A Page of Study for Socialism

SCIENCE OF SOCIETY
~ What Is Socialism ?

XIV. Only Socialism Can

Bring Democracy
Se

HO rules Canada?

The men who own it.

When the working people own the wealth they
have produced, the national productive plant and the re-
sources and raw miaterials—then they, the majority, will
begin to rule the land, in fact and not only in name.

Parliamentary democracy —
the democracy that operates
under capitalism—claims to be
“rule by the people.” One look
at the make-up of Parliament
is enough to raise a healthy
doubt. It looks like this:

Of 77 members of the Senate
who are listed as having an
occupation:

35 are financiers, manufac_
turers and businessmen, includ-
ing seven newspaper publish-
ers.

25 are lawyers, many of them
directors of corporations.

12 are members of other pro-
fessions.

TT TT TTT OOOO TZ LTT ilTTTitiTttTttnTtiitntttixtTTRTKiKinLNTanasiuKniniTTAniN 4

Now a Truly Progressive Book Club. . .

OOK UNION ..

Just another book club?

months.

you may select one.)

What is THE BOOK UNION?

make available to Canadian readers outstanding progressive and Marxis
WHAT DOES IT COST TO JOIN?

you will qualify for a discount of AT LEAST 20%

Take for instance our first selection THE LESSON
Gerhart Hisler, Albert Norden and Albert Schreiner
movements in and out of Germany . The book traces G
day in a style that makes magnificent reading.
problem” to appear in recent years.

A $3.25 BOOK FOR $2.35

7 are farmers (some of them
members of the Rideau Club,
Torento Hunt Club, etc.)

One is an ex-railway worker
and former minister of labor.

Of 220 members of the House
of Commons who have occupa-
tions:

72 are lawyers (a large num-
ber corporation lawyers).

71 are financiers, manufac-
turers, businessmen (including
two newspaper publishers).

40 are professional men.

30 are farmers (a fair num-

ber are so-called “gentlemen

farmers’’).
7 are workers.

When one remembers that
over 60 percent of the gainfully
occupied people in the country
are workers, and 6 percent are
employers, our “representative
institutions” seem a bit weight-

ed in favor of the owners of ~

capital!

OWNERSHIP
OF PRODUCTION

HERE’S more to it than
that, of course.

The overwhelming, limitation
of democracy under capitalism
is the ownership of the means
of production by the minority
of capitalists, and the control
by this same minority of the
state machinery (police, armed
forces, courts, ete.), and of the
means of influencing opinion
(press, radio, etc.). All of this
adds up to a system of class
rule, the aim and purpose of
which is to uphold “private en-
terprise.” :

When Big Business faces a
threat to its privileged posi-_
tion, it tries to impose fascism:
the open, terrorist rule of mon-
opoly-capital. The dictatorship
of capital is masked, concealed,
under capitalist democracy: but
it is there all the time, ready
to resort to violence whenever
it feels the need.

What happens when the work-
ers and farmers take posses-

No.

OF GERMANY. Here is a book written by
The authors were active for years in anti-Nazi
erman history from the 16th Century to the present
It is undoubtedly the best analysis of the “German

Here is a new kind of club to
t literature at REDUCED prices.
Nothing. You will receive six books a year, one every two
You will receive a FREE dividend book. You will receive the BOOK UNION REVIEW — and
(and if you prefer an alternative to the choice,

Conducted by

sion of the means of produc-
ing wealth? When they start
running the economy for the
common good of all who toil?
When they do away with class-
exploitation?

Jemocracy is breadened a

thousandfold.

It begins—for the first time
in history—to mean what it
says!

In the Socialist Soviet Union,
no less than 1,400,000 citizens
are elected members of local,
city, republican and All-Union
Soviets — participating in the
running of an economy which is
in the hands of the people. In-
stead of a facade screening the
power of private capital and
the exploitation of wage-slaves
democracy has become a real-
ity—under Socialism.

