” parties, which were expected to be different, took the same path, except for some honorable and determined examples.
We say principles, principles, principles. Concerning today’s current developments, some principles, which might be seen as unnecessary details, save lives at critical moments.
The European left sided with imperialism when the Soviet Union collapsed.
The European left added credibility to the lie that “The European Union is the guarantee of democracy and freedoms.”
The European left kept quiet while Yugoslavia was torn apart by the bloody NATO operation, and the most shameless ones among that left applauded that operation.
The European left imposed the idea on the working masses that the idea of socialism was not a project of today but of a distant future despite the fact that the proletariat had said “Time for socialism is now” all the way back in the second half of the 19th century.
Great humanity is confused; its will is shattered..
Now, in the same European left, one part employs itself in more NATOism to defend European civilization against ‘Russian barbarism’, while another part is falling for Putin’s war cries to protect the interests of the Russian oligarchs.
So, where is the great humanity? Is the voice of great humanity being heard in Berlin, Paris, Moscow, Kiev?
Or does the great humanity think that NATO will be defeated by nationalism or by a new world war that can lead to a nuclear showdown?
Then, let’s state it right away, imperialism cannot be defeated militarily. Imperialism can be defeated by the will of the working people, by destroying its foundations.
Its foundations are the same, whether in New York, Berlin, London, Warsaw or Petersburg: Capitalism.
Principles, principles, principles…
Great humanity will rise on its own feet by breaking away from the unprincipled politics that the European left has spread all over the world, which is submissive to capitalism and which banks on forces within the capitalist order and international actors.
Because great humanity continues to be present everywhere. The food delivery worker who demands justice is the manifestation of that great humanity, the textile worker who resists is the proof of great humanity, great humanity is a metalworker who resists, a health worker who goes on strike.
And great humanity is everywhere.
Great humanity will not allow those who want to deviate it from its path; it will definitely exert its authority.
Principles save lives.
One should not flirt with imperialism and reactionism. Nationalism is not a solution; it is an ideology that sets people against one another. One cannot question anything without questioning the sovereignty of capital; there is no humane, progressive or civilized version of exploitation.
All major wars started when the thesis that there is a higher and common interest between the workers and the bosses was embraced by the masses.
For instance, the lie that we are in the same boat…
In all the great wars, not only arms monopolies but also large companies that quickly adapted to the situation made huge profits, while poor people strangled each other at the front.
Once the chant “My nation is stronger, holier, and more righteous than your nation” is given credit, once this nonsense is justified, great humanity will lose and the imperialists will win.
Those who have nothing to gain from wars are the ones who will stop wars.
Our world will emerge from this nightmare with the rise of great humanity.