Pacifist Fallacy

Most pacifists however are quite content to enjoy the privileges gleaned from the exploitation of others, and few think their pacificism through to its logical conclusion. One OHMS supporter said that in times of war he would take a job "unconnected with the war effort". He like most others, do not realise that the parts of society are so interdependent that it is virtually impossible to have any job not connected with the war effort. In fact as pacifists are frequently well educated they will usually be more useful to the belligerent bourgeoisie in a job they think is unconnected with the fighting, rather than being sent to the front as "cannon fodder".

A major fallacy of the pacificist argument is that it is impossible to abolish war without abolishing its causes—imperialist capitalism. One argument presented by OHMS is that international conflicts will never be solved by national wars. But how will international conflicts be solved? Only by an international revolution which smashes international capitalism. The smashing of the causes of war requires a series of revolutionary class wars which will take place not because Communists love violence, but because the capitalist ruling classes will not forgo the use of violence to maintain their exploitation.

Pacifism might be personally satisfying, but by precluding the use or armed struggle, the pacifists mislead the masses and objectively serve the interests of counter-revolution.

OHMS does not, however, limit itself to appealing to pacifists. It argues that conscription is an attack on "freedom of the individual," and points out that "In particular, members of the National Party, which has as one of its tenents a belief in limiting the powers the State claims over the individual, should be at least sympathetic to repeal of the Act." — gross opportunism? or stupendous naivety ? Probably a combination. The National Party's ringing phrases about "rights" and "freedoms" mean only that the capitalists have freedom to exploit the working class, and any other "rights" are dependent on the recognition of that.