Socialism
The word socialism finds its root in the Latin term socialis, which means to combine or to share. Pierre Leroux claimed he first used the term in a Parisian journal during 1832. Henri de Saint-Simon was one of the founders of what would later be labelled utopian socialism. Robert Owen became known as one of the fathers of the cooperative movement in Britain. Marie Roch Louis Reybaud is also attributed with coining the definition in France. By 1860, the term socialist replaced associationist and collectivist as the standard descriptor for these movements. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published The Communist Manifesto between 1847 and 1848 just before the Revolutions of 1848 swept Europe. They expressed what they termed scientific socialism in that document. In Protestant England, communism was considered too close to the Roman Catholic communion rite, hence socialist was the preferred term. Engels wrote that in 1848 when The Communist Manifesto was published, socialism was respectable in Europe while communism was not.
Utopian socialism defined the first currents of modern socialist thought through figures like Charles Fourier and Robert Owen. These visions competed with revolutionary social democratic movements but were viewed as not being grounded in material conditions. Marxists argued that the development of capitalism provided a material basis for bringing about socialism because it created its own grave diggers. This phrase referred to the working class which must become conscious of historical objectives set by society. Orthodox Marxists took an impossibilist stance believing revolution should be spontaneous due to contradictions in society. Lenin theorized that workers could not achieve class consciousness beyond organizing into trade unions without a vanguard party. He argued it was historically necessary for a vanguard of class conscious revolutionaries to take a central role. Rosa Luxemburg criticized reformism stating capitalism is strengthened by the development of social reforms rather than overthrown. André Gorz advocated non-reformist reforms focused on structural changes to capitalism instead of improving living conditions within it.
The Soviet Union became the world's first nominally socialist state following the Bolshevik-led revolution in Russia. The establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 saw socialism introduced to that nation. China established a self-sufficient economy focused on rapid industrialization and land redistribution. The Great Leap Forward policy resulted in disastrous outcomes for the country. In 1989, the Soviet Union saw the end of communism marked by Revolutions across Eastern Europe. The dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred in 1991. The Australian Labor Party formed the first socialist government in the world during December 1899 when elected into power in Queensland. Premier Anderson Dawson led this administration for one week. Socialist governments established mixed economies with partial nationalizations and social welfare systems. By 1968, the prolonged Vietnam War gave rise to the New Left which tended to be critical of both the Soviet Union and social democracy. Anarcho-syndicalists favored decentralized collective ownership through cooperatives or workers councils.
A planned economy consists of public ownership coordinated through economic planning agencies. The most prominent example was the economic system of the Soviet Union combined with a single-party political system. Studies indicated the Soviet economy was not actually planned but based on localized agents modifying plans. Plans were often unfulfilled and information flows distorted during formulation. Leon Trotsky rejected central planning favoring decentralised planning because planners could not coordinate all activity without local input. Project Cybersyn served as an early form of computational economic planning under Salvador Allende's government in Chile. This created a real-time information bridge between state enterprises and consumers. The OGAS project in the Soviet Union was conceived to oversee a nationwide network but never implemented due to bureaucratic interests. Yugoslavia substituted its Soviet-type central planning with a decentralized self-managed system after reforms in 1953. Pat Devine proposed negotiated coordination based upon social ownership by those affected by asset use. Decisions are made at the most localized level of production in this model.
The São Paulo Forum launched in 1990 linked left-wing socialist parties across Latin America. Member parties ruling countries included the Front for Victory in Argentina and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela led by Hugo Chávez. Chávez initiated what he called Socialism of the 21st century. The Progressive Alliance founded in 2013 became the global network of progressive democratic movements. The Party of European Socialists formed in 1992 to network mainstream socialist parties in Europe. Many of these parties lost large parts of their electoral base in the early 21st century. This phenomenon known as Pasokification saw declining vote shares from 43.9% in 2009 to 4.7% in 2015 for Greece's PASOK party. The Socialist Party won the 2012 French presidential election but rapidly lost share afterward. Outside Europe, the Israeli Labor Party fell from dominant force to 4.43% of votes in April 2019. Radical left parties like Spain's Podemos and Greece's Syriza emerged to fill space left by mainstream decline. Jeremy Corbyn in the UK and Bernie Sanders in the US represented revivals within centrist parties.
Conservative American Enterprise Institute economist Mark J. Perry argued socialism is a flawed system based on faulty principles inconsistent with human behavior. He claimed it delivered poverty misery and tyranny despite promising prosperity equality and security. Economic liberals view private ownership as natural entities central to freedom and liberty. They perceive public ownership and economic planning as infringements upon liberty. Critics argue capitalism generates waste through externalities requiring costly corrective