Socialism

George Bernard Shaw once said that, all democracy lovers of the world should
gather in one place and make a universally accepted definition of democracy.
But it was not possible.
Because perhaps not all lovers of democracy will agree on what democracy is?

This applies even more to socialism. If all the socialist scholars of the world are
gathered in one place and asked to define socialism, then perhaps they will fight
among themselves because many of them will be contradictory.
Socialist scholars around the world have different dreams, different ideals,
different paths, yet they are all socialists.

How surprising that Don Griffith has collected 263 definitions of socialism in
his book 'What is Socialism?’
Professor Elle has compiled about 400 definitions of socialism, and a famous
French newspaper Le Figaro has given 600 definitions of socialism and said that
these definitions are not yet complete.
Because of the strange diversity of socialism, the famous author C.E.M. Joad
has said that, "Socialism is like a hat, that has lost its shape because everybody
wears it".
Ramsay Muir wrote, "socialism is a chameleon like creed, it changes its colour
according to environment."

The meaning of socialism varies from time to time and from one thinker to
another.

Today we are going to explore the topic – Socialism.

Meaning of Socialism

The word 'socialism' finds its root in the Latin ‘sociare’, which means ‘to
combine’ or ‘to share’. The related, more technical term in Roman and then
medieval law was ‘societas’.

According to Hunt, in 1826 AD,In English,this word was first used in the
present sense, for the followers of Robert Owen in the magazine ‘Cooperative
Manager’.
In 1832, it was used in the magazine of the followers of the French socialist
thinker Saint Simon, and after that the word began to be used continuously in
this sense.
Initially, it was an ideology as a reaction against individualism in which the
ownership of property was considered more necessary and useful than that of
the individual, so the use of the word socialism became prevalent in this sense.
At that time, there was no micro distinction between society and the state that is
made by sociologists nowadays.

At present, society is considered to be a voluntary organization and the state is

considered to be an institution having a necessary binding power and socialism
is considered to be more related to the state than society.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "Socialism means a principle or

policy that aims to equally own or control the means of production, capital,
land, property, etc. and to administer them in the interests of all."

The aim of socialism is a more equitable distribution of wealth, so that the

general public can be saved from the exploitation of the capitalists. The ideal of
socialism is to establish a society in which there is social control over the means
of production and distribution and the end of economic discrimination. The aim
of modern socialists is to put an end to the capitalist system in which man is
exploited by man.

DEFINITION OF SOCIALISM

Socialism has been used in such a broad and different sense that it is difficult to
give a complete and definite definition. The truth is that as many thinkers or
scholars have considered or written on socialism, there are as many definitions
of socialism. Therefore, it is difficult to give a unanimous definition of
socialism, yet we are taking some definitions of socialism which make the
meaning of socialism clear.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "Socialism is a policy or principle aimed

at the better distribution and production of wealth by the central democratic
power than it is today." "

In Hughan's words, “Socialism is a movement of the working class that aims to

end exploitation of the main means of ‘production and distribution’ by
collective ownership and democratic management. "

According to Robert, the program of socialism demands that, property and other
means of production be the collective property of the people and that they
should also be used by the people for the people.

According to Sellers, "socialism is a democratic movement aimed at protecting

the economic organization of a society that can provide maximum justice and
freedom at any given time."
In Humphrey's words, "Socialism is a social system in which the means of life
are owned by the whole society and the whole society develops and uses them
for the purpose of increasing the general welfare."

Emile said, "Socialism is an organization of workers whose purpose is to gain

political power to convert capitalist property into socialist property."

According to Ramsay Macdonald, "The purpose of socialism is to organize the

economic and material resources of society and to control it through human
means."

After looking over the definitions,let’sgo through the

Development of Socialism.

The rise of socialism is the result of a certain development that began in the
backdrop presented by the Industrial Revolution. Although autocratic
monarchies had ended in Europe, the form of the state based on the ideology of
individualism did not bring any benefit to the masses.

In 1794, a politician named NoyleBabbeffwrote, "When I see that the poor have
neither clothes on their body nor shoes on their feet, although the poor people
make clothes and shoes, they do not get them for use, and when I think of those
who do not do anything themselves, they do not lack anything. So, my belief is
strengthened that the State is still a conspiracy of some people against the
common man. NoyleBabbeff was in favor of ending poverty by nationalizing
entire wealth. For this purpose, he decided to propagate his ideas and for this, he
also established a secret committee called Conspiracy of Equal People.
Although NoyleBabbef failed in his plan, it may not be inappropriate, if we call
him ‘the father of socialism’.