THE SOCIALIST STATE

What, in scientific terms, is
the nature of the Socialist
state? =

Marx, writing in 1875, put it
this way:

“Between capitalist and com-
munist society lies the period
of the revolutionary transfer-
mation of the one into the
other. There corresponds to this
also a political transition period
in which the state can be noth-
ing but the revolutionary dic-
tatorship of the proletariat.”

In place of the dictatorship of

© National Educational Director
STANLEY B.

RYERSON

capital, the untrammelled 7
of the working class and
farmer allies—such is the ¢
possible transition of the j
society.

Hither the rule of capital
the rule of the working ¢
Rather than submit to the
tablishment of the new Socus
ist democracy which gives :
er to the producers of wea
the capitalist class resists
all the means in its po
After settling accounts
the defeated but still resis; =
capitalists at home, the So:
state has still to guard the
ple’s conquests against att } |
from abroad. By

Bs.,

The speech of Joseph St |
on Feb. 9 makes emphatic P™
clear the need of the wor nh
first Socialist state to mi [4
tain and strengthen its poy xa
in a world of capitalism {
as long as it lasts breeds w_
crises and catastrophes. |

4
Ei

Reading: Speech of Stalin, |
ruary 9.
QUESTIONS

1. What is meant by “b{
geois democracy”?

|
\2

2. How does socialism cn
a new and many ti
broader democracy {
is possible under ¢ |
talism? ~

3. What are the main
of the Soviet state?

Address

Important Announcement pe

THE PEOPLE’S CO-OPERATIVE
BOOKSTORE has been appointed
the sole agent for the Book Union in
British Celumbia and all subscrip-
tions to the Book Union will be
handled through the Vancouver store.
; enquiries
Co-op Bookstore, 387 W_ Pender St.,
Vancouver, B.C. or phone MA. 5836.

to People’s

— Check Your Choice Below — 0

I am enclosing Postal Note ( ) Money Order ( ) cheque ( )
for oj eitevecer Ace (plus postage .09c) for which please send my selection
which I have indicated from the list below. (If more than -onle book is
desired please indicate and enclose full list price stated below )

The Book Union Selection for January (still available)

[|] THE LESSON OF GERMANY

By GERHART EISLER — ALBERT NORDEN — ALBERT SCHREINER
List Price $3.25 — Book Union Price $2.35 3

a SPIRIT OF CANADIAN DEMOCRACY
(Margaret Sairley) (List Price $3.00) (Book Union Price $2.25)
(ea BIOGRAPHY OF LENIN
(List Price $3.00) (Book Union Price $2.35)
{| SIMPLY LOVE
(Wanda Wassilewska) List Price $2 25) (Book Union Price $1.80)

PLEASE CHECK: ( ) ¢ J—PAYMENT WITH ORDER

Subscribers requesting books sent C.O.D. will pay an additional
€.0.D. charge of 15c. Cheques from outside Vancouver require an addi-
: tional Bank Exchange charge of 15c (Note: Payment by Postal Note is
eel a a EE Signature. the more economical ) =

MARCH CHOICES WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

aioe ee OOOO cc ACCTEKSTK OT KTONEoOOKONHENRURARNMERRENAR
PACIFIC TRIBUNE -—- PAGE 2 - FRIDAY, MARCH 1.”

Here’s How You Can Enroll In THE BOOK UNION Today

Please enroll me in THE BOOK UNION.
It is understood that I will receive books
at saving of at least 20% discount from the
regular price, plus postage I will also re-
ceive free of charge a copy of the BOOK
UNION REVIEW every two months. I will
also receive one dividend book FREE during
the first year. I undertake to purchase
at least six books per year, one book every
two months as selected by THE BOOK
UNION. It is understood that I may -select
my book from. any of the alternatives listed
I prefer.

Please sign the en-
rollment form, check
your Bock choice,
enclose stated
amount and mail te:

BOOK UNION,
People’s Co-op
Bookstore, 337 West
Pender
Vancouver, B.C.

In event that a subseriber does not send in
an order to THE BOOK UNION within 20
days after announcement is made of the
Book choice and alternatives, THE BOOK
UNION will send the BOOK, choice to the
subseriber C.0.D. ~

Address