Socialism is an ideology with the core belief that a society should exist in which popular collectives control the means of power, and therefore the
means of production. In application, however, the de facto meaning of socialism has evolved and branched to a great degree, and though highly
politicised, is strongly related to the establishment of an organized working class, created through either revolution or social evolution, with the
purpose of building a classless society. It has also, increasingly, become concentrated on social reforms within modern democracies. This concept and
the term Socialist also refer to a group of ideologies, an economic system, or a state that exists or has existed. See Definitions of Socialism.
In Marxist theory, it also refers to the society that would succeed capitalism, and in some cases develop further into communism. Marxism and
communism are both very specific branches of socialism. The two do not represent socialism as a whole.
In modern socialist theory, it is in the pursuit of the goal of creating a democratic society that would form the backbone of an ideal welfare
state.
The word dates back at least to the early nineteenth century. It was first used, self-referentially, in the English language in 1827 to refer to
followers of Robert Owen. In France, again self-referentially, it was used in 1832 to refer to followers of the doctrines of Saint-Simon and
thereafter by Pierre Leroux and J. Regnaud in l'Encyclopédie nouvelle. Use of the word spread widely and has been used differently in different
times and places, both by various individuals and groups that consider themselves socialist and by their opponents. While there is wide variation
between socialist groups, nearly all would agree that they are bound together by a common history rooted originally in nineteenth and
twentieth-century struggles by industrial and agricultural workers, operating according to principles of solidarity and advocating an egalitarian
society, with an economics that would, in their view, serve the broad populace rather than a favoured few.
Robert Owen
Robert Owen (1771-1858) was a successful businessman who devoted much of his profits to improving the lives of his employees. His reputation grew when
he set up a textile factory in New Lanark, Scotland and introduced shorter working hours, schools for children and renovated housing. He also set up
an Owenite commune called New Harmony in Indiana, USA. This collapsed when one of his business partners ran off with all the profits. Owen's main
contribution to socialist thought was the view that human social behaviour is not fixed or absolute, and that human beings have the free will to
organize themselves into any kind of society they wish.
See
here for more information.
Welfare State
Welfare state describes a nation where the government seeks to guarantee a set of social welfare benefits meant to ensure minimum quality of life
standards for all citizens. The functional provider of benefits may be a central or state government, a state-sponsored company, a private corporation
or a charity.
See
here for more information.
Marxism
Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and
revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. Marx drew on Georg Hegel's philosophy, the political economy of Adam Smith, Ricardian economics, and 19th
century French socialism to develop a critique of society which he claimed was both scientific and revolutionary. This critique achieved its most
systematic (albeit unfinished) expression in his masterpiece, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy (Das Kapital).
Marxism is based on the works of the nineteenth century philosopher, Karl Marx. Since Marx's death in 1883, various groups around the world have
appealed to Marxism as the intellectual basis for their politics and policies, which can be dramatically different and conflicting. One of the first
major splits occurred between the advocates of social democracy, who argued that the transition to socialism could occur within existing bourgeois
parlimentarian frameworks, and communists, who argued that the transition to a socialist society required a revolution. Social democracy emerged
within the Social Democratic Party of Germany, and caused it to abandon its Marxist roots by increments, while communism resulted in the formation of
various communist parties.
Although there are still many Marxist revolutionary social movements and political parties around the world, since the collapse of the Soviet Union
and its satellite states, relatively few countries have governments which describe themselves as Marxist. Although social democratic parties are in
power in a number of Western nations, they long ago distanced themselves from their historical connections to Marx and his ideas. As of 2004, Laos,
Vietnam, Cuba, and the People's Republic of China have governments in power which describe themselves as Marxist. However, none of the countries that
have or do designate themselves as Marxist are truly so. Marx argued for the democratic control of the products of society and envisioned the
withering away of the state. In the former Soviet Union, China, and all the other so-called Marxist states, there was/is very little democratic
control. Also, these contries have historically possessed even larger governmental bureaucratic structures than so-called demoracies.North Korea is
inaccurately described as Marxist, as both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il have rejected conventional Marxist views in favour of the Korean "communist"
variant, juche. Also, Libya is often referred to as Communist, but Muammar al-Qaddafi has sought to lead them into Islamic socialism.
