Evening star., 1940-12-15

the nation. But he does not think of
victory as an end In jtself-he thinks of
victory as a means to a new social
order in Britain and new international
order abroad. He realizes now, in fuller
measure than ever before, what Woodrow
Wilson meant when he spoke of "mak-
ing the world safe for democracy" The
new social order in Great Britain must
end system based on an unequal and
privileged society: the new international
order must end the power of any state
to extend its authority by aggression.
Neither of these ends, as the British
worker sees it, can be established while
Hitler and Mussolini are allowed to
enslave whole peoples by force.
The British worker has no quarrel with
the German or Italian worker He looks
to them, as the shadow of their defeat
begins to grow, to overthrow the dicta-
tors who make war in their name, and
to replace them with democratic gov
ernments.
Communists Discredited.
The overwhelming mass of the workers
has no doubt of this attitude It is, of
course, attacked by the Communist party
which, after supporting the war in the
first month, subsequently adopted the
Moscow theory that this war was merely
another dmperialist) war The evidence
that this outlook has made no impact on
the workers generally is shown by the
fact that not even the most popular
leaders of the Communist party could
poll enough votes to save their deposit
in any Of the bye-elections they con-
tested before the Churchill government
was formed, and that was true although
they were careful to fight only in con-
stituencies OF a completely working
class character. Since the defeat of
France, the character of their propa-
ganda has changed, and they now de-
mand peoples government" But no
evidence has emerged to suggest that
their view of the war has won them
any new or effective support.
1t is probably true to say that the
working man was always uneasy and
suspicious while the Chamberlain gov
ernment was in power. He was suspici-
Gus Of its past record; and he always
feared the possibility of deal wit1
the dictators. That mood has changed
since Mr.. Churchill became prime minis
ter. Partly, no doubt. it has changed
because the dangers Britain confronts
have made him see the intensity Of the
struggle In new light; partly, also, air
attack in which. by now, some $4,000
civilians have been killed, has made him
realize the remorseless nature Of the
enemy he confronts. But, above all, the
mood has changed because he has come
to see that a British victory depends
supremely upon him. and that his future
as a free man is bound up with victory.
Labor's Sacrifices.
He is under no illusions about the
hard path to victory. He knows, also,
that there is a real sense in which he is
fighting against the forces of privilege
at home as we'll as against the aggres-
sors abroad. He recognizes that. even
with victory, the tasks of reconstruction
will be grim and heavy. But as he sees
what happens to the workers in the
countries Hitler and Mussolini bring un-
der their domination, he comes incress-
ingly to understand that no sacrifice can
be too great if it aids in the overthrow
OF the dictators. His efforts, above all,
have built the social service state upon
the basis of free institutions
His efforts will with victory, make
those free institutions the method
through which Great Britain becomes
that ampler democracy for which he has
been ceaselessly striving. In real sense,
this has become, for the worker, a
peoples war, and he is going to see that.
this time, it ends in a peoples peace.
He is proud of the record his class has
given to history since Dunkerque of en-
durance and courage and matchless res
olution. He knows that the battle of
Britain is the battle for his future. At
the end of the road along which he
marches he sees new Europe made into
an equal fellowship of free men, That
is the task to which he has set his hand
There is no longer power in the forces
of privilege in this country to keep him
from its accomplishment