World War I: led to USSR

World War II: led to PRC

World War III:???

Like evolution, historical materialism (Marxism) is much more than a theory. It is a description of history based on observable facts. “All history is the history of class struggles,” Marx famously said. Both past world wars were fought to save capitalism from working-class revolution. In World War II, 73 million were killed, nearly all of them working class. The most efficient way to prevent working class revolution is to kill the workers. Since World War II, there have been some attempts to prevent World War III while still maintaining capitalist hegemony. The United Nations: this body with its capitalist veto seems to have outlived its usefulness, or rather, the US capitalists at least seem to have lost interest in preventing WW III. Social democracy, aka democratic socialism were concocted as a way to co-opt working class power by providing some of the perks of genuine socialism while maintaining capitalist hegemony: social security, unemployment insurance, minimum wages, etc. These reforms were perpetrated by Roosevelt before the war and by the US-led Marshall Plan after the war, with Western Europe even getting free medical care. But since their victory over the USSR, many capitalist leaders, including those currently in power in the US, have abandoned such carrots. As I argued in a previous blog post https://henryhitz.com/the-antichrist/, these “leaders” have opted for simply killing the international working class which now inhabits what’s called the global south, by deliberately heating the planet. These are the countries whose exploitation by imperialism enriched the west and remain largely impoverished. 

But the global south continues to rise: Cuba, Vietnam, Venezuela, Brazil, the Sahel states in Africa.  And, most recently, Arab Spring, which is continuing in Iran. That these uprisings have been largely spontaneous makes them even more terrifying to the capitalists (that’s why they’re called terrorists lol). The international working class is fed up and demanding power and revolution, but they are too numerous and too leaderless to either terrorize or bribe. They are awaiting leadership, yes, a messiah as it were, but a political savior, one who can somehow avoid getting assassinated, an international leader with the stature of Lenin and Mao,who can unite the world’s people. 

An accurate reading of the dialectics of history tells us that World War III is inevitable, that capitalism won’t fall without the bloodiest of battles. Instead of freaking out and mourning the death of humanity, we need to face this future soberly. Our role should be to minimize the damage to the international working class that such a war might engender. As I’ve talked to nonleftist friends, some have accused me of welcoming the war. Far from it. If there was any way to avoid it, that’s the way I would go. But facts are stubborn things, and dialectical materialism is as fact based as Darwin. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I’m too old to carry out this strategy, but infiltrating all branches of the military (including the CIA, ICE, etc.) of all countries and persuading the infantry to turn the guns around, or at least to refuse the orders to kill is likely necessary.  But to carry out such a strategy would take a leadership body, a cadre based working class party, (the Communist Party in the US in the thirties is one model, updated for sure). We should move toward this goal, as well as uniting such parties internationally (revive the Comintern). But the US left is way too fractured and sectarian (as well as privileged) at this time to lead this effort. 

There is currently, a worldwide peace movement that will play a major role, the groups opposing Israeli genocide. And we do have leaders, Greta Thunberg (whom Peter Thiel calls the “Antichrist” lol). Chris Smalls, the Amazon union leader (who sailed to Palestine with Greta), and no doubt many others. It would be a good idea to resuscitate the No Nukes demand. We are only a couple of years away from the introduction of tactical nukes to the various regional wars. (Who will be the first to use them? My guess is Israel, perhaps in Africa).

Clearly, some of the war will take place in space and AI targeted drones can minimize casualties of the capitalist combatants. But remember, they need people to die. Many people. Once again, the US and Israel show the way. 

And just a side note, much of the working class will be no longer needed in the new automated world the capitalists envision. They are trying to make their system immortal the way they want to make themselves immortal.   

IMHO, the best way to minimize the carnage that the next world war will bring is to organize for the worldwide liberation that we need to end voracious and murderous capitalism. “There’s only one way out of here said the joker to the priest.” Actually three ways: organize, organize, organize.