Socialism
Valeria Lara
Florida Atlantic University
Socialism
Now imagine a neighborhood where money was not used but the people who lived there shared communal labor. A system based on “principles of equality, charity, cooperation, and moderation could flourish.” (Steiner & Steiner, p.92). Well this system is exactly what Robert Owen created in the 1820s at a place called New Harmony and then rose more communities to do the same. This is where “socialist” system idea was first created and then became popular with Owen’s philosophy. Today socialism is described as by Econlib(2008) as “a centrally planned economy in which the government controls all means of production”(Heilbroner).
Encyclopedia Britannica (2013) extends the concept to: “socialism, social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources. According to the socialist view, individuals do not live or work in isolation but live in cooperation with one another. Furthermore, everything that people produce is in some sense a social product, and everyone who contributes to the production of a good is entitled to a share in it. Society as a whole, therefore, should own or at least control property for the benefit of all its members.” ("Socialism,"). This is exactly what Robert Owen was trying to commute. The idea of utopia was the real inspiration in his thoughts. He thought to get away from the idea of businesses and materialism controlling our lives and encourage for everyone to be able to live comfort together and help one another.
As economic concept socialism establishes the centralization of whole production of goods and services, managed and controlled by the government. It does not refer to a political system, neither does it deny private property, it refers to all ways of production, by extension we can talk about all resources. In my opinion, the socialism system as a concept looks fair and offer equity for the Society, and history has shown how it can be a utopia. Despite socialism, it is an economic concept it is associated as an initial step to communism, which is an extreme system that manages all resources including whole kind of property. Communism still differs from the ideas of socialism especially that communism establishes an equally allowance of benefits among all the society. In socialism people earn according to his or her contribution or amount of work put into the society, while communism look to prevent the ailing effects of capitalism. Socialism is based on the benefit of the society as a whole and not the individual benefit.
This concept surged as alternative oppose of capitalism to avoid the economy inequity and dehumanization of workers during the Industrial Revolution in the eighteen century. According with
The Basic of Philosophy (2008) “Modern Socialism emerged in early 19th Century Britain and France, from a diverse array of doctrines and social experiments, largely as a reaction or protest against some
Socialism
of the excesses of 18th and 19th Century Capitalism…….. It was Karl Marx, though, who first employed systematic analysis (sometimes known as "scientific socialism") in an ambitious attempt to expose Capitalism's contradictions and the specific mechanisms by which it exploits and alienates. His ambitious work "Das Kapital", the first volume of which was published in 1867 with two more edited and published after his death by Friedrich Engels (1820 - 1895)….” (philosophybasics.com/branch_socialism.html)
Marx and Engels are called the fathers of the socio-economical ideology called “Marxism”. They were born in Germany, with different backgrounds but both oriented to philosophical studies and to impulse social reforms by participating in different groups sharing the same reformative views. From 1844 Engels and Marx have a lifelong friendship and collaboration. Together they founded a secret society of Germany
