Introduction
We live in an age of great scientific and technological advance. Never before in history have there been such opportunities to lighten work and enrich life, abolish poverty and squalor, wipe out disease.
But in Britain, as in other capitalist countries, a deep seated crisis of the whole economic, political and social system affects adversely every aspect of life. The wealth, effort and ingenuity which should be used to improve the lives of the people are used instead to enrich the few and wasted in war preparations. A handful of great monopolies and banks dominate the country. Home and foreign policies are framed in their interests. The rate of exploitation increases and the gap between rich and poor grows wider.
It has never been so clear that capitalism is an outdated system, unable to use the vast scientific advances to benefit the people. The new techniques and discoveries which could, in the right hands, end insecurity and poverty for all time, are misused to increase private profits and to prepare ever more devastating wars.
The Communist Party believes that if our people are to enjoy a life of opportunity and prosperity and Britain play a progressive role in the world a new social system is needed, for the present one is increasingly failing. The working people will have to make a revolutionary change, end capitalism and build a socialist society. Only then, when the people own the means of production and decide their own destiny, will the miracles of modern science perform miracles for the welfare of the great majority. It is with the conviction that Britain must take such a new path that we put forward our programme The British Road to Socialism.
In this we make clear our view:
First, that socialism can only be won by the combined action of the working people led by their socialist and democratic organisations. The Communist Party has a vital part to play, but it does not seek an exclusive position of leadership.
Second, decisive advances towards socialism will be achieved to the extent that the mass of the people carry through large scale struggles to secure improvements in their living standards, or full employment, a wide expansion of democracy and a genuine policy of peace.
Third, that in the course of this many sided struggle the labour movement will find the way to throw off its right wing leadership; that new political alignments will come about, and create the conditions for the election of a Parliamentary majority and government pledged to a socialist programme.
Fourth, that a democratic advance to socialism, as outlined in our programme, entails a multi-party system in which parties contend for the people's support. We believe socialism can be achieved in Britain, not without prolonged and serious effort, but by peaceful means and without armed struggle, and this is our aim. The working people and their representatives in Parliament will have the strength and the means to deal with the resistance of reaction whatever form it may take.
Fifth, we firmly believe that the people of Britain and the world can prevent a third world war. War is in no sense a condition for the advance to socialism.
It will not be easy to make the advance to socialism. But we believe that it can be done with the backing of the vast majority of the population, if the issues are fully understood.
Our programme sets out our views on why Britain needs socialism, our proposals for making this radical change in our social order, and our ideas of the tasks that would face a British government and people dedicated to the building of socialism.