The ideologies of liberalism, socialism, conservatism have played and are playing an important role in social and state development. Each of these areas has its own distinctive features, advantages and disadvantages. This article details the ideology of socialism.
For many years, it flourished in Europe, Russia and in Asia. For some countries, this phenomenon remains relevant at present.
The definition of socialism
If you turn to various scientific and unscientific sources, you can find an incredible number of definitions of this concept. Not all of them are understandable to the simple reader and, unfortunately, not all convey the essence of the ideology of socialism.
Socialism is a political and socio-economic system, the main features of which are the desire to eradicate social inequality, the transfer of control over the production and distribution of incomes to the people, the complete gradual eradication of the phenomenon of private property and the struggle against capitalism.
The history of socialism in Europe
It is generally accepted that the history of the development of the ideology of socialism originates in the nineteenth century. However, the first descriptions of the socialist system were described long before in the writings of T. Mora (1478-1535), which described the idea of developing a society in which elements of social inequality were completely absent. All material goods and production capacities belonged to the community, and not to the individual. Profits were distributed equally among all residents, and work was assigned to "each according to his ability." Citizens themselves chose managers and "strictly asked from them" for work done or not done. The code of laws in such a society was to be short and comprehensible to every citizen.
Later, these ideas were finalized and outlined in their writings by K. Marx and F. Engels.
In the second quarter of the ninth century, the ideas of socialism began to gain popularity in Europe: England, France and Germany. Journalists, politicians, and fashion writers of the time are actively bringing socialist ideas to the masses.
It is worth noting that socialism in different countries was of a different nature. England and France talked about eliminating some features of social inequality, while Germany's socialist ideas were based on nationalism long before Hitler came to power.
Features of the development of socialism in Germany
The ideology of German National Socialism, although it was somewhat similar to the Soviet version, however, had quite serious differences.
The prototype of National Socialism in Germany was the anti-Semitic movement (1870-1880). It promoted blind obedience to power and advocated restricting Jewish rights. Members of the movement regularly staged "Jewish pogroms." So in Germany the idea of the superiority of one nation over another began to emerge.
Numerous parties, circles and organizations promoting the ideas of National Socialism in Germany grew like mushrooms after the rain, uniting the Germans with a single idea. After the defeat in the First World War, this idea enabled Hitler and his party to enter the political arena and take power into their own hands. She held on to the following principles:
- Total and unconditional submission to power.
- The superiority of the German nation over all others.
The ideology of socialism in Russia
The Russian elite, which has always been distinguished by a love of borrowing Western ideas, quickly seized on these trends. At first, the matter was limited to talking in close friendly companies, then circles began to form, in which they talked about the fate of Russia. After some time, these authorities dispersed the circles, members of such organizations were sent into exile or were shot.
Belinsky played a serious role in promoting the ideology of socialism. His magazine "Debut" in the thirties of the nineteenth century was popular with the literate population of Russia. And his ideas that it was time to overthrow "autocratic arbitrariness" and get rid of serfdom found a positive response in the hearts of readers.
The Marxist trend of socialism in Russia
In the eighties, the Marxist trend of the ideology of socialism began its formation. The Emancipation of Labor group is being led by Plekhanov. And in 1898 the first congress of the RSDLP takes place. A distinctive feature of this movement was that its followers believed that the full formation of socialism is possible only after the capitalist system is destroyed. Only in this case the proletarian majority will easily overthrow the bourgeoisie.
Marxists did not differ in unity and interpreted this idea in different ways. They divided into two wings:
- The Bolsheviks, headed by Lenin, believed that Russia should fight capitalism and autocracy now.
- The Mensheviks were of the opinion that the period of capitalism in Russia should be long enough for the transition to a socialist system to be successful and painless for the population.
For some time, these two wings tried to work together in the fight against a common enemy. But gradually the Bolshevik Party is gaining authority and occupying a leading position. This gives her the opportunity to gradually eliminate all competitors and become the only governing body in Russia. However, it was not so difficult. Russia by this time had failed in a deep political and economic crisis. The people, tormented by revolutions, famine and incomprehensible changes, were glad to unite under the idea of building a new, perfect Soviet society, where everyone would be equal and happy.
The basic principles of socialism
To date, the following fundamental principles of socialism are distinguished:
- The first principle is that the socialist view of human nature denies all human shortcomings and individual characteristics. In the light of this ideology, it was generally accepted that all human vices are the result of social inequality - nothing more.
- The primacy of common interests over private ones. The interests of society are more important than the interests and problems of a single person or family.
- Elimination of elements of exploitation of one person by another and assistance to needy sections of the population.
- Social justice. This principle is implemented in the elimination of the concepts of private property and the redistribution of resources to the needs of the common people.
The ideology of developed socialism
The concept of developed socialism and its concept were formulated as early as the twentieth century. The creators of the concept of developed socialism relied on the fact that by that time the USSR had achieved an adequate material base so that citizens could fully satisfy all their basic needs.
In addition, it was argued that Soviet society is homogeneous, there are no national and ideological conflicts in it. Thus, the USSR has the opportunity to develop quickly and without internal problems. Was it really so? Not. But the theory of developed socialism at that time was actively promoted by the authorities and subsequently received the name "The ideology of stagnation."
Conclusion
Socialism as a political ideology seems very attractive. In its ideal form, it promotes things that mankind has sought for centuries: equality, justice, and the eradication of the shortcomings of the capitalist system. But history has shown that these ideas work well only on paper and do not take into account many of the nuances of human nature.