...Why Socialism Sucks Brandon Smith Alexander Tokarev 4/26/2013 We live in a world in where different ideologies take over the minds of individuals throughout the world. We have different mindsets which are the products of individuals and the situation in which they have been raised over the course of their life. With these ideologies some are conjured up in the minds of people with immense power over the people of their nation. Governments take the form of different types. There are many different types; Capitalism, Communism, Totalitarianism, Oligarchy, Socialism, Democracy, and even Social Democracy. However I write about only one today…Socialism. I will be taking various examples from Milton Friedman’s The Road to Serfdom. In Milton’s first chapter “The Abandoned Road” he speaks of the history of what we have been founded upon. Individualism speaks to our very core, with the development of Socialism we have been straying too far from what we know, what works. In chapter two, “The Great Utopia”, he speaks about how the French writers who laid the foundations of Socialism call for the control of the people through a strict dictatorship. This dictatorship that would take place will inevitably call for the end of all revolutions of the people so that the government may put its plans into action. Democracy and Socialism have one thing in common: equality. However with Democracy it calls for equality in liberty and freedom whereas Socialism calls for equality through strict...
Words: 1093 - Pages: 5
...reality has shown it might be very far from being perfect. This system of government as well as economy is also based on trying to create equality. Communism can be related to Socialism which creates equality by essentially sharing all profits and land with the community. Unlike socialism however,Communism believes that there is no need for a profit to be given to the worker or for land to be owned by any workers because it creates inequality and this must be done to ensure social order. A Lot of the communist ideology is totally opposite and against capitalist views. There is no competition in communism and wages and salaries are equal across all carers and work. In Communist theory, government leaders should only be temporary and used only to gear the population towards true order and then step down and let the work cycle continued. Many of the communist ideology is predominantly theory and is highly criticized by many nations. In today's day and age many countries have decided to opt out of the communist social structure because it is unpractical and does not provide true equality as theorized. Communism was a fairly modern ideology founded only about 120 years ago but has lingered throughout history. The majour man honoured with the creation of communism is Karl Marx who lived between 1818-1883 and was born in Germany but then fled to the United Kingdom. Marx was a major activist during the time period he lived in witch was the boom of capitalism. Marx joined a communist political...
Words: 5182 - Pages: 21
...Why Socialism is Bad and Doesn't Work 1. Introduction Socialism is a socioeconomic philosophy which has failed everywhere it has been tried. Socialism is bad because it results in large, intrusive and controlling government that diminishes the role and value of individual citizens. While Socialism promises prosperity, equality, and security, it delivers poverty because it promotes victimhood and big government solutions; and it offers a false hope of a utopian society which results in the loss of freedom and the rise of governmental tyranny. Socialism is defined as a centrally planned economy in which the government controls all means of production. Many have come to realize that it was nothing but a catastrophic failure . Socialism was created to remedy the economic and moral defects of capitalism. However, it has far surpassed capitalism in both economic malfunction and moral cruelty. Yet the idea and the ideal of socialism remain as a solution today. 2. History Socialism aims at a social system based on public ownership of the means of production (Von Mises, 1969). Arising in the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century, socialism developed as a reaction to the hardships caused by capitalism and industrial revolution. The premise of socialism is that the government owns and operates all material resources in a social system. Socialism first originated in France and England at about the same time, but as it grew socialism took individual paths throughout each...
Words: 2707 - Pages: 11
...While Cohen’s view of socialism certainly has more material equality, it may not be possible to achieve in a large globalized society. He mentions that humans are not inherently self-interested and conceited; they possess some form of selflessness and camaraderie that is essential to the community Cohen describes. He defends this view by mentioning the existence of caring profession like doctors or nurses, as they “do not, or do not comprehensively, gauge what they do in their jobs according to the amount of money they’re likely to get as a result, in the way that capitalist and workers in non caring occupations do” (Cohen 59). Adam Smith, on the other hand, believes that “it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their...
