The Labour Revolution (Routledge Revivals) by Kautsky Karl;

Author:Kautsky, Karl; [Kautsky, Karl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2011-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Until we have these international statistics and the economic scheme to be based upon them, it will scarcely be possible to put these ideas into practice. Such comprehensive statistics cannot be compiled overnight. They presuppose a colossal machinery of expert and conscientious collaborators. It would be many years before we could compile statistics of this kind that were in any way reliable, even if it could be done at all on the basis of private property in the means of production.

Neurath seems to conceive of the organism of social economy in too simple terms. In referring to the products in question, he is always mentioning the basic products of industry, such as coal, iron, copper, lime, cement, etc. The quantities of these products may be calculated at the present time. But the statistical difficulties increase with the progress of the raw products through the various stages of preparation until they reach the finished state of products for personal consumption. It seems to me quite impossible to compile exact statistics of the infinite variety of all these products under private enterprise.

That Neurath presents his economic scheme in such simple terms may be explained by the fact that he bases his panacea upon natural economy. We shall, however, see that only a crude economy, whose members have the most primitive needs, is possible upon this basis, or such a sublime social order as may to-day be relegated to cloud cuckoo-land. It is quite incompatible with the economic conditions and needs that exist, and those which are developing out of them.

The economic scheme, upon whose advent the fate of socialization is to depend and of which it is to form the starting-point, is assuredly at present and as long as private property exists to any extent nothing but a fata Morgana.

Even more important than these objections to the pretentions of the economic scheme to form the starting-point of socialization is the following: it reserves (at least at first) private property in the means of production and the management of the business to the capitalists or their representatives, but at the same time designs to replace the motive of profit by the satisfaction of needs. To-day profit operates as the driving force and regulator of the production of private capitalists. It is an extremely imperfect regulator, and only functions with the accompaniment of crises and constant friction and great loss of energy, but hitherto it has shown itself to be the only possible agency to maintain production in full swing on the basis of private property in the means of production.

Now this property is to continue to exist, but the economic scheme imposed by the State is to take the place of profit as the driving force and regulator. Whence will the scheme derive its compelling power? Manifestly from the State, which will constrain the individual producers to organize their production upon the basis of this scheme, irrespective of what their business prospects would be without it.

As we have repeatedly observed, a high and intricate form of production cannot be based on compulsion.

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