After this, the name of Henry San Simo is also notable in the development of
socialism. San Simo said that land and capital should not be controlled by
individuals, but by the nation, and each person should work according to his
ability and get paid according to his work.
A French philosopher named Charles Fourier also presented a plan to give a
functional form to socialism. He said that such small societies should be
created, in which each of them has about 1800 members.
Robert Owen started socialism in England. He tried to do justice to the workers
of his mills only. According to him, not more than five percent profit should be
taken on the cost of capital.
Louis Blaue's name is also notable among those who gave birth to the new
socialist ideology. He said that the power of governance should not be in the
hands of the middle class, but in the hands of the common man. Louis Blaue
promoted his ideas a lot. As a result, the general public was given full right to
vote. A new government was formed. But socialist schemes were not
implemented. By 1850, the wave of socialism was suppressed.

Karl Marx was the main advocate of socialist ideas in Germany, who agitated
the world with his ideas.

Thus, the rise of socialism occurred as a reaction to individualism. Socialism

propounded that workers should also have a fair share in the benefit of
production.

Streams of socialist thought -

Socialism is primarily involved in the creation of a social system in which the

means of life are owned by the whole society and the whole society develops
and uses them for the purpose of increasing social welfare.
There is a strong consensus among socialists that capitalism should come to an
end, but they differ on the basis of what means should be adopted to end the
capitalist system and establish a new society. Therefore, different socialists have
different perspectives regarding the means of achieving objectives.
On this basis, there are different forms of socialism.
Evolutionary or democratic socialists want to adopt constitutional means to
bring about socialism, on the other hand, communists consider constitutional
means useless to bring [Link] emphasize on violent and revolutionary
means. Similarly, in the economic sphere, those who adopt direct means of
action are called Syndicates. The category between collectivists and labor
unionists is Guild socialists. In fact, socialism is an ideology that applies to
Fabianism, evolutionary socialism, communism, labor federalism, Guild
socialism.
In its broadest sense, every person is called a socialist who is sympathetic to the
poor and is motivated to reduce their sufferings.

Under this trend, the following streams of socialism are found -

1. Utopian Socialism
2. Scientific Socialism or Communism or Marxism
3. State socialism or collectivism
4. Syndicalism
5. Guild Socialism
 6. Democratic Socialism
7. Indian Socialism …… and few more

We will take only two of them, because remaining are the branches of these
two.

1. Utopian Socialism

There were many writers of this ideology who set a very revolutionary ideal in
front of man. They were very optimistic. They believed that man could be made
perfect. Through educational reforms, they wanted to save human society.

All the Utopian socialists have criticized capitalism and have described personal
property as a root cause of social disorder. At the same time, attention has also
been drawn to the defects caused by the unequal distribution of property in the
society. The Utopian socialists recognized the paramount importance of labor in
production and emphasized the protection of the interests of the workers and the
just distribution of property. Speculative socialism could not present any plan of
socialist system on the basis of scientific and historical analysis, this work was
later done by Marx's scientific socialism.

Wayper rightly wrote, "They imagined beautiful roses, but did not prepare any
land for rose plants."

Yet the Utopian socialists presented enough material for the promotion of
scientific socialism, and scientific socialism benefited from the failures of
Utopian socialism.

2. (Scientific Socialism)

Karl Marx's theories are called 'Marxism', but Marx has named them ‘scientific
socialism’. Marx believed that the thinkers before him had made ideal plans of
socialism, they emphasized only the equitable distribution of wealth in society
instead of economic inequality, but they did not say that -

- Why does this inequality arise in society?

- What is its relation with methods of production?
- How can this disparity be overcome?

Marx has called the principles scientific because, like a scientist, he tried to
discover the laws of nature and development of society.
He discovered why there are changes in society.
In what way and in what direction will these changes take place in the future?
He was of the opinion that changes in human society do not happen without
reason but according to certain rules. After the discovery of these laws,
scientific theories about human society can be formulated, which are not based
on pure imagination, but on the actual experiences of mankind and the scientific
rules governing its development.

Essential elements of socialism

The following important principles of socialism are clear from the above
different analysis:

1. Socialism seeks public rights over the means of production and transport.
2. Socialism aims at economic programs seeking to create public service in
exchange for personal gain.
3. Socialism wants social inequality to be eradicated and replaced by social
equality. According to Laski, “political freedom without economic equality is
meaningless”.
4. Socialism seeks the end of capitalism and cooperation instead of competition.
5. Socialism seeks social control over the means and distribution of production.
Harley, while analyzing socialism, has pointed out, "Socialism is really a whole
world of philosophy. It is indicative of atheism in the field of religion, of a
democratic republic in the field of state, of industrial collectivism in the field of
industry, of an infinite optimism in the field of morality, of a naturalistic
objectivism in the field of spirituality, and of the almost complete end of family
and marital bonds. "

Merits of socialism -

The main qualities of socialism are-

(i) Socialism provides relief from the defects of individualism and anarchy,
because socialism is based on justice and justification.

(ii) It opposes individual rights over land and means of production. He wants
the rights of the whole society over these things.

