Socialism is a type of government based on the principles of fair distribution of public goods. In the history of mankind, there have been many concepts of the socialist system and several examples of their practical implementation.
Instructions
Step 1
The term "socialism" first appears in Pierre Leroux's Individualism and Socialism (1834) as a loose concept. Opposing it to individualism, Leroux offers something similar to the principle of conciliarism in the Russian tradition. The first theorists of socialist ideas can be considered Hegel, Saint-Simon, later this topic was raised in the works of Fourier, Proudhon. The principles of socialism imply the elimination of the exploitation of man by man (characteristic of capitalism) and the rejection of private property.
Step 2
By the end of the 19th century, the anarchist trend of socialism took shape (most clearly represented by Bakunin, Kropotkin). Anarchists believed that a fair distribution of goods was, in principle, impossible as long as the state existed. Therefore, in their opinion, it is necessary to strive to eliminate it.
Step 3
The most famous interpretation of the ideas of socialism belongs to the German philosopher and economist Karl Marx. In his theory of socio-economic formations (that is, historically formed forms), socialism is an intermediate stage between capitalism and communism. Marx criticized capitalism: (the means of production are concentrated in the hands of a minority, hence - the workers do not own the results of their labor, and the gap between the wealthy and the poorest strata of the population is growing), and saw communism as a model of a just society. To do this, he proposed to transfer land resources into the hands of the state, gradually erase the border between the city and the countryside, and gradually destroy class society through the proletarianization of the population. Unlike the anarchists, the Marxists admitted the possibility of establishing socialism in a democratic and not revolutionary way.
Step 4
In a broader context, the roots of socialism as a just society go back to antiquity. A similar system of arrangement was described by Plato in his "State": each member of society takes the position assigned to him, working in the field that best suits his abilities. Then the theme reappeared in the Renaissance: in the works of T. More (his "Utopia" - that is, "a place that does not exist" gave the name to the whole direction), T. Campanella and other authors.
Step 5
The real embodiment of socialist ideas took place in Russia after the October Revolution, as well as in some countries of Eastern Europe, Latin America, China and a number of other states. In most of them, the ideas of Marxist-Leninist ideology have proved to be of low effectiveness. At the same time, in the states of Northern Europe, since the end of the 20th century, socialist parties have regularly been in power, providing, through high taxes, budgetary funding for most socially significant institutions (education, health care, support for the poor). However, this model is often criticized.
