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Understanding Socialism

Social Evolution

Socialism, in its simplest form, is an economic system where the main tools for producing goods are owned and managed by the public. The goal is to ensure these tools are used effectively for the benefit of everyone in society. Without combining political liberty and equality with economic changes, these concepts become meaningless and fail to provide real rights for citizens. However, the question remains: how can socialism be implemented in society?

It's important to recognize that there are various types of socialism, each offering a different approach to this fundamental question. By understanding these differences, we can gain a clearer understanding of what socialism truly entails.

Evolutionary vs. Revolutionary Socialism

When people commonly refer to 'socialism,' they are often talking about evolutionary socialism. This type of socialism is achieved gradually, through incremental changes, rather than through a sudden and complete transformation of society. In contrast, revolutionary socialism aims to establish socialism all at once, replacing capitalism entirely with socialist principles. In other words, revolutionary socialism seeks a complete overhaul of the social system, rather than merely accepting small changes for disadvantaged groups.

• Evolutionary socialism involves a mindset of compromise between capitalism and socialism. It allows the capitalist system to persist with minor adjustments towards socialism.
• This approach aligns more with liberal ideologies.
• Revolutionary socialism, on the other hand, directly challenges the existing social order and is rooted in the Marxist tradition.
• While evolutionary socialism is sometimes called liberal socialism, revolutionary socialism is often referred to as Marxian socialism.

Evolutionary socialism relies on democratic methods, parliamentary reforms, and economic planning. It argues that the needs of disadvantaged groups, particularly the working class, can be represented through their leaders. In contrast, revolutionary socialism focuses on mobilizing the working class to fight against capitalism, aiming to overthrow the capitalist system and achieve full social ownership of production and distribution through revolutionary means.

Evolutionary Socialism

Social Harmony

Evolutionary socialism focuses on securing the economic rights of the working classes while aiming to reconcile their interests with those of other social classes. This approach aligns with the idea of social harmony or equilibrium, similar to modern liberalism.

In contrast, revolutionary socialism rejects the notion of equilibrium and seeks to overturn the dominant and dependent classes in capitalist society, ultimately striving for a classless society.

While evolutionary socialism is often associated with Fabian socialism, not all its proponents were Fabians; other movements also shared similar ideas.

Fabian Socialism

Approximately thirty-five years after the publication of the Communist Manifesto, evolutionary socialism emerged as a systematic doctrine, offering an alternative to Marxian revolutionary socialism. Fabian socialists aimed to modify Marxian concepts in several ways:

• They based their economics on the Ricardian law of rent instead of the labor theory of value.
• They recognized the importance of engaging with multiple social classes to bring about meaningful change, with a focus on "permeating" the middle class with socialist ideas.
• They advocated for the promotion of socialist principles through gradual reform rather than abrupt revolution.

The goal was to gradually introduce socialism through various means, rather than implementing it all at once. This included:

• State and cooperative ownership of industry
• Strengthening the role of labour in legislative and executive positions
• Promoting the growth of trade unions and educational movements
• Fostering the development of social consciousness
• Gradually democratizing society in political, economic, and intellectual aspects

Ricardian Law of Rent

Cooperative Progress

The Ricardian Law of Rent, proposed by the British economist David Ricardo (1772-1823), suggests that with the growth of industrialization, the demand for food increases, leading to higher rents for land. This means that landlords benefit significantly from the expansion of capitalism, although this relationship is influenced by various complex socio-economic factors.

Fabian socialism, also known as Fabianism, originated in England with the Fabian Society, founded in 1884. The term 'Fabian' is derived from the Roman General Quintus Fabius (275-203 B.C.), whose patient strategies against Hannibal inspired the Society. The Society's motto reflects this approach, emphasizing the importance of waiting for the right moment to act decisively.

Unlike Marxian socialism, which advocated for revolution as a means to transition from capitalism to socialism, Fabian socialism envisioned this shift as a gradual process. It aimed for the socialization of industry through the peaceful use of existing economic and political tools.

