The rise of the American proletarian

Lewis Austin 1865?-1944

Sujets

• United States
• Prolétariat

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• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

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I
PROLETARI/VER10VN
BY
AUSTIN LEWIS
NATIONALmmm
SCIENCESOCIAL.Ec.H
OF THETHE RISE
AMERICAN PROLETARIAN
LEWISAUSTIN
'
CHICAGO
H. KERR & COMPANYCHARLESCopyright 1907
CHARLES KERRH. & COMPANYBy
PRESS OP
JOHN F. HIGGINS
CHICAGOPREFACE
The is a new factor in Americanproletarian politi-
cal life. to within a recent his exis-Up very period
tence has been denied statesmen andby publicists.
In the of the thiseyes historian,ordinary respectable
of the of a in allphenomenon class,growth respects
similar to the has beenEuropean proletarian class,
Even where the economic and activ-ignored. political
thisities of class have a and un-provoked necessary
avoidable the of these ac-interest, peculiar aspect
tivities has either been or conven-uncomprehended
This ostrich tactic is not foolish
iently neglected. only
but as well. To facts is thedangerous ignore very
worst of them. To the fact of theway meeting ignore
American is mere stupidity.proletarian
The class has been born. It is already
to find itself. It will soon un-beginning thoroughly
derstand the use of its The economic andorgans.
efforts made it will constitute thepolitical by greater
in inof the of the future this and all civil-part history
ized lands.
The of the is to showobject following pages briefly
the causes of the of class in thethisorigin proletarian
the mode in which itUnited States and to describe
has made its existence manifest to the time.up present
This involves a critical from theestimate,naturally
of of the environment in whichproletarian point view,
It is as difficult for theit has perhapsdeveloped.
anmodern to arrive at estimateproletarian impartial
of the value of the as it was for acapitalist system
to the feudalWhig correctly appreciate nobility.
cannot beWhile hostileexist, regardsantagonismsPREFACE
and to exhibit the modernavoided, correctly prole-
tarian it is to make clear his attitudealso,necessary,
to the force with which he finds himself in antagonism.
While the suffers the of the condi-proletarian anguish
tions with which he is it would be re-oppressed very
markable if he could view his withantagonists philo-
calm and front the battle with a clear ofmindsophic
Desirable as such an attitude itanimosity. be,might
in the nature ofis, Therefore,very things, impossible.
in discussion of the theany proletarian position, prole-
tarian must also be taken into account.psychology
The are intended as a briefintroductory chapters
resume of industrial Their is tohistory. purpose point
out to what extent the American industrialist, prole-
of been indebtedtarian as well as hascaptain industry,
ma-to of human Given thepreceding epochs history.
chine of the and thedevelopment eighteenth century
the results have been unavoidable. Thefactory system,
in this hascourse of country presenteddevelopment
and more in-no new It has been more rapidaspects.
butthan in thetense other,any except perhaps Japan,
broad features of resemblance to that of other coun-
No form oftries have been preserved. government
effective barrier to the advances ofhas presented any
modern Wherever the essentialcapitalism. prerequi-
of have been thesites found,capitalistic growth plant
flourished. The economic forces which havehas pro-
an ambitious and in Rus-duced energetic proletariat
has thatas far as the modernsia, system penetrated
and am-have also a class consciouscountry," produced
formsin the United States. Politicalbitious proletariat
forms in face of the ceonomic fact.to be merelyprove
becomes master underThe any politicalcapitalist
and are his ser-and President King equallysystem
a is aOuida somewhere remarks thatvants. KingPREFACE
fat man who bows well and a President is a fat man
who bows the essential is that eachbadly ; point they
bow to the dominant But whereequally capitalism.
is dominant there the move-capitalism proletarian
ment raises its head. In the hour of his andtriumph
amid the salutes to his the had hevictory, capitalist,
the of hear the of hispowers perception, might tolling
bell. The demands whichimperiouspassing change
makes life cannot be and thedenied,upon young prole-
tariat must in the course of time come to claim its own.
In the themeantime, has tohowever, proletariat
To the fact of this the ofgrow up. growth organs
With the rec-public expression unanimously testify.
of this new there is alsoognition development mingled
a fear a which isfear, moreover, unfounded.entirely
To the timorous and uninitiated whichbourgeois,
means to the and thepopular journalist popular poli-
this the destruction of what he istician, impliesgrowth
to term civilization. to all hispleased According
vaticinations art and which the mod-gloomy science,
ern claims to take under hisbourgeois protecting
are doomed to extinction theat hands of a bru-shield,
tal and violent class. There need, however,working
be no alarm on this score. As : "It is notKautsky says
the that modern civilization is threat-by proletariat
ened. It is those communists who con-very to-day
the safe of arts andstitute science for whichrefuge
instand the most decisive manner."they
When the course of the isproletarian finally
crowned with there is no reason to believe thatvictory
the results of this in human willstep development
differ which have marked itsfrom those predecessors.
On the the of thecontrary, triumph proletariat implies
the of over the of ma-triumph Humanity tyranny
terial things.