Marxist Socialism And Christianity

Socialism (Marxist Socialism) Socialism is an economic system, a political movement, and a social theory. Most socialists believe those national or local governments, rather than individuals, should own a nation's resources and control their use. Socialism calls for public ownership of land, factories, and other basic means of production. Socialism and Communism The word socialism and communism once meant about the same thing--a society based on public ownership of the means of production. Today, people draw sharp distinctions between the two terms. Members of Communist parties consider socialism as a stage in the development of Communist societies. During this stage, a Communist party is in power in a country, most private property has been eliminated, and the economy is run on the basis of a national production plan.

However, the nation is not yet rich enough to give its citizens all the material benefits they need, and the government must coerce (force) people to work hard for little reward. In a later stage, the nation will be wealthy enough to satisfy everyone's economic wants. That stage of development is Communism. Communists claim government coercion will disappear under Communism. Democratic socialists--that is, socialists in non-Communist countries--do not accept the Communist definition of socialism. Most of them believe that some government coercion is necessary because some people must be forced to be good citizens. Democratic socialists reject most of the methods used by Communist parties, such as revolution and other forms of violence as means of gaining power. Democratic socialists also oppose dictatorial methods of running the state after they are in power.

Unlike Communists, democratic socialists believe in democratic processes and do not wish to get rid of all opposition parties. They care more about the fair distribution of goods and services than about rapid economic growth. Democratic socialists also favor democratic methods for determining what goods are to be produced. Goals and Methods of Socialism Socialists claim that free enterprise systems are inefficient and wasteful. They believe that capitalism leads to such problems as unemployment, poverty, business cycles, and conflicts between workers and the owners of the means of production. To solve these problems, socialists believe that a nation's wealth must be distributed more equally and justly. They strongly oppose social inequality and discrimination. Socialists aim for a society based on cooperation and brotherhood rather than on competition and self-interest. Socialism proposes to fulfill its aims by placing the major means of production in the hands of the people, either directly or through the government. Ownership may be by national or local government or by cooperatives. Many socialists favor a mixed economy--government ownership of basic industries and private ownership of many other businesses.

The government, however, would regulate the private businesses. Socialists believe that a country's resources should be used according to an overall economic plan formulated by manufacturers, farmers, workers, and government officials working together. By such planning, socialists hope to adjust production to the needs of the people. Although the forces of supply and demand may influence production and prices under the socialist economic plan, political authorities will make many decisions regarding how much to produce and what to charge. Socialists disagree over how much wealth should be left in private hands and how to deprive the rich of their excess property. Many socialists call for redistribution of wealth through taxation. They favor laws to help the aged, the unemployed, disabled people, widows, dependent children, and other people in need. Many socialists believe that the government should also provide free education and medical service to everyone and should help all citizens obtain safe and sanitary housing at rents they can afford. History of Socialism The idea of collective ownership (common ownership) of property dates at least from the time of ancient Greece.

In the 300's B.C., the Greek philosopher Plato proposed that a ruling class own everything in common, putting the welfare of the state above all personal desires. Since ancient times, a number of groups have had some form of community ownership of property. Karl Marx, a German economist and social philosopher, became the most influential socialist of the 1800's. Marx's basic socialist ideas were first expressed in the Communist Manifesto (1848), which he wrote with his friend Friedrich Engels. Marx called his socialism scientific socialism to distinguish it from utopian socialism. He believed that all history is a series of struggles between the ruling and working classes. Marx taught that capitalism would be replaced by socialism. He predicted that the ruling class would be overthrown. The victorious working class would then set up a society based on common ownership of the means of production, not on economic privilege.