Marxian and Fabian Socialism

Social Change

Marxian socialism relied on the working class to help shift from capitalism to socialism. In contrast, Fabian socialism aimed to use the skills of the middle class to create a new social order. Fabian socialism considered raising the community's social conscience towards the socialist ideal as an important success.

Historical Context of Fabianism

Fabianism emerged after democracy was established in Great Britain, especially between 1865 and 1885. During this time, the working classes gained:

• The right to vote
• Legal recognition of trade unions
• Increasing influence on legislation and wage contracts

In this situation, a revolution wasn't necessary to create a new political system. The Fabian approach favoured reform over revolution, suggesting that existing political structures could enable social change.

The Role of Fabian Socialists

The Fabian socialists aimed to turn the democratic state into a proactive tool for systematic social reform. Sydney Webb (1859-1947), a leading figure among them, believed that socialists should:

• Acquire knowledge through specialised research on economic and social life
• Understand the workings of legislation and administration
• Share their knowledge and experience with political agencies

Notable Figures in Fabianism

This new approach attracted several brilliant individuals in England who became prominent supporters of Fabianism. Notable figures include:

• George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
• Sydney Webb (1859-1947)
• Beatrice Webb (1858-1943)
• Sidney Olivier (1859-1943)
• Graham Wallas (1858-1932)
• G.D.H. Cole (1889-1959)

Goals and Objectives of Fabianism

Empowered Unity

Fabian socialism was championed by a group of influential writers and thinkers who laid out their goals and objectives in detail. Among these, a few stand out as particularly important.

Liberation of Land and Industrial Capital

• The Fabian Society sought to transform society by liberating land and industrial capital from the grip of individual and class ownership.
• Their vision was for these resources to be held by the community for the greater good, ensuring a fair distribution of the community's natural and acquired assets.
• This involved working towards the abolition of private property in land, along with the elimination of benefits such as rent that come with private land ownership.
• Additionally, the control over industrial production and inventions typically favoured the owners, while workers depended on them for their livelihoods.
• Fabianism aimed to empower workers by transferring the management of industrial capital to the entire community.

Equality of Opportunity

• The Fabian Society believed that by freeing land and industrial capital, a system would emerge where rent and interest would support the rewards of labour.
• Those who profit from the efforts of others would gradually diminish, and political equality of opportunity would be promoted by the natural workings of economic forces.
• This would lead to significantly less interference in personal freedom compared to what the current system necessitated.

Spread of Socialist Ideas

Democratic socialism

Goals of the Fabian Society

• The Fabian Society aimed to promote socialist ideas, emphasizing the relationship between individuals and society in economic, ethical, and political aspects.
• They advocated for equal citizenship for both men and women.
• Through a democratic approach, they sought to gradually shift public opinion towards new principles of social reorganization.

Webb's Perspectives on Socialism

• In the Fabian Essays(1889), Sydney Webb highlighted that significant changes should be:
  • Democratic and acceptable to the majority.
  • Gradual to prevent disruption, even with rapid progress.
  • Considered moral by the public to avoid demoralization.
  • In England, at least, constitutional and peaceful.

Redefining Democracy

• Webb proposed a new understanding of democracy, focusing on public control over their political system and the essential tools for wealth production.
• This involved transitioning from chaotic competition to organized cooperation for a fairer distribution of wealth generated by industry.

Impact of Socialist Ideas

• The Fabian socialists believed that promoting socialist ideas could influence democratic practices towards more socialist policies.

Universal Education

Cultural Hub

• In the Fabian Essays, Sydney Olivier advocated for universal education as a crucial means to liberate the working class.
• He emphasized the importance of the education system in fostering social morality.
• This entails that children should be exempt from any non-educational tasks until they are fully developed, both mentally and physically.
• For adults, the necessity for education is even more pronounced:
• Adult education encompasses journals and libraries, social interaction, fresh air, and clean towns.
• It also involves engaging with nature, visiting museums and art galleries, and participating in activities such as lectures, theatre, and opera.
• Only when these educational resources are accessible to everyone will the negative perceptions of the working class be diminished.

