| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 15 September 1894 |
ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE
AT LE PERREUX
[Fragment]
[London, second half of September 1894
Now to something else. The Trades Union Congress 396 marks a distinct progress against last year, and combined with the Leicester election and other symptoms, shows that things are on the move in England. Of course there is no progress here without a drawback: take the resolution against foreign working men immigration passed at Norwich; but such contradictions and inconsistencies one will have to put up with for some time yet 'in this free country'. The moment will come after all, when the masses, having attained a sufficient degree of consciousness, will break through the tangled web of the intrigues and sectarian squabbles of the 'leaders'.
The war between China and Japan 409 seems to me instigated by the Russian government, who use Japan as their tool. But whatever may be the proximate consequences of this war, it must lead to one thing: the total break-up of the whole traditional system in old China. There, an old- fashioned system of agriculture and domestic industry combined has been artificially kept going by rigid exclusion of all disturbing elements. That exclusion of everything foreign has been partially broken through by the wars with the English and French; this war with Asiatics, rivals living next door to the Chinese, must put a complete stop to it.
The Chinese, licked on land and on sea, will have to Europeanise themselves, open their ports generally to trade, establish railways and fac- tories, and thus completely smash up that old system which made it possible to feed so many millions. There will be all of a sudden a constantly increasing surplus population, superseded peasants, who will flock to the coast to search for a living in foreign lands. Where up to now thousands emigrated, millions will want to go then. And then the Chinese Coolies will be everywhere, in Europe as well as America and Australia, and will try to reduce wages and the standard of living of our working men to the Chinese level. And then the time will come for our European workmen.
And the English will be the first to suffer from this invasion and to fight. I fully expect that this Japan-Chinese War will hasten our victory in Europe by five years at least, and facilitate it immensely, as it will drive all non- capitalist classes over to our side. Only the large landed proprietors and manufacturers will be pro-Chinese.
Paul's articles in the Neue Zeit are on the whole very good.[1] There are some historical views in them that do him great credit. The exposition of the causation and course of French history since 1871 is the best I have yet seen. I have learned a good deal from them.
But the considérant of the Nantes agricultural programme, 406 which declares it the duty of the Socialists to maintain and defend the peasants' property, and even the fermiers and métayers who employ labourers, is more than most people outside France will be able to swallow.
Kind remembrances from the Freybergers. Ever yours
F. Engels