Page:Karl Marx The Man and His Work.pdf/70

68 knew that tedious pioneer work would have to be done and that the social revolution was not to be accomplished via the route of conspiracy, spontaneous direct action of self-styled "minorities," assassination and bombastic phrase-mongery. Around what programmatic standard was the international proletariat to marshal its forces?

It was Marx who drafted both the constitution and the programme of the International Workingmen's Association, documents which were unanimously adopted by the organization. In the declaration of principles, better known as the "Inaugural Address," Marx outlined a plan of immediate action for the proletariat. This activity formed but "a part," to speak in the words of the "Address," "of the general struggle for emancipation of the toiling classes." The "Inaugural Address" was a child of the "Communist Manifesto." It also called attention to and emphasized the ever growing wealth in the hands of the possessing minority in society, and contrasts this with the ever increasing numbers in the propertyless working class and the increasing misery of this class, underscoring sharply the class antagonism between the exploiters and the exploited—an antagonism which is but the reflex of the economic divisions in capitalist society, divisions that are the original source of the social unrest. The "Inaugural Address" calls upon the workers to rise against misery and exploitation and advises them—fully appreciating the significance of the legal ten-hour day in England—to conduct this struggle via the road of independent political action and constructive, i.e., protective factory legislation; this activity was to be engaged in, however, always with the ultimate aim in view to conquer the political power for the proletariat in order to use the political machinery of the capitalist state to destroy forever all class rule. The document lays special weight upon the necessity of international working-class solidarity, a solidarity out of which an important duty arises, namely: to carefully control the foreign politics of the various capitalist govern-