Some members of the laissez-faire and "individualist" schools believe the principles of modern bourgeois states or big governments can be understood
as "Marxist". Marx and Engels's Communist Manifesto include a number of steps that they believed a society would experience as workers emancipated
themselves from the capitalist system such as "Free education for all children in public schools": some of these appear to have been implemented in
the form of Keynesianism, the welfare state, new liberalism, social democracy and other changes to the capitalist system in some capitalist states.
Some individualists believe that reformers in the capitalist system are (or were) "secret Marxists" as they support policies that are similar to
those steps Marx and Engels said a developed capitalist society would go through. Some other individualists in common with Marx's theory of
historical materialism see the capitalist reforms as harbingers of the future coming of communism.
To Marxists, on the other hand, these reforms represent responses to political pressures from working-class political parties and unions, themselves
responding to perceived abuses of the capitalist system. Further, in this view, many of these reforms reflect efforts to "save" or "improve"
capitalism (without abolishing it) by dealing with market failures. Further, although Marxism does see a role for an enlightened (socialist)
government to represent the proletariat through a revolutionary period of indeterminate length, it sees an eventual lightening of that burden, a
"withering away of the state."
Encyclopedia of Marxism
Marx and Engels
Key figures:
Friedrich Engels
Karl Marx
Communism
Communism is a term that can refer to one of several things: a social and economic system, an ideology which supports that system, or a political
movement that wishes to implement that system.
As a social and economic system, communism would be a type of egalitarian society with no state, no privately owned means of production, and no social
classes. All property is owned cooperatively and collectively, by the community as a whole, and all people have equal social and economic status and
rights. Human need or advancement is not left unsatisfied because of poverty, and is rather solved through distribution of resources as needed. This
is thus often the system proposed to solve the problem of the capitalist poverty cycle.
Perhaps the best known maxim of a communist society is "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." This economic model is
also referred to as a gift economy. (This definition is rather too wide for many tastes, since it encompasses, as Karl Popper has pointed out, the
early Christian church, as it is described in the Acts of the Apostles).
As a political movement, communism is a more radical branch of the broader socialist movement. The communist movement differentiates itself from other
branches of the socialist movement through their wish to completely do away with all aspects of market society under the final stage of the system, as
well as some communists' commitment to armed revolutionary strategies for overthrowing capitalism, and their focus on the international working class
as key in that revolution.
Manifesto of the Communist Party
Key Figures:
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin
Mao Zedong
Leninism
Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism (a form of Communism); it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant
branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920's). Leninism was developed mainly by the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, and it was also put into
practice by him after the Russian Revolution. Lenin's theories have been a source of controversy ever since their inception, having critics both on
the Left (for example, social democrats, anarchists, and even other Marxists), from the center (for example, liberals), and on the Right (for example,
conservatives, fascists, etc).
See
here for more information.
Maoism
Maoism or Mao Tse-tung Thought (Chinese: 毛泽东思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), is a variant of Marxism-Leninism derived from the
teachings of Mao Zedong (1893–1976). In the People's Republic of China (PRC) it is the official doctrine of the Communist Party of China. Since the
reforms of Deng Xiaoping started in 1978, however, the definition and role of Mao Tse-tung's ideology in the PRC has radically changed.
It should be noted that the word "Maoism" has never been used by the PRC in its English-language publications except derisively: "Mao Tse-tung
Thought" has always been the preferred term. Likewise, Maoist groups outside China have usually called themselves "Marxist-Leninist" rather than
Maoist. This is a reflection of Mao's view that he did not change, but only developed, "Marxism-Leninism". The word "Maoist" has been used either
as a pejorative term by other communists, or as a descriptive term by non-communist writers. However, some Maoist groups, believing that Mao's
theories were substantial additions to the Marxist canon, call themselves "Marxist-Leninist-Maoist" or simply "Maoist"; for example, the Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist), who distinguish themselves from the much more mainstream Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
Outside the PRC, the term Maoism was used from the 1960s onwards, usually in a hostile sense, to describe parties or individuals who supported Mao
Zedong and his form of Communism, as opposed to the form practised in the Soviet Union, which the parties supporting Mao denounced as "revisionist."
