The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-08-22

bOr
was also interested to show that
this did not put an end to the class
struggle, but that 1t merely offered
the chance to the opportunists to be-
tray the class struggle and sell out
to the capitalists. No article such as
mine on Labor and Empire would be
complete without a suggestion Of how
the opportunists and reformists be-
trayed the working class during the
period of the so-called peaceful de-
velopment of capitalism.
When textiles gave way to iron and
steel as the dominant industry the
problem of capitalism had become not
simply one of extension of the mar
ket but also of export of capital. ac-
QUESTION of raw materials, etc. More
over, monopoly was displacing free
competition in the home countries of
capitalism. The race for colonial pos
sessions was on, full blast. For these
reasons, and because Of the special at
tributes of the iron and steel industry
which differentiate it from the peace
fully expanding textile industry, this
later period is characterized by in
creasingIy war-lke developments be-
twene nations and an intensification
of the class struggle at home.
DUT it must not be supposed that
~ this change came about all at
once, or that it can be explained by
the mere fact of export of iron and
steel products instead of textiles. 1t
is true that Wolfe mentions also the
other factors (such as export of CAPT
tai, colonies, spheres of influence, etc.
in short, Imperialism which must
be considered in connection with the
iron and steel industry. But can he
maintain that imperialism was full
blown in 1871? Or that, as he says in
his criticism, 'the war-like period of
capitalism in the feminist sense, be-
gins when Gomez says the peaceful
period of capitalism begins?" EN-
phasis his.) AS a matter of fact, the
sO-called peaceful or "stabilization"
period of capitalism continued and
was actually further developed by
some of the very factors which later
became integrated into the system of
Imperialism G e. super-profits from
the colonies.) The period lasted prac-
tically until the last decade of the
18th century and the beginning of
the 10th century.
LET us recall what induced a sub
stitution of the present-day impe-
FiaIist era for the former peaceful
era of capitalism" says Lenin in
his Collapse of the Second Inter-
national" 1.-THE facts are that free
competition has given way to CAPT
talist monopolies, and that the
whole globe has been divided up.
II is clear that both these facts and
factors have real world signifi-
canoe. Free trade and peaceful
competition were possible and nee
essary as long as there was nothing
to hinder capital from increasing
the number of its colonies and from
seizing unoccupied lands in Africa
and elsewhere. the division of
the globe compeIs the rivals to pass
from peaceful expansion to an arm
ed struggle for a re-dIvision Of col
onies and Of spheres Of influence"
(paae 2e.)
And in his book on Imperialism,
the Final Stage Of Capitalism" he
says:
"When the colonies Of the Europ-
can powers comprised one-tenth Of
the territory Of Africa, az was still
the case In 1875, then the colonial
policy could yet develop non-meno-
poIIstIealIy, that Is, the development
Of the colonial policy could, 90 to
speak, proceed along the lines Of
free seizure Of territory. But when
nIne-tenths Of Africa was found to
have been already occupied (about
1907, whom The world was found to
be divided, then Inevitably ensued
the era Of mosupotlstlo possession
OF colonies, and, what Follows there
| from. Of a nartirRiariv sharpened