"Hand in hand with the growing monopoly goes the crushing out of existence of these shat tered small industries by industries of colossal growth, the development of the tool into the ma chine, and a gigantic increase in the productive ness of human labor. But all the advantages of this revolution are monopolized by the cap italists and great land-owners. To the proleta riat and to the rapidly sinking middle classes, the small tradesmen of the towns, and the peasant proprietors (Bauern), it brings an increasing uncertainty of existence, increasing misery, op pression. servitude, degradation, and exploita tion (Ausbeutung). Ever greater grows the mass of the proletariat, ever vaster the army of the unemployed, ever sharper the contrast be tween oppressors and oppressed, ever fiercer that war of classes between bourgeoisie and prole tariat which divides modern society into two hos tile camps, and is the common characteristic of every industrial country. The gulf between the propertied classes and the destitute is widened by the crises arising from capitalist production, which becomes daily more comprehensive and omnipotent.
"Private ownership of the means of produc tion. formerly the means of securing his product to the producer, has now become the means of expropriating the peasant proprietors, the arti sans, and the small tradesmen, and placing the non-producers, the capitalists, and large land owners in possession of the products of labor. Nothing but the conversion of capitalist private ownership of the means of production—the earth and its fruits, mines, and quarries, raw mate rial, tools, machines, means of exchange—into social ownership, and the substitution of social ist production. carried on by and for society in the place of the present production of commodi ties for exchange, can effect such a revolution that, instead of large industries and the steadily growing capacities of common production being, as hitherto, a source of misery and oppression to the classes whom they have despoiled, they may become a source of the highest well-being and of the most perfect and comprehensive harmony.
"This social revolution involves the emancipa tion, not merely of the proletariat, but of the whole human race, which is suffering under ex isting conditions. But this emancipation can be achieved by the working class alone. because all other classes, in spite of their mutual strife of interests. take their stand upon the principle of private ownership of tilt means of production, and have a common interest in maintaining the existing social order.
"The struggle of the working classes against capitalist exploitation must of necessity be a po litical struggle. The working classes can neither carry on their economic struggle nor develop their economic organization without political rights. They cannot effect the transfer of the means of production to the community without being first invested with political power.
"lt must be the aim of social democracy to give conscious unanimity to this struggle of the working classes, and to indicate the inevitable goal.
"The interests of the working classes are iden tical in all lands governed by capitalist methods of production. The extension of the world's commerce and production for the world's mar kets make the position of the workman in any one country daily more dependent upon that of the workman in other countries. Therefore, the emancipation of labor is a task in which the workmen of all civilized lands have a share.
"The German Social Democrats are not, there fore, fighting for new class privileges and rights, but for the abolition of class government. and even of classes themselves, and for universal equality in rights and duties without distinction of sex or rank. Holding these views, they are not merely fighting against the exploitation and oppression of the wage-earners in the existing social order, but against every kind of exploita tion and oppression, whether directed against class, party, sex, or race.
"Starting from these principles, the German Social Democrats demand, to begin with (i.e. of the present State) : "(1) Universal, equal, and direct suffrage by ballot, in all elections, for all subjects of the Em pire over twenty years of age, without distinc tion of sex; proportional representation, and, until this system has been introduced, fresh divi sion of electoral districts by law after each cen sus; two years' duration of the legislature; holding of elections on a legal day of rest; pay ment of the representatives elected; removal of all restrictions upon political rights, except in the case of persons under age.
"(2) Direct legislation by the people by means of the right of initiative and of veto: self-gov ernment by the people iu Empire, State,.province, and eommune; election of magistrates by the people, with the right of holding them responsi ble; annual vote of the taxes.
"(3) Universal military education; substitu tion of militia for a standing army: decision by the popular representatives of questions of peace and war; decision of all international disputes by arbitration.