The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-06
Marks Analyses Fully Confirmed
by the Present World Crisis

beginning to ask questions OF a
fundamental nature. The devaS-
tating effects of the crisis, the
growing capitalist offensive, the
gathering clouds Of war, and the
growing resistance of the workers
bring forth the question: Why
continue social order that Gre
ates unemployment and wars?
What steps should be taken to
overthrow such system? 1t is
natural, therefore, that the inter
est in Marxism is growing and that
large sections Of workers are anxious
to read and study Marxist writ
ings.
THIS TECHNOCRACY!
When we have admissions on the
part of economic bulletins from
leading banks that after long years
of study they cannot answer why
we have crises, when leading scien-
fists shake their heads in despair,
when the report of the Hoover
Commission on Social Changes ut
tiers warning against revolution,
it is natural that the bourgeoisie
will consciously sponsor and devel-
op all sorts of theories calculated to
turn the attention of the oppressed
from the real causes of the crisis.
1t will manufacture hodge podge
of theories designed to prevent the
growingly critical attitude towards
the capitalist system from develop
ing into an understanding of the
fundamental reasons of capitalist
exploitation and crises under cap
italism.
Thus We are treated to a ''tech-
nochracy' fad. 1t is true that an
immediate economic stimulus for
this theory has been the grow
ing unemployment and the conse-
quent disgruntlement among the
technicianS and engineers. But
technocracy as a theory and the
popularization of this theory has as
its purpose the binding of large
sections of the dissatisfied and ques-
tioning population to the real
causes of the crisis and capitalist
exploitation.
This is the meaning of the whole
new-fangled technocracy and its
discussions about machines, energy,
the price system, debts, etc.
WHAT is the cause of the capital
W list crisis? Many years ago
Marx gave us the answer. 1t is
the poverty of the masses which
causes crises. Our technocrats dis
cuSs exchange as completely sepa-
rated from observation-disclosures to
bring the attack against capitalist
production would bring the attack
against capitalist exploitation itself.
They discuss the question of "ergs"
of energy as separate from human
labor power, from the problem of
surplus value. 1t is the improper
utilization of the machine and en-
ergy, they assert, which is the cause
of the crisis, and not the capitalist
mode of production, not the exist
ence of an exploiting class.
Certainly such theories are quite
safe for capitalism; In fact, in this
period Of looming question marks
about the capitalist system-let the
dissatisfaction and criticism Of the
system be directed against the ma
chine, against the price system, but
leave the existing production rela-
tons and the capitalist class in
tactl
MARX, ENGELS ON
CAUSES OF CRISES
Machinery is not merely a tech
biological problem. 1t is for the
purpose of increased exploitation
and to meet competition that the
capitalist class has developed ma
chinery. Engels in his Socialism
Utopian and Scientific" in con-
centrated form, makes this point
clear:
"On one hand, the perfecting
Of machinery made by COMPETE
ton compulsory for each individ-
ual manufacturer, and compile
mented by q constantly growing
displacement Of laborers indus
trial reserve army, on the other
hand unlimited extent of produc-
ton also compulsory under COM
petition for every manufacturer;
on both qldss unhesrd-cf dcveA-