Words: 1031 - Pages: 5
...October 18, 2013 Socialism vs. Capitalism Contemporary History Professor Quincy Harris Capitalism and Socialism are two different types of systems. There lies a huge difference between the beliefs of both. I plan to discuss the differences of each and discuss the pros and cons of both as well as discuss which would be better for Americans. Sometime between 16th and 19th century capitalism first appeared. Once Feudalism failed Capitalism became the stronger system used in the western world. During the time of the Industrial Revolution Capitalism spread throughout the world. In order to become an industrialized nation then Capitalism had to be embraced. Socialism’s movement was started by Karl Marx (intellectual advocate.) Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the production and co-operative management of the economy. Socialism first appeared during the 19th century. According to (Historyworld.net).The essential characteristics of capitalism only become evident with an increase in scale in two quite separate contexts. One is the formation of joint-stock companies, in which investors pool their resources for a major commercial undertaking. The other, not evident until the Industrial Revolution, is the development of factories in which large numbers of workers are employed in a single private enterprise. Speculative trading enterprises in the Middle Ages are undertaken by individual merchants, operating in family groups or partnerships but...
Words: 1747 - Pages: 7
...society, a utopia; a society, in which no suffering exists, and everyone is happy. In writing, they are common, from the City of Atlantis to the Garden of Eden. However, there are no utopias, none for which anyone can provide proof of. For better or worse, there have been men who have attempted to bring about these utopias in the form of egalitarian societies. Some of these societies have aimed at removing the differences in social class and material wealth between people in an attempt to establish a utopian society. For example communism which was based on a Marxist utopian ideology, has proven to be ultimately a flawed principle and regime. In recent times, so called utopian societies were identified as either socialist, or communist. True communist societies have aimed to be egalitarian, and perhaps even utopian. While the effects of communist and socialist regimes are not confined to one single aspect of human life, this essay focuses on the economic effects of communism. Unfortunately, they have not succeeded in either; instead these societies have resulted in poverty, violence, and overall failure . Modern communism cannot be explained without first defining it, as there have been many historical and contemporary variations. Communism, as first defined in Paris in the 1840s by historian (Pipes, 2003), is “three related but distinct phenomena: an ideal, a program, and a regime set up to realize the ideal”. When Pipes writes of “the ideal”, he refers to the idea that if...
Words: 3323 - Pages: 14
...understood as one attempt to influence history by spreading information about the communist movement” (SparkNotes Editors, n.d.). In the conflict perspective, an organization functions to maximize their benefits. “The working class cannot simply lay hold of the ready-made state machinery, and wield it for its own purposes.” The working class cannot use to its advantage a capitalist-established structure. The political structure ruled by capitalists was favourable to their class. As Engels retells Marx’s idea “, (ever since the dissolution of the primeval communal ownership of land) all history has been a history of class struggles, of struggles between exploited and exploiting, between dominated and dominating classes at various stages of social development.” The whole world was said to be affected by these capitalists who wanted to “create a world after its own image.” Their view on society is parallel to an arena where fighting occurs to gain power and status. From the feudal society, a series of revolutions in the instruments of production and exchange resulted to widespread changes in society. The middle class, who constantly revolutionized the modes of production, also gained power in the modern State. Capitalism became the dominant structure after this change which brought about more power for the bourgeoisie. “The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done...
Words: 1055 - Pages: 5
...“Islam is a great and true religion revealed in the Holy Koran which was dictated by the angel Gabriel to the final Prophet Mohammed, blessing and peace be upon him.” * Islam, Mohammed and the Qu’ran * Islam – meaning submission/surrender to the rule of Good * Mohammed – last in a series of protestants (including Jesus, Moses) * Bring the word of God * Qur’an (meaning recitation) – recited what God gave to him, others wrote it * Hadith – Mohammed’s owns words and deeds (lessons to be followed) * Islam and Politics * The spread of Islam * The five pillars of Islam * Profession of the faith (Allah is true God, Mohammed is a profit) * Ritual prayer (x5 a day) * Charitable donations to the poor * Annual fasting during the month of Ramadan * Pilgrimage (Go to Makah) * Jihad * Inner struggle against evil and selfishness * Vs. Radical Islam (outer struggle against “evil”) * Shar’ia * The law of the land * Radical Islam – rule by the elite Muslims * Very secular government in countries like Egypt try to eliminate radical Islam * Four External Threats to Islam * Crusades (1095-1300) – try to eliminate Muslim using large scale attacks * European Imperialism * The State of Israel * Western ideas of “modernity” (socialism, liberalism, capitalism, sexual equality) * Radical...
