The workers have nothing to gain from this war, but they stand
The workers have nothing to gain from this war, but they stand to lose everything that is dear to them.
Hear the fiery cry of Clara Zetkin, a voice of workers and of women, who declared: “The workers have nothing to gain from this war, but they stand to lose everything that is dear to them.” These words were not spoken in comfort, but in defiance, during the dark days of the First World War. They pierce like an arrow through the fog of nationalism and propaganda, stripping war down to its cruel essence: that those who labor, those who till the fields and forge the tools of life, pay the greatest price, while those who call for war often sit safely in halls of power.
The origin of this saying lies in Zetkin’s role as a socialist leader in Germany. When the drums of World War I began to thunder, the ruling classes spoke of honor, patriotism, and glory. But Zetkin, standing against the tide, saw clearly that this war was not for the people—it was for empires, for profits, for the ambitions of the powerful. She warned that the worker would not gain land, wealth, or freedom from this bloodshed. Instead, he would lose his sons to the battlefield, his bread to scarcity, his home to ruin. It was the eternal truth of war: the few gain, the many lose.
The meaning of her words is both timeless and universal. The worker, bound to his labor, desires peace above all: the chance to feed his family, to live in dignity, to raise his children in safety. Yet when war comes, he is the first to be sent into the trenches, the first to sacrifice his body, his blood, his very future. And for what? For borders drawn by the powerful, for profits of merchants of arms, for crowns and flags that will never feed the hungry. Zetkin unmasks the cruel paradox: the worker fights wars from which he receives nothing but grief.
Consider the story of the Russian peasants and workers during World War I. Millions were conscripted, thrown into battles ill-prepared, starving, and ill-equipped. Their sacrifices did not bring them freedom but only deepened their misery, as hunger and death spread across the land. This despair gave rise to revolution, for the people finally saw through the illusion that the war was fought in their name. Their revolt was the embodiment of Zetkin’s truth: that when the worker has nothing to gain and only loss, he may eventually rise in fury against those who betrayed him.
Her words also echo in more recent times. In the long conflict of Vietnam, countless young men, many from poor and working-class families, were drafted into a war they did not choose. Their blood was spilled in distant jungles, while the wealthy and the powerful found ways to evade the draft. Again, the pattern was revealed: those who had least to gain carried the heaviest burden, while those with most to gain risked nothing at all.
The lesson is clear: let the people see through the illusions of war. Let them remember that the voices urging them into battle often belong to those who will never march beside them. Let them question: who profits from this war? Who pays the price? And let them resist whenever they are told that sacrifice is demanded for causes that do not serve their lives, their families, their future.
What, then, must we do? We must guard the dignity of the worker by demanding peace, by questioning power, by refusing to let the blood of the many enrich the few. We must support those who labor, for their strength sustains nations, and we must resist leaders who gamble with their lives for ambition. In our time, as in Zetkin’s, the worker must raise his voice not in blind loyalty to rulers, but in solidarity with his fellow workers across borders, for their true enemy is not each other, but the hunger of empire.
Therefore, let Clara Zetkin’s words resound as a warning and a charge. The workers have nothing to gain from war, but everything to lose. Let us honor the laborer by fighting for peace. Let us remember that the measure of justice is not in the wealth of the rulers, but in the lives preserved, the homes unbroken, the children allowed to grow in safety. And let us vow that when the call to war is raised again, we will ask: does this serve the people—or does it betray them? For only in this vigilance can we protect what is most dear.
DMpham diem my
This quote feels like both a warning and a moral indictment. It forces me to see war through the eyes of those who lose the most. If workers gain nothing and risk everything, then war becomes a mechanism of control, not liberation. I’d like to ask: what would happen if the people who fight wars collectively refused to do so? Would that finally end the cycle?
NDNgoc Dieu
I think Zetkin’s words should be required reading whenever leaders talk about ‘necessary’ wars. Her perspective reminds us that the cost of war isn’t measured in money or borders, but in lives — especially the lives of those who had no choice. It makes me question whether any government can truly claim moral authority when the suffering always falls on the powerless.
BTbao tram
This statement hits hard because it exposes the hypocrisy of nationalist rhetoric. Soldiers are told they’re defending freedom or honor, but in reality, they often lose their homes, families, and futures. I can’t help but wonder — do people realize they’re sacrificing for interests that don’t include them, or is that awareness too painful to face in the moment?
KLPhan Thi Kim Lien
Zetkin’s quote captures a deep truth about inequality and conflict. The idea that workers have nothing to gain highlights how class divides persist even in wartime. It makes me ask: can a war ever be ‘for the people’ when those fighting it are the ones with the least to gain? Or are wars inherently tools of the powerful, dressed up in moral language?
TPThuy Phuong
I find this statement incredibly powerful and still relevant today. It reminds me that in almost every war, the poor and working class suffer the most while elites debate strategy from afar. It makes me wonder if true democracy would ever allow wars of greed or expansion — or if power always finds a way to disguise exploitation as patriotism.