These parties usually rejected the term Maoism, preferring to call themselves Marxist-Leninists. Since the death of Mao and the reforms of Deng, most
of these parties have disappeared, but various small Communist groups in a number of countries continue to advance Maoist ideas.
The works of Mao Zedong
Stalinism
Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. In current usage,
the terms has in Western mainstream media become more or less synonymous to totalitarianism.
See
here for more information.
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the framework of a parliamentary democracy. Thinkers, writers
and activists such as Robert Owen, Karl Marx, George Orwell, and Sidney and Beatrice Webb can all be said to have contributed to "democratic
socialist philosophy". However, popular movements such as the growth of trade unionism, the Chartists and the Labour Party (UK) (a "democratic
socialist party" according to the first line of its constitution) or the SPD in Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands) are equally
critical to understanding Democratic Socialism
See
here for more information.
National Socialism
Nazism, or more correctly National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus, often abbreviated NS) is a political ideology promoting Germanic racial
aspirations and a strong and centrally governed state. The term is most often used in connection with the dictatorship of Nazi Germany from 1933 to
1945 (the "Third Reich"). This ideology was held by the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei,
commonly called NSDAP or the Nazi Party), which was led by its "Führer" Adolf Hitler. Adherents of Nazism held that the German nation and the Aryan
race were superior to other races. Nazism has been outlawed in modern Germany, although remnants and revivalists, known as "Neo-Nazis", continue to
operate in Germany and abroad. The term is derived from the word Nazi, which is used to label the supporters of the National Socialism. This term in
turn was originally invented as tongue-in-cheek analogy to Sozi (a common and slightly pejorative abbreviation for socialists in Germany), but became
more popular and much more pejorative than the original.
See
here for more information.
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a political and economic ideology which advocates giving control of both industry and government to labour union federations.
Syndicalisme is a French word meaning "trade unionism". This milder version of syndicalism was overshadowed by revolutionary anarcho-syndicalism in
the early 20th century, which was most powerful in Spain, but appeared in other parts of the world as well.
A model syndicalist community is as follows. The local unit, the syndicat, would communicate with other syndicats through the bourse de travail
(labour exchange). The bourse would handle management and the transfer of commodities.
Syndicalism forms one of the three most common theories of a pre-managed economic and labor structure. It believes, on an ethical basis, that all
participants in each organized trade internally share equal ownership of its output and therefore deserve equal earnings and benefits within that
particular trade, regardless of position or duty. This contrasts socialism's emphasis on the distribution of output from all different trades to one
another as required by each trade, not necessarily considering how those trades organize themselves internally. Both these systems of pre-organized
economic structure can theoretically include variations on privatism, unlike the third such pre-arranged egalitarian strand, namely communism.
Communism supports the abolition of government-sanctioned private ownership and private earnings in favour of making all property legally public, and
therefore solely the responsibility of the state and/or the community.
Instances of syndicalism in power, during the Spanish Revolution or the 1956 Hungarian Revolution rapidly approach the economic organisation of
communism, often within weeks of syndicalists seizing control of social production.
Syndicalists often form alliances with other workers' movements, including socialism, communism, and anarchism.
See
here for more information.
Key Reading:
Thought of Karl Marx by David McLellan
The Life and Ideas
of Robert Owen by A.L. Morton
The
Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, et al
Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung: The Third Revolutionary War Period by Mao Tse-Tung, Zedong Mao
Essenti
al Works of Lenin : "What is to Be Done?" and Other Writings by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
[edit on 16-6-2005 by Odium]
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