time to come; added to that, immigration, competition, and other things. When the point is reached, things will move forward over there with colossal rapidity and energy, but until then, some time may have to elapse."
The chief obstacles, the high standard of living of the majority of native workers and the competition caused by the incessant stream of immigrants have been eliminated to a certain degree. The World War brought with it the increase of wages of all unskilled workers in America. The economic crisis after the war led to radical reductions of wages not only among the foreign-born, but in even greater degree among the native workers. The competition of foreign workers has been considerably reduced by the restrictions upon immigration.
Another obstacle, the diversion of the workers from the class struggles by the hope of obtaining land, has for the most part been removed by the disappearance of the possibilities of free settlement. There exists "a generation of native-born workers who have nothing more to expect from speculation:"
"Land is the basis of speculation, and the American possibility of and craze for speculation is the chief influence of the bourgeoisie. Only when we have a generation of native-born workers who have nothing more to expect from speculation, will we have firm ground under our feet in America." (Letter to Sorge dated January 6, 1892.)
Engels time and again emphasized that the
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