Words: 475 - Pages: 2
...foundation of tradition and the main ideals, nothing can knock down a conservatist, and nothing will every change them. In the very first chapter, Kirk devotes a few pages to what he views as the pain ideas behind conservatism. Known as Kirk’s canons, he proposes six statements that he feels best represent conservatism. The first canon, “Belief in a transcendent order, or body of natural law, which rules society as well as conscience. Political problems, at bottom, are religious and moral problems. A narrow rationality, what Coleridge called the Understanding, cannot of itself satisfy human needs. ‘every Tory is a realist,’ says Keith Feiling: ‘he knows that there are great forces in heaven and earth that man’s philosophy cannot plumb or fathom.’ True politics is the art of apprehending and applying the Justice which ought to prevail in a community of souls.”(Kirk, 8). This canon implies that society is naturally supposed to have social classes. There is a transcendent order and natural law. The second canon, “Affection for the proliferating variety and mystery of human existence, as opposed to the narrowing uniformity, egalitarianism, and utilitarian aims or most radical system; conservatives resit what Robert...
Words: 4685 - Pages: 19
...Communism and democracy are two different ideologies that have each had a great impact in the world. Communism can be defined as a socioeconomic structure that stands for the establishment of classless, egalitarian and stateless society. Democracy, on the other hand, is a political system of governance either carried out by the people directly or by elected representatives. “Democracy may not be the perfect form of government, but sure it is way better than communism” said Jones in his journal, Power and Democracy Education Every single human being in the world knows that this is not true. Everybody knows that communism is a secret weapon that the rulers in the countries where communism is practiced use it to enrich themselves, their families and their friends. Communism is a political ideology that is based on a common ownership, mainly concerned with equality and fairness. In communism, the power is accredited to a group of people who decide the course of the action. It is this group of people who decide on the activities of the entire public. These specific groups of people may come into conflict with the public of others. On the other hand, democracy is rule...
Words: 1908 - Pages: 8
...century, idiomatic English. A nineteenth century translation of The Law, made in 1853 in England by an unidentified contemporary of Mr. Bastiat, was of much value as a check against this translation. In addition, Dean Russell had his work reviewed by Bertrand de Jouvenel, the noted French economist, historian, and author who is also thoroughly familiar with the English language. While Mr. de Jouvenel offered many valuable corrections and suggestions, it should be clearly understood that Dr. Russell bears full responsibility for the translation. The Law The law perverted! And the police powers of the state perverted along with it! The law, I say, not only turned from its proper purpose but made to follow an entirely contrary purpose! The law become the weapon of every kind of greed! Instead of checking crime, the law itself guilty of the evils it is supposed to punish! If this is true, it is a serious fact, and moral duty requires me to call the attention of my fellowcitizens to it. Life Is a Gift from God We hold from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life — physical, intellectual, and moral life. But life cannot maintain itself alone. The Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving, developing, and perfecting it. In order that we may accomplish this, He has provided us with a collection of marvelous faculties. And He has put us in the midst of a variety of natural resources. By the application of our faculties to these natural resources...
