SOCİALİSM

1. SOCİALİSM OriginsandDevelopment Thetermsocialismmeanstocombineorshare. Bytheearly 1830’s thefollowers of Robert Owen in Britainand Saint Simon in France has begantorefertheirbeliefs as socialism.

2. Socialism as a reactionagainstthesocialandeconomicconditions in Europebythegrowth of industrialcapitalism • Socialismemerged as a criticique of liberal market societyandoffered an alternativetoindustrialcapitalism. • Earlysocialisminfluencedbytheharshandinhumanconditions of industrialworkingclass. • Karl Marx as a journalist at that time developedmorecomplexandsystematictheoriesandassertedthatrevolutionaryoverthrow of capitalismwasinevitable.

3. Inthelate 20’th centurythegrowth of tradeunions, workingclasspoliticalparties, sportsandsocialclubsprovidedgreatereconomicsecurityandintegratedworkingclassintoindustrialsociety. • AftertheRussionRevolution of 1917 revolutionarySocialistsbeganto be known as ‘communist’ while reformist socialistsretainedthe name ‘ socialist’ or ‘socialdemocrat’. • In 20’th century, spread of socialmsintoAfrican, Asianand Latin Americancountrieswith no experiencewithindustrialcapitalismtogetherwith • anti-colonialstrugglesratherthanclassstruggles • Fusion of socialismandnationalism

4. Central Themes of Socialism • Differentmeanings of thetermsocialism 1. As an economic model linkedtosome form of socialcollectivizationandplanning. 2. As an instrument of thelabourmovement, as an alternativetocapitalismrepresentstheworkingclassandoffers a programmethroughwhichtheworkers can acquirepoliticalendeconomicpower. 3. As a politicalcreed, orideology, characterisedby a particularcluster of ideas, valuesandtheories: community, cooperation, equality, socialclass, commonownership

5. Community • Socialism has got a collectivistvision • Socialismstressesthecapacity of humanbeingsforcollectiveaction • Abilitytopursuegoalsbyworkingtogether as opposedtostrivingfor personel self-interest. • Forsocialistshumannature is somethingchangeablebytheexperiencesandcircumstances of social life. • Incontrasttoliberalsforsocialistshumanbeingsareneither self-sufficient, nor self -containedindividuals. Individuals can only be understoodthroughthesocialgroupstowhichtheybelong.

6. Cooperation • Socialist believe that the natural relationship amongst the people is cooperation rather than competition. • Human beings can be motivated by moral incentives not merely by material incentives. • Marx: “From each according to his ability and to each according to his needs”.

7. Equality • Social equality or equaltiy of outcome because Social equality upholds justice or fairness: People are not born identical bu they posses the same capacities and skills. • Social equality underpins community and cooperation whereas social inequality fosters class conflict. • Since all people have similar needs, distributing wealth on the basis of need-satisfaction has an egalitarian principle.

8. Social Class • Social class refers to groups of people who share a similar social and economic position. • For socialists social classes rather than individuals are the principle actors in history. • In the Marxist tradition class is linked to economic power, as defined by the individual’s relationship to the means of the production. • So, the class divisons are divisons between ‘labour’ and ‘capital’

9. Common Ownership • The origins of competition and inequality lies in the institution of private property. • Socialists criticise private property, because: 1. Property is unjust, wealth is produced by the collective effort of human labour and should therefore be owned by the community. 2. Property is morally corrupting, Private property encourages people to be materialistic. 3. Property is divisive: it fosters conflict in society.. Between owners and workers, oremployers and employees, or rich and poor…

10. Marxism Marxism as a codified body of thought only came into existence after Marx’s death in 1883. Classical Marxism: • It is a philosophy of history that outlines why capitalism isdoomed and why socialism is destined to replace it. • Marx: ‘The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.’ • Unity of theory and practice in Marx. • Rejecting Hegel’s idealism, materialist conception of history.

11. Since human cannot survive without food, water, shelter and so on, the way in which these are produced conditions all other aspects of life • ‘Social being determines consciousness’ • Social consciousness and ‘the legal and political structure’ arise from the ‘economic base’. • Driving force of historical change is the dialectic, aprocess of interaction between competing forces that leads to a higher stage of development.

12. Marx explained historical change by reference to internal contradictions within each mode of production arising from the existence of private property. • Human history as a long story between the oppresser and the oppressed. , the exploiter and the exploited. • Alienation: Capitalism has seperated people from their genuine or essential natures, from their capacity as workers to develop skills, talents and understanding through the experience of free productive labour.