Socialism today

COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM

• Seemed to be the death of socialism
• The existence of societies that called themselves socialist seemed to
prove that socialism was possible
• Even those who were very critical of “actually existing socialism”
thought it had the possibility of reforming and becoming democratic.

COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM (cont’d)

• The collapse of communism seemed to foreclose that possibility
• Revolutionary socialist parties and movements seemed to shrivel up
and die
• Social democracy moved right and transformed into the Third Way
• Socialism seemed to be on life support

BUT CAPITALISM REMAINED CAPITALISM

• The economic system created vast inequality
• Social problems were not addressed
• People wanted more from life than greed and materialism could
provide
• The ideals of equality and a society dedicated to meeting people’s
needs persisted

SOCIALIST IDEALS SURVIVED

• The question was “Could they be realized?”• Many continued to advocate for social justice, equity, and collective well-being, despite setbacks in socialist movements.

OBSTACLES TO SOCIALISM

• The biggest obstacles were the communist societies themselves
• They were not models that many, particularly in the West, found
attractive
• They were not democratic
• They didn’t protect civil liberties
• They didn’t seem to produce a high standard of living

OBSTACLES TO SOCIALISM (cont’d)

• Beyond this, they were seen as failures
• The fact that they collapsed was taken as proof that socialism was a
failed idea, that it couldn’t work
• Opponents of socialism took Soviet style socialism to be the only
possible form of socialism
• Those who argued for democratic socialism were accused of
indulging in pipe dreams

WHAT WERE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
SOVIET STYLE SOCIALISM?

• Highly centralized command economy
• Communist party monopoly on power
• Stifling of dissent
• Cult of personality

WERE THESE CHARACTERISTICS THE
FAULT OF MARXISM?

• Marx hated the state and expected it to wither away
• Marx wanted the economy to be run through the free association of
workers
• Marx’s ideal was that democracy be extended beyond politics to the
economic sphere
• Marx wanted a society that would meet people’s needs and give them
the freedom to develop their full humanity

LEADERS OF THE COMMUNIST REGIMES

• Claimed they were following Marx
• They may well have believed it
• However neither claim nor conviction are proof
• Their practice was a thorough repudiation of Marx’s ideas

WHY DID THE COMMUNIST COUNTRIES
DEVELOP AS THEY DID?

• Mostly, it was a result of the conditions under which they were formed
• They were formed in time of war and civil war, massive loss of life,
material devastation and social dislocation
• They were formed in societies with a low level of economic
development

THREE CORE PROPOSITIONS OF
SOCIALISM

• Democracy
• Egalitarianism
• Socialization of the economy

DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALISM

• Democracy for socialists goes beyond elections and voting
• Socialists want to extend democracy to all aspects of life: particularly
to the economy which has such a huge impact on our lives

EGALITARIANISM AND SOCIALISM

• Rough egalitarianism not perfect equality
• Seeks the elimination of major inequalities in all the areas that are
deeply unequal
• This would mean the elimination of inequalities based on race or
gender as well as those that are the result of class division

SOCIALIZATION OF THE ECONOMY AND
SOCIALISM

• The large part of economic activity, particularly the commanding
heights of the economy be subject to public ownership and control.

THESE THINGS CONSTITUTE THE GOALS
OF A SOCIALIST MOVEMENT

• Though very difficult to achieve, socialists believe they are possible,
particularly in the advance capitalist countries which have achieved
the material basis for a socialist society