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What does socialism mean? It means working class power
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by: Rick Nagin
April 20 2016
tags: socialismseries, opinion, capitalism, socialism, democracy
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People's World Series on Socialism
Everyone seems to be talking about socialism these days, but what does
it mean? That was the question asked by Susan Webb in one of our most
popular and widely-shared recent articles. Millions of Americans are
considering alternatives to a system run by and for the 1 percent. They
are taking an interest in socialism, a word that has meant a great many
things to activists, trade unionists, politicians, and clergy around the
world over the last century and a half. The article below is one of a
series on socialism, what it can mean for Americans in the 21st century,
and how we might get there. Other articles in the series can be found here.
In everyday political discussions, "socialism" is used to describe
policies in capitalist countries such as those in Scandinavia, where the
means of production remain primarily owned by private individuals, but,
through heavy taxation on excessive wealth and income, important social
benefits like health care, education, and quality government services
are provided to people.
This is the stated goal of self-described "democratic socialists" like
Bernie Sanders, and compared to what we have now in the United States,
such a set-up would certainly be a huge improvement. It would reflect a
serious weakening of the extremist section of corporate power. But the
problem is that there is no guarantee such benefits will last as long as
capitalists retain economic ownership and control political parties
continually seeking to reverse the gains achieved by working people.
The essence of socialism is the replacement of the capitalist class and
private corporate power by the working class and allied forces (family
farmers, small businesspeople, self-employed professionals, etc.) as the
dominant influence in society. When this coalition is the new ruling
class, it can then begin to reorganize the economy. Such a
reorganization would include social ownership of key industries such as
finance, energy, and armaments. It would mean developing policies that
put people before profits and guarantee full democratic rights and
economic security for all.
Socialism would still be a class society. But it would be one in which
working class and trade union values become dominant - values like
solidarity, equality, democracy, and peace. The trade union slogans of
"an injury to one is an injury to all, united we stand, divided we fall"
would be the watchwords of socialism in defense against residual forces
looking to restore capitalism.
Historically, the establishment and maintenance of socialism has only
been possible when the people have been led by well-organized political
parties committed to the working class and with a vision of building a
new socialist society. This has generally been the role of the Communist
Parties.
However, coalitions of Communists and other progressive forces and
parties are also possible. They may actually be able to guarantee a
larger base of support, and thus greater political stability. This
possibility was clearly demonstrated in Nelson Mandela's government
elected in South Africa following the end of apartheid - a coalition of
the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party, and
the South African Congress of Trade Unions.
The first effort to do away with millennia of private property ownership
and class power, in the Soviet Union, faced ferocious hostility in an
international environment still dominated by private capital.
Socialism's ability to flourish was, to say the least, greatly limited.
The most serious challenge came with the rise of fascism and the Second
World War unleashed by Nazi Germany and its anti-communist allies. Their
goal was nothing less than the destruction of socialism in Russia and
democracy everywhere else. Withstanding unprecedented devastation and
loss of life, Soviet socialism overcame the Nazi onslaught, though, and
an entire group of socialist-oriented states arose in Eastern Europe,
North Korea, and China.
With the support of the socialist countries and peace forces in the
capitalist world, Vietnam established a unified country with a socialist
government defeating the U.S. in a war that took over three million
lives. Similar support allowed socialism to arise and survive in Cuba -
despite invasion, repeated attempts to assassinate government officials,
and economic sabotage conducted by the United States.
Soviet socialism continued for decades under the conditions of the Cold
War, but it was eventually destroyed because of both external pressure
as well as internal corruption and mis-leadership. With the end of
Soviet socialism, capitalist forces also regained power in Eastern
Europe and Mongolia.
Nonetheless, the other socialist-oriented states survived, began to
grow, and new ones continued to emerge, especially in Latin America and
Africa. Today, governments in China, Vietnam, Laos, and Cuba use a
mixture of social and private ownership as a way to accumulate the
capital, skills, and technology needed to establish modern socialist
economies.
In the capitalist countries, meanwhile, the rise of socialism greatly
strengthened the hand of the working class and its allies over the
years, especially in Europe. The example set by the socialist countries
allowed them to expand democratic rights and wrest enough national
wealth from capitalists to establish high-quality health, education,
social services, and environmental protection.
In the 1980s, however, right-wing forces took power in the United
States, the world bastion of capitalism. They launched a drive to
reverse the gains won by working people around the world and here at
home. Internationally, they aimed at achieving domination through vastly
superior military power, especially after the demise of the Soviet
Union. And domestically, the right wing conducted a sustained effort to
suppress living standards and curtail democratic rights that has gone on
now for more than thirty years.
In the new millennium, we once again find ourselves in a period of mass
popular resistance and severe economic crisis. Support for the
capitalist system today is greatly weakened, as the American people
increasingly demand that the vast wealth they create be freed from
private owners and used for the benefit of society.
At present, the class struggle in the United States centers on the clash
between labor and its democratic allies on the one hand, and right-wing
extremism on the other. Meanwhile, the material basis continues to grow
for full socialization of the economy, universal abundance, and the
emergence of a classless, modern, democratic, and green communist
society sometime in the future.
To finally end class exploitation, though, working people and their
close allies must establish a system where the socially-produced wealth
is socially distributed. This requires progressive taxation of
capitalist wealth and socialization of privately-owned means of production.
All of this can only fully happen if the working people take over the
apparatus of government. Whether this occurs gradually or rapidly
depends on a number of factors, including the will and ability of the
capitalists to resist, and the will, organization, and ability of
working people to overcome that resistance and take power.
In any case, this transformation is inevitable. The socialist genie is
out of the bottle and cannot be put back. The genie is out because
governments where working people hold power have been established and
are flourishing on every continent, and in the remaining capitalist
countries, working people have increasingly adopted socialist goals and
democratized wealth and power.
Hopefully, the change to a society free of unpaid, i.e. slave, labor
will occur as peacefully, democratically, and rapidly as possible. This
would be the realization in practical terms of the long-held religious
ideal of "the Beloved Community," the secular ideal of the "Family of
Man" (and Woman), and the communist ideal that "the international
working class shall be the human race."
This contribution to the People's World Series on Socialism was adapted
from a pamphlet, "A Handy Guide to Capitalism, Socialism, and
Democracy." Funds are now being raised to publish a new third edition.
Readers can donate here and contact the author at ricknagin1@xxxxxxxxx
about how to get copies of the new edition.
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