German Social Democracy

Social Democracy

German social democracy, as developed by Ferdinand Lassalle (1825-64), represented a notable form of evolutionary socialism. While Lassalle accepted the Marxist notion of the future growth of the working class and the eventual decline of capitalism, he held a distinct perspective on the role and nature of the state.

Political Organization

• Lassalle advocated for the working class to form a political party rather than violently overthrow the capitalist state.
• The party's objective would be to secure universal, equal, and direct suffrage to legally enhance its power.
• He envisioned a peaceful and constitutional transition from the capitalist state to a workers' state.
• Lassalle aimed to shift the immediate focus of the workers' movement towards gaining a majority in the democratic legislative bodies of the state.

Revisionism

Socialist Democracy

A significant school of evolutionary socialism that emerged in Germany was the revisionist school, led by Eduard Bernstein (1850-1932). This school sought to revise some fundamental aspects of Marxian theory.

Key Points of Revisionism

• Bernstein acknowledged improvements in certain conditions of the working class but emphasized that substantial challenges and inequalities persisted, impacting the intensity of class struggle.
• Contrary to Marx's predictions, the middle class had actually expanded rather than diminished.
• Bernstein observed that large segments of industry remained in small-scale production rather than consolidating into large-scale industries.

Bernstein argued that socialism should be viewed as an ongoing movement rather than a fixed endpoint. While Karl Kautsky (1854-1939) continued to uphold Marxian theories, which remained the official doctrine of communist parties in Europe, revisionist tactics became integrated into the socialist struggle.

Bernstein rejected Marx's materialist interpretation of history, which posited that class conflict was an inevitable pathway to socialism. Instead of prioritizing class struggle and dominance, Bernstein advocated for democracy and a genuine partnership among all adult citizens within a limited government framework. He believed that liberal democracy constituted the fundamental principle of socialism.

Syndicalism

Workers' Revolution

Syndicalism is a socialist movement that originated in France and Latin countries. It focuses on labor unions and their federations as the foundation for a future socialist society. Key aspects of Syndicalism include:

• Acceptance of Marx's class-struggle theory.
• Advocacy for the abolition of the political state.
• Promotion of industrial action, particularly the general strike, as the primary means for achieving revolutionary change and securing workers' control over industry.
• Vision of a society where all power belongs to producers, with trade and industrial unions forming the economic structure.

Syndicalism gained significant ideological traction in France between 1899 and 1937. Initially, it emphasized the exclusive right of workers to control industry. However, post-First World War, it expanded its focus to include the equal rights of consumers in this control. Syndicalism supports socialization while opposing state intervention in economic matters. Its opposition to state control manifests in two main forms:

• The state should not control industry.
• Independent economic organizations should be used to limit state power.

Guild Socialism

Collective Empowerment

• Guild Socialism emerged in England in the early 20th century as a new socialist movement.
• It gained substantial ideological support from 1916 to 1926 within the British labour movement.
• The movement aimed to combine the positive aspects of socialism with the traditional guild system.

Key Points of Guild Socialism

• Guild Socialism endorsed the Marxian emphasis on class struggle.
• It advocated for the abolition of the wage system and sought to involve workers in industrial management.
• The movement aimed to reconcile the interests of consumers and workers.
• Guild Socialism aimed to dismantle existing state structures that perpetuated inequalities.
• However, it believed in the necessity of a new organization to manage civic activities crucial for community life.
• Guild Socialism rejected not only communism but also all forms of collectivist socialism.
• Its ideas were influenced by a form of French Syndicalism that sought to limit political state power through independent economic groups of workers and consumers.
• However, British Guild Socialism differed from French Syndicalism due to its ties with the British liberal tradition, reflecting a more pluralistic view of society.

Evolutionary Socialism Today

• Nowadays, various forms of evolutionary socialism are practiced in numerous countries.
• In certain regions, especially in Scandinavian countries, it has resulted in significant security and prosperity.
• Conversely, in places like India, it has led to modest improvements in living standards without substantially addressing major socio-economic disparities.
• Consequently, evolutionary socialism has faced criticism on multiple fronts.

Criticism of Evolutionary Socialism

Social Evolution

Evolutionary socialism is criticized for several reasons, primarily related to its lack of a coherent doctrine and its disconnect from the working class.

1. No Coherent Doctrine

• Evolutionary socialism is seen as lacking a clear and unified doctrine.
• It encompasses various types, including Fabian socialism, revisionism, syndicalism, guild socialism, and democratic socialism, making it difficult to define a consistent philosophy.
• These different forms accept some ideas from Marxism while rejecting others without providing viable alternatives, resulting in a lack of a unified perspective.
• Various evolutionary socialist schools promote concepts such as class cooperation, democracy, and an evolutionary method, but they do not demonstrate how these alternatives can effectively achieve socialist goals.

2. Not Based on the Working Class

• Some forms of evolutionary socialism, like syndicalism and guild socialism, have connections to the working class.
• However, others, particularly Fabian socialism, were more appealing to middle-class intellectuals and lacked a strong connection with the working class.
• This focus on intellectual elitism led to an approach that aligned more with liberalism than with socialism.
• Fabian socialism aimed to influence all social classes and promote the redistribution of national wealth for the common good.
• However, it failed to engage the working class, who are the most affected by capitalism and stand to benefit the most from socialist change.

Legitimization of the Bourgeois State

Economic Ideologies

Evolutionary socialism seeks to incorporate socialist goals within the framework of the capitalist system. Capitalism has embraced liberal democracy as its political basis, which encompasses:

• Universal franchise
• Periodic elections
• Free competition for political power

The belief is that when people are granted formal political equality, their demand for economic equality cannot be ignored. The adoption of socialist objectives is seen as a way to reassure the public and serve as a "safety valve" for capitalism. Essentially, evolutionary socialism aims to maintain a market society with some modifications.

However, it is recognized that no society can function effectively without adequate incentives. Even 'pure' socialist systems acknowledged the necessity of incorporating certain market principles to ensure efficiency. This fusion of market principles with socialism is referred to as "market socialism". This approach was implemented in:

• Yugoslavia after the early 1950s
• Hungary post-1968
• China in 1978
• Poland in 1989
• Bulgaria in 1990
• The former Soviet Union during the 1980s

Nonetheless, this integration did not resolve the issue of scarcity, leading to bureaucratic corruption and the eventual collapse of socialist systems.

In the contemporary context, where there is disillusionment with "revolutionary socialism", evolutionary socialism or democratic socialism represents the most viable avenue for advancing social justice.

Market Socialism

Market socialism is a system where:

• The means of production are owned publicly
• Resources are allocated based on market principles

This leads to the presence of product, labor, and capital markets alongside the socialist framework.

Evolutionary Socialism as a Tool for Mitigating Capitalism

Socialist Conflict

• Evolutionary socialism, despite its limitations, serves as a useful means to soften the harshness of capitalism.
• It is certainly an improvement over unregulated capitalism, where a free market operates with unrestricted competition.
• This approach allows ordinary people to push back against and reduce the severity of the capitalist class's dominance within the framework of capitalist society.
• However, evolutionary socialism falls short of transforming capitalism due to a lack of sufficient, organized, and consistent public pressure.
• The capitalist class maintains the facade of common welfare by providing minor concessions and reliefs to the exploited and struggling populations.
• Social contradictions persist in such an environment.
• When the exploited groups become aware of these contradictions and choose to resist, it creates the groundwork for transforming the capitalist system.

Marxian Socialism and the Role of Class Consciousness

• Marxian socialism also emphasises the need for class consciousness and a strong organisation among the exploited class to bring about a revolution.
• If the exploited sections possess the necessary awareness and organisation, they can feasibly transform the capitalist system through democratic means, such as the ballot box.
• The idea of combining democracy and socialism is now seen as not only possible but logical and even inevitable.
• Ultimately, a genuine democracy will reflect the aspirations of ordinary people, which align with socialist objectives.
• In highly industrialised modern states, armed revolutions are increasingly recognised as having little chance of long-term success.
• Therefore, the constitutional method of achieving socialist goals is still relevant, provided the exploited classes are vigilant, well-organised, vocal, and actively engaged in building strong public pressure against the capitalist class.