Karl Liebknecht Internet Archive

Militarism

&

Anti-Militarism

with special regard to the International Young Socialist Movement

Written: 1907.

Translated: Grahame Lock.

Publisher: Rivers Press Limited, Cambridge, 1973.

Transcription/Markup: Einde O’Callaghan for the Marxists’ Internet Archive.

Online Version: Karl Liebknecht Internet Archive (marxists.org) 2002.

Copyright: Rivers Press 1973. Reproduced here by kind permission of Grahame Lock & Rivers Press Limited.

“[Modern militarism] wants neither more nor less than the squaring of the circle; it arms the people against the people itself; it is insolent enough to force the workers ... to become oppressors, enemies and murderers of their own class comrades and friends, of their parents, brothers, sisters and children, murderers of their own past and future. It wants to be at the same time democratic and despotic, enlightened and machine-like, at the same time to serve the nation and to be its enemy.”

KARL LIEBKNECHT

Preface

I. Militarism

1. General

1. On the essence and meaning of militarism

2. Origin and basis of social relations of power

3. Some items from the history of militarism

2. Capitalist Militarism

Preliminary remarks

1. “Militarism against the external enemy”, navalism and colonial militarism. Possibilities of war and disarmament

2. Proletariat and war

3. Characteristics of “militarism against the internal enemy” and its task

4. The constitution of the army in same foreign countries

5. Conclusions

Russia

3. Methods and Effects of Militarism

1. The immediate object

2. Military pedagogy

The education of the soldier

Bureaucratic and semi-military organization of the civil population

Other military Influences on the civil population

Militarism as Machiavellianism and as a political regulator

4. Particulars of Some of the Main Sins of Militarism

1. The ill-treatment of soldiers, or militarism as a penitent but incorrigible sinner

Two dilemmas



2. The cost of militarism, or La douloureuse

Another dilemma



3. The army as a tool against the proletariat in the economic struggle

Preliminary remark

Soldiers as competitors of free labourers

The army and strike-breaking



4. The rule of the sword and rifle against strikes

Preliminary remarks

Italy

Austria-Hungary

Belgium

France

United States of America

Canada

Switzerland

Norway

Germany



5. Military societies and strikes



6. The army as a tool against the proletariat in the political struggle



7. Military societies in the political struggle



8. Militarism, a danger to peace



9. The difficulties of the proletarian revolution

II. Anti-Militarism

1. Anti-militarism of the Old and the New International

2. Anti-militarism Abroad, with Special Regard to the Young Socialist Organizations

Belgium

France

Italy

Switzerland

Austria

Hungary

Holland

Sweden

Norway

Denmark

America

Spain

Finland

Russia

The international anti-militarist movement

3. Threats to Anti-militarism

4. Anti-militarist Tactics

1. Tactics against militarism abroad

2. Tactics against militarism at home

3. Anarchist and Social-Democratic anti-militarism

5. The Need for Special Anti-militarist Propaganda

6. Anti-militarism in Germany and German Social-Democracy

7. The Anti-militarist Tasks of German Social-Democracy

Last updated on: 7 February 2017