(iii) Socialism is more compatible with the principles of biology than

individualism, because according to socialism society is like a living being.

(iv) Socialism is an extension and application of the principles of democracy in

the economic sphere, because real democracy is possible in the absence of
economic equality. Socialism provides equality of economic and opportunity in
place of individualistic freedom.

(v) Socialism supports a planned economy. Pandit Nehru had said that planning
on the basis of socialism can remove the poverty of the country. Under this, the
means of production are controlled and agriculture and factory are operated on
the basis of cooperation.

Principles of Socialism

There are many sects under socialism which differ in terms of means, but all
socialist ideologies equally accept the following principles:

(1) Primacy of society over the individual-

Socialism gives primacy to the society over the individual. Therefore, individual
interest has no importance in front of collective interest. The interest of the
individual is included in the interest of the society and it is only in the society
that the person can achieve perfection. Rocher said that,
“Socialism is an advocate of those trends which emphasize on common
welfare."

(2) Control of society over the means of production -

According to socialism, the means of production and distribution should be

controlled by the society or the state. There is a difference of opinion among
different socialist communities on the nature of this control, but all socialists
agree that the work of economic production should not be in the hands of
individuals but under the control of society or the state.

(3) Socialism is contrary to capitalism-

Socialism is contrary to capitalism and wants to put an end to it. In the capitalist
system, capitalists exploit workers. Therefore, justice can be done to the
workers only after the end of the capitalist system and they can get proper
remuneration for their labor.

(4) Establishment of cooperation in place of competition in production –

Socialism opposes open competition and arbitrary production in the economic

field. In the capitalist system, producers compete to sell their goods in the
market. In order to make more profit, they do not hesitate to spoil the variety of
goods. By resorting to advertising etc., they try to sell their goods. Whatever the
profit of the capitalists, the workers do not get proper wages for their hard work.
Therefore, socialism seeks to establish cooperation in place of competition in
production. According to Dr. Hedan Guest, “socialism is biased towards
establishing cooperation instead of competition in local, national and
international affairs”.

(5) Emphasis on social interest instead of personal gain –

According to socialism, the purpose of production should not be personal gain

but social interest. In the capitalist system, the goal of production is individual
gain, so production and distribution are not done keeping in mind the interest of
the society. But the purpose of socialism is in the interest of the whole society,
so the work of production is done in a planned manner keeping in mind the
needs of the people.

(6) Socialism biased to remove economic disparity and establish equality–

Socialism is a symbol of equality. The economic inequality seen in the capitalist

system. Socialism opposes it. Socialism seeks to establish a ‘classless society’
in which the discrimination between rich and poor is eliminated. Socialism
emphasizes economic equality because without itpolitical democracy cannot be
established. In the words of Lavelle, "The aim of all socialist theories is to bring
greater equality in social conditions. Socialism is going to bring everyone on an
equal footing. "

Criticism of Socialism-
Socialism is criticized on the following grounds:

1. This destroys personal enthusiasm —

Socialism gives importance to the public interest over the personal interest, but
the nature of man is quite different from this. Everyone works to acquire more
and more wealth, but in socialism the state owns the land and the means of
production. Individuals do not have the opportunity to grow private trade and
industry. Therefore, the person is not interested in producing more.

2. Socialism gives the credit of production only to the workers —

Socialism gives the credit of production only to the workers. But the reality is
that in addition to labour, capital, management, courage etc. are also needed in
production. Production cannot be done by labour alone.
3. Socialism emphasizes class struggle—

Socialism divides society into two classes—capitalists or workers. According to

socialism, the interests of both the capitalist and the worker are conflicting,
which can never be reconciled. This creates a situation of class struggle in the
society.

(4) Nationalization of rules of production and industries –

Socialism seeks to establish state control over the means of production and
distribution by nationalizing them. But the state cannot efficiently carry out
such a huge responsibility. In a socialist system, industries are not run properly,
production is reduced and the power of the bureaucracy increases.

(5) Socialism is a supporter of autocracy and centralization of the state—

In socialism the sphere of work of the state increases so much that the
government becomes completely autocratic. Due to the concentration of all
power in the state, centralization is strengthened, which is harmful to
democracy and human freedom.

(6) Opponent of individual freedom –

In socialism, the scope and powers of the state increase so much that it gets the
right to interfere in every area of a person's life. This violates the freedom of the
person. Although socialism supports democracy, but in the system, it wants to
establish, individuals become completely subordinate to the state.

Thus, socialism is a well-known ideology. There are many good and bad things
found in it.

Conclusion

It is clear from the above discussion on socialism that socialism has today
evolved as a great response to capitalist society. Socialism today has been
established in Russia, China and most countries of the world. There was also a
full effort to establish socialism in India. Due to the nationalization of banks,
abolition of zamindari, land reform act, land holding limit act, etc., the wave of
socialism in India intensified.