Words: 18033 - Pages: 73
...had not yet been decided but in the meantime it had been divided into four areas by the former Allies. The tension between the remaining post war Superpowers, the United States and The Soviet Union were ever increasing. Britain became economically and militarily dependant on the US as its empire floundered. British rhetoric and ‘scaremongering was born of Britain’s desire to keep America involved in Europe.’ Stalin began to consolidate the Soviet area and the anti-Western language of the Soviet regime became just as scathing as Churchill’s. The ‘Iron Curtain’ was now in place and America, Britain and Russia were coming to realise that their respective ideologies were for the most part irreconcilable. Although it is often said that nothing is inevitable, there are times when the consequences of decisions and policies gather momentum and become an unstoppable force. By considering their differences and how the individual iron willed leaders involved expressed their intentions and shaped their stances against each other it will become apparent that the consequences and the forces that the East and the West put in motion made the Cold War inevitable after 1945. By 1946-47 the Western leaders who ‘emerged on the winning side’ of World War Two had realised that what Lenin had said was true. ‘As long as Capitalism and Socialism exist, we cannot live in peace; in the end, one or the other will triumph. A funeral dirge will be sung either over the Soviet Republic or over Capitalism’ and...
Words: 2384 - Pages: 10
...The story takes place on a farm somewhere in England. The story is told by an all-knowing narrator in the third person. The action of this novel starts when the oldest pig on the farm, Old Major, calls all animals to a secret meeting. He tells them about his dream of a revolution against the cruel Mr Jones. Three days later Major dies, but the speech gives the more intelligent animals a new outlook on life. The pigs, who are considered the most intelligent animals, instruct the other ones. During the period of preparation two pigs distinguish themselves, Napoleon and Snowball. Napoleon is big, and although he isn't a good speaker, he can assert himself. Snowball is a better speaker, he has a lot of ideas and he is very vivid. Together with another pig called Squealer, who is a very good speaker, they work out the theory of "Animalism". The rebellion starts some months later, when Mr Jones comes home drunk one night and forgets to feed the animals. They break out of the barns and run to the house, where the food is stored. When Mr Jones sees this he takes out his shotgun, but it is too late for him; all the animals fall over him and drive him off the farm. The animals destroy all whips, nose rings, reins, and all other instruments that have been used to suppress them. The same day the animals celebrate their victory with an extra ration of food. The pigs make up the seven commandments, and they write them above the door of the big barn. They run thus: 1. Whatever goes upon...
Words: 4325 - Pages: 18
...The Reader’s Digest condensed version of The Road to Serfdom The Road to Serfdom FRIEDRICH A. HAYEK The condensed version of The Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek as it appeared in the April 1945 edition of Reader’s Digest The Institute of Economic Affairs First published in Great Britain in 1999 in the ‘Rediscovered Riches’ series by The Institute of Economic Affairs 2 Lord North Street Westminster London sw1p 3lb Reissued in the ‘Occasional Paper’ series in 2001 This condensed version of The Road to Serfdom © Reader’s Digest, reproduced by kind permission The Road to Serfdom is published in all territories outside the USA by Routledge. This version is published by kind permission. All other material copyright © The Institute of Economic Affairs 1999, 2001 Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders associated with this edition. In some cases this has not been possible. The IEA will be pleased to include any corrections in the next edition. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. isbn 0 255 36530 6 Many IEA publications are translated into...
Words: 16475 - Pages: 66
...with dictatorship; that oddly enough operated in very different ways but the result was the same: One man had full power and control over his state. More specifically this essay will study Venezuela and Chile, Hugo Chavez and Augusto Pinochet, populism and authoritarianism which in a remarkable yet fairly different way narrows it down to the same result: Presidents who made their way to the top and managed to become dictators of their states. Throughout time they way governments have chosen to govern their states has been based on different political ideologies that were shaped over history. This essay will focus particularly on Authoritarianism and Populism. Venezuela had an example of a dictator, which some Venezuelan considered a hero, who based is political career promoting populism as the best way to rule a country. On the other hand you have Chile a country that today remembers the darkest years of their history inflicted by Pinochet an authoritarian that took over power through no democratic mean at all, and forced his way to the top. Firstly becoming familiar with the political ideologies is crucial in being able to compare these two regimes. Populism by definition is: “ a core belief that the institutions of classical liberal democracy, especially legislatures and courts, are anachronistic, inefficient, and inconsistent with the true expression of the people’s will” (Seligson, 2007, p. 82) . In 1 shorts, populism as the title suggests it, is all about the people,...
Words: 2901 - Pages: 12
