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•While all of the energy of the productive masses of the po-pulation is preoccupied by elementary needs, the bureaucracy imposes itself in an uncontrolled manner as the single active factor in social events, and by its professional-bureaucratic prac-tice further suppresses the political activity of the masses¹.

(2)    No social organization acts as a true representative of the work-ing class (even the unions could not develop into such an organization and are nothing but a mouthpiece of the State);²⁴ the working class thus does not have an opportunity to organize itself as a political force and to apply pressure on the formed political power in order to carry out its historical function;

(3)    As far as culture and education go, the working class is again in a position inferior to that of other strata,²⁶ and is objectively not able to attempt to take ove the major role in society. (One could say that this is the reason due to which the working class in this country has not yet become aware of its role and its historical function in socialism). The working class does not have a political futurę: orient-ed toward the struggle for everyday existence, it has acquired an aversion not only toward politics, but also toward everything intel-lectual. It cannot see the connection between theoretical Marxism and its present position from which there seems to be no way out. This is why it has »no interesu in power, why it is apathetic, and why there is a sense of resignation with respect to social objectives: there is no hope that something may be changed.

A similar conclusion, based on strong arguments, is madę in the article »Strikes in the Contemporary Yugoslav Society¹ (Strajkovi u savremenom jugoslovenskom druśtvu«). It is concluded that the work-

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⁴ Statistical data on the participation of workers in the Communist League confirm this statement; this participation has been continuously decreasing. While in 1960 36.1% of the members of the CL were workers directly engaged in the production, in 1969 only 31.2% of the members were workers. An inereasing numb-er of workers is either ousted or leaves voluntarily. In the period I960-19G9. of all those ousted 50.1% were workers. Workers are also the most numerous group leaving the CL. In 1965, 61.4°/¹ of those who left the CL were workers; in 1969, 53^#/o were workers. [Data are taken from the article »Nerazjainjeno osipanje« (Unexplained decimation), signed by I. Soldatić. and published in the Belgrade daily Borba of 2 March, 1971].

^u According to the 1961 Census. 35.3% of the people employed had no school qualifications (in Serbia 46.8%); most of these were obviously workers. If one adds to this that only 4.6% of workers were higly skillcd, and 23.8% skilled. it is not difficult to prove that the working class has not undergonc substantial changes in the cultural sense either (data taken from the XIIth Census, 1961, pp. 33-34). In the educational system, there is an inereasing tendency to violatc Constitutional clauses dealing with free schooling by introducing various tuition fees. Fces, start-ing at highschool level, become a significant impediment of social mobility in our society, causing the tendency of reproduction of social strata. In this manner, cqual opportunity for developmcnt in the Corning generations is denied particularly to the stratum of workers and peasants. Apart from this, »spare time« for a worker is only a continuation of working hours because he must take a part-time job »n order to iraprove his Iow standard of living caused by Iow income. lt is, therefore, im-possible to speak of spare time as an opportunity for the worker to ncutralize e negative influence of alienated labor. The only contact with culture for t e ma jority of workers are the lowest rcaches of mass culture.