The Revolution Against Poverty

Do not expect to see these positive changes accomplished through the law, the political party, or the government. The revolution against poverty will not be carried by those who benefit from poverty, but from those who live in it. These plans of worker self-management will not be legislated and ordered; they will be organized and defended by the workers. Only those who have something to benefit from ending poverty can be expected to organize against it -- only the people, the common workers, suffer painfully for the social order they live in, and similarly, must be the ones who overthrow this system. If an economy based on peace and fairness dis empowers the few on top, then it must be the many on the bottom who make it a reality.

Some may suspect that my explanations are too simplistic to adequately describe all of the functions and motions of a real economy. This is true, but my purpose has not been to describe entire economy -- only the part of economics concerned with depressions and recessions within a market economy. The Atomic Theory, as complicated and involved as it may be, can be stated within only two or three sentences. And if the conclusions of Economics cannot reach such a perfect solution to human problems, it is because it is not in its scientific stage yet.

When looking at popular economics, which includes increasing or dropping interest rates on loans to get jobs, we see a contortionist; we see someone who will change and remold themselves to fit a bizarre form, just so that they can leave the system of Capitalism untouched. "Increase the interest rate during the boom, and it'll slow growth, and drop it during the bust, and it'll reduce the bust." It is such an indirect, distanced approach to the economy. And yet, it is the policy that has brought us to our current situation in global unemployment.

The public is often found asking, "But is this all that economics can be reduced to? Is it just increasing and dropping rates of interest on loans to industries? Is there no other outlook someone can take for guaranteeing jobs?" There are real options for improving the economy, like direct worker-management. But none of these are ever presented and discussed within the public sphere. The mere presence of such a thought is a threat to those who live off of the labor of others -- of those who experience mountains of wealth while the millions beg for jobs.

Such a revolution against poverty will resemble the Anarcho-Syndicalist Revolution in almost every respect. In terms of Anarchism, it will refuse the exploiters and murderers into our organizing efforts -- the struggle will not be waged by politicians, bankers, landlords, and presidents. The struggle will be carried by the common people. And in terms of Syndicalism, it will be the organization of the working class against the property-owning class. Its end, too, will similarly the management and ownership of businesses by the workers themselves.

Anarcho-Syndicalism provides the key, social organization to avoid depressions, as well as a plan of social organizing that fits the problems of Statist Capitalism. Worker self-management is an ideal economic organization, and all that is necessary to provide jobs in an economy. Proving this has been the purpose of this paper. But so far, it is has only been Anarchist Syndicalism that was able to make worker self-management a reality.

A revolutionary path is necessary. The cost of government, capitalism, and authority is poverty. And our masters will see that we pay it. It is not so much a problem of developing an economic theory that surpasses the plan of those in power; rather, it is a question of organizing the people so that they can become a threat to the system that starves their children.