Socialism
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TYPES OF SOCIALISM The two major sub-traditions of socialism are as follows: z z communism z z social democracy.
Communism The communist tradition within socialism is defined by a rejection of private property and a clear preference for common or collective ownership. It is a tradition that has a variety of manifestations, even overlapping with anarchism, as in the case of anarcho- communism (discussed in Chapter 5). However, historically its most significant association has undoubtedly been with Marxism. Strictly speaking, ‘Marxism’ as a codified body of thought only came into existence after Marx’s death in 1883. It was the product of the attempt, notably by Marx’s lifelong collaborator, Friedrich Engels, the SPD leader Karl Kautsky (1854–1938) and the Russian theoretician Georgi Plekhanov (1857– 1918), to condense Marx’s ideas and theories into a systematic and comprehensive world- view that suited the needs of the growing socialist movement. This ‘orthodox’ Marxism later formed the basis of Soviet communism. Some see Marx as an economic determinist, while others proclaim him to be a humanist socialist. Moreover, distinctions have also been drawn between his early and later writings, sometimes presented as the distinction between the ‘young Marx’ and the ‘mature Marx’. It is nevertheless clear that Marx himself believed he had developed a new brand of socialism that was scientific, in the sense that it was primarily concerned with disclosing the nature of social and historical development, rather than with advancing an essentially ethical critique of capitalism.
KEY CONCEPT COMMUNISM
production-for-exchange) and statelessness (in the absence of class conflict, the state ‘withers away’). ‘Orthodox’ communism refers to the societies founded in the twentieth century supposedly on the basis of Marxist principles. In such societies: (1) Marxism-Leninism was used as an ‘official’ ideology; (2) the communist party had a monopoly of power, based on its ‘leading and guiding’ role in society; and (3) economic life was collectivized and organized through a system of central planning.
Communism, in its simplest sense, refers to the communal organization of social existence, especially through the collective ownership of property. For Marxists, communism is a theoretical ideal. In this sense, communism is characterized by classlessness (wealth is owned in common), rational economic organization (production-for-use replaces
At least three forms of Marxism can be identified. These are: z z classical Marxism z z orthodox communism z z neo-Marxism.
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