Anybody familiar with the books of Upton Sinclair, John Dos Passos, Jack London and John Steinbeck will be aware of the deadly struggle between capital and labour that marked the early twentieth century history of the United States. Historically different to Australia where labour shortages after the cessation of transportation had put the working man in a much stronger position, this was a no-holds-barred fight to the death.
Battling a combination of politicians and barons of industry steeped in graft and corruption and with the formation of unions effectively outlawed, the champions of a cruelly downtrodden working class had no choice but to adopt socialist principles imported from the great European upheavals and wage a kind of industrial guerrilla warfare. Socialism of course being such an elastic term as to be almost a Rorschach test reflecting the content of the viewer's own mind, the Socialism of the era requires at least a brief definition. This could best be done by drawing a stark contrast between the socialism that shades into Communism, having as its goal a future utopia, and the doctrine that sustained American workers fighting for their very lives in the here and now; if not for their lives, then at least for the dignity that mere subsistence did not afford. For the proletarian, the choice was simple: be either a Socialist or a whipped curr. Both were wage-slaves in the true and most horrible sense of the term, but a Socialist could at least die on his feet.
American Socialism of this period had much in common with the social democratic ideology that formed the basis of the early Australian Labor Party when it had as its raison d'etre the defence and improvement of working conditions. Some elements of American socialism however were decidedly left of the ALP and in fact had more than a passing resemblance to Anarchism. This was best exemplified by the IWW, the Industrial Workers of the World, otherwise, for some obscure reason, known as the Wobblies. Also appearing in Australia, the Wobblies were not shy about using any means to an end, including sabotage and murder, two adherents being hanged in Bathurst NSW for the latter offence. Understandably, organised labour in Australia strove to distance themselves from the Wobblies.
With working conditions now so radically different to what they were in both Australia and the US, largely due to fierce fighting for social justice, it is exceedingly difficult to comprehend what life once meant to working men and women. If one has not already come into contact with the the literary works cited earlier, there would be no better way to remedy this gap in education than to make contact. To be able to fully absorb the pictures drawn calls almost for a suspension of disbelief such as one needs when watching a far-fetched film. Also almost defying belief are the truly heroic efforts of those who fought against the status quo. The courage needed here was almost Christ-like, and in a similar vein, these industrial warriors displayed the spirit of religious zealots.
In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck describes the death of a union organiser, gunned down by hired goons with complete impunity. This would be easy to dismiss as fiction or literary licence, but is should be remembered that he was there in the midst of these struggles. If confirmation of this type of occurrence is needed, it should be borne in mind that the great General MacArthur once unleashed tanks against a protesting army of unemployed men. For every fallen man, another would rise in his place. Every time the banner was dropped it would be picked up again. People donated their last pennies to the cause. So called rabble-rousers would shout till they were hoarse; men and women battling the effects of fatigue and starvation and sometimes risking death by freezing would distribute clandestinely printed sheets of news and inspiration not available in the newspapers of the enemy. The invaluable printing presses were constantly moved between safe-houses one step ahead of sledgehammer wielding police.
What can be learned from all this? It is this: nothing less than this type of courage and determination is needed in the great struggle to save the nation from the greedy maw of the globalists, race-mixers and useful idiots. Time is not on our side; it is fast running out and it is well and truly over for the kind of social club that Australian nationalism has been for so many years. The time is over for the pathetic whinging that has substituted for action. Preaching to the converted is another indulgent luxury that can no longer be afforded. It is the unconverted that need to be reached without so much as another moment wasted. TIME IS RUNNING OUT. This is a message that needs to be emblazoned in the minds of every person who is aware of the unprecedented crime that is being perpetuated against the Australian people. Awareness without action equals cowardice.
It should be conceded however that there is at least one glaring difference between our struggle and that of the earlier struggle against Capitalism before it had learned to smile with a human face. And that is that what we struggle against something more abstract, something we only see in embryonic form but know only too well the type of monster it will inexorably grow into if we do not stop it. This monster of course is an Asian Australia. The people we need to reach cannot see this. An unrelenting barrage of highly sophisticated propaganda prevents them seeing this. They see only the colourful illusion of a multicultural, multiracial picnic. No matter how disconcerting they may privately feel about this, they have been taught to feel guilty about these uneasy feelings. These feelings are 'racist'. To have such thoughts is sinning.
Early twentieth century Socialists did not have this problem; the monster was with them here and now for all to see: it was starvation, dirt, danger, brutality, exploitation and life-threatening fatigue. Activists did not have to convince others that these existed; they were self-evident.
Even taking into account this advantage we don't have, if we had only a fraction of the dedication and bravery of these almost superhuman battlers we would prevail. There is something we would be able to share with them though and that is the gratification of knowing we have it in our power to change history.
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