Topic #5

SOCIALISM

DepeEd Competencies:
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:
 Identify the basic tenets of major political ideologies (i.e., liberalism, socialism, conservatism, etc.)
(HUMSS_PG12-Ib-c-6).
 Differentiate the political ideologies (HUMSS_PG12-Ib-c-7).

Definition of Socialism
Socialism is best understood as a reaction against capitalism. It seeks to counteract the attitude of selfish interest that is
associated with capitalism. Socialism started as a criticism of the exploitation of workers who suffer long hours,
dangerous workplaces, and low pay (Heywood 2012, 98) while employers enjoy the economic benefits of their hard
work. This capitalist arrangement was deemed unfair and unjust. Those who advocated for socialism proposed that
workers be given fair treatment in terms of wages and working conditions.

Socialism believes that the collective, or all members of society, have control over the means of production such as
lands, machinery, and transportation. It places value on cooperation, equality, and fairness in society. However,
socialists differ in what they think is the right way to achieve these values (Heywood 2012, 97). Those who advocate for
communist socialism believe that the state should have absolute control and ownership over the means of production.
Thus, there must not be any private ownership. The control of property is usually delegated to the state. In turn, the
nation’s wealth is equitably distributed to each individual. Others, such as the democratic socialists, believe that they
can uphold the values of equality and fairness through reforms that can be made in a democratic government. For
example, instead of abolishing private property, people can contribute a part of their income as taxes to implement
programs that can decrease poverty.

In contrast to capitalism, socialism requires the individual to collaborate and cooperate with one another instead of
working for their own interest. Socialism recognizes that a person is not just a mere individual but an individual who
forms part of society.
To illustrate socialism, say you own five goats and two carabaos. All of your livestock is given to the government, along
with everyone else’s. The government then provides for your share of milk in return for your livestock.

In a more concrete example, in Sweden, the state controls the majority of businesses, and so is able to provide a level
playing field for everyone. Another example is Algeria’s healthcare system. Since the government mainly controls its
economy, it can heavily subsidize and support its healthcare system, from medical training to free access to various
hospitals and clinics. As a result, the mortality rate has decreased and the life expectancy rate has increased dramatically
in the country.

Today, there are countries that have declared that they are socialists, such as the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the
Republic of Cuba, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Portuguese Republic, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,
and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. However, most of these countries only incorporate socialism in
providing for the needs of their people or in controlling industries, so there is no pure socialist country.

Principles of Socialism
Socialism is characterized by a set of principles: social equality, community, cooperation, social class, and common
ownership.

Social equality is the central idea of socialism. The socialist perspective holds that the source of inequality is the unfair
treatment of society toward its members. Equal treatment will enable people to live in better circumstances.

Community refers to the notion that each person is bonded to another person. Hence, the identity of a person is shaped
through experiences and interactions with various social groups. A sense of community is important for socialism
because a feeling of belongingness with others encourages cooperation.

Cooperation enables individuals to develop concern about the welfare of another, which further strengthens the bonds
of the community. Socialists believe that making people compete against each other will only breed conflict, aggression,
and selfishness.
Social class refers to people grouped together because of their social and economic situation. The grouping is usually
known as the proletariat (the working class) and the bourgeoisie (the owners of the means of production). It is viewed
as the source of divide in society; thus, socialism aims to eliminate, or at least narrow, class divisions to achieve harmony
in society.

Common ownership resolves the problem of competition. Competition usually roots from having private property.
Private property does not pertain to personal belongings like your book collection or your clothes. It does not also refer
to properties that do not generate wealth or those that cannot be used for production; rather, it refers to a property
that can produce wealth and be used for production. Socialists believe that private property breeds acquisitiveness:
those who already own property wish to accumulate more, while those who do not own property wish to acquire it.

Variations of Socialism
Variations of socialism are characterized by the same set of principles and molded by the same definition. However,
these variations do not always agree on the same means and the same ends. Here are the two major variations of
socialism.

Democratic socialism seeks reforms in the government so that the conditions of the working class can be ameliorated;
hence, socialists who follow this variation are called reformists. In order to achieve the reforms they want, these
socialists go after electoral positions to secure the necessary changes through the law.

Communism, on the other hand, does not believe that mere changes in the laws or those in positions of power will
effect any change in the working conditions of the marginalized. Those who follow this variation of socialism are called
purists. They are committed to change the entire structure of society through a revolution. The revolution here does not
necessarily mean war but more of seizure of power from the bourgeois government.

Historical Context of Socialism

Socialism dates back as far as the time of Plato. However, as an economic and political movement, it only started in the
early 19th century. The harsh social and economic conditions during the Industrial Revolution gave birth to socialism.

Socialism initially started as a critique of the conditions suffered by the working class. Industrial workers suffered from
poverty and poor working conditions as factory owners had a free hand in imposing wage and factory conditions, such as
child labor and long hours of work.

In the 1830s, Robert Owen of Britain pushed for a utopian community predicated on cooperation and equality as
opposed to the existing competition and greed brought by capitalism. Back then, children were hired to work in
factories, but Owen kept children below 10 years old from working in his textile factories. Also, Owen only required 10
hours of work per day. Owen argued that people only become selfish because of the circumstances they were in. He
applied his ideas of cooperation and equality in a community he created. Property in this community was commonly
owned, although it was a land he purchased. Unfortunately, the community failed, so he then focused on promoting
the idea of trade unions and cooperatives.
Charles Fourier of France had similar ideas to those of Owen as understood from his writings. He believed that society
only fosters evil and selfishness since it allows people to be stuck in a restrained role in life. He imagined a community
where people are self-sufficient and organized, one that will make people work following their personal interests.
However, Fourier’s utopian community allows private individuals to invest in the economy.

This concept of a utopian community was made more systematic by the German thinkers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
in their work The Communist Manifesto. The society envisioned by Marx and Engels was based on scientific reasoning
rather than visions and ideas.

Marx and Engels identified capitalism as the root cause of the sharp divide between the bourgeoisie (the owners of
production) and the proletariat (the working class). Hence, in order to attain a classless and true socialist society, the
proletariat must hold the power in collectively controlling the means of production away from the bourgeoisie. They
highlighted the victory of the proletariat in a class struggle that can only be achieved through a revolution.
Before the end of the 19th century, the working conditions improved after trade unions and working-class political
parties were formed. By the time the First World War occurred, variations of socialism were practiced. These are
democratic socialism and communism.

When socialism spread to African, Asian, and Latin American countries, the elimination of class struggle was not the
focus; rather, it was the anti-colonial struggle. Unlike Western countries whose problem mainly revolved around the
working conditions in an industrialized society, these African, Asian, and Latin American countries were basically
concerned with their daily condition as oppressed colonized countries.

Comparison with Other Ideologies

Since socialism is a response and critique of capitalism, it shows that socialism attempts to ameliorate the effects of
capitalism in a liberal society. On the other hand, communism is the purer form of socialism by Marx wherein simple
reforms in a liberal society are not enough, and that total control of economy and revolution are necessary to eliminate
the class struggle. The following table shows how socialism is the median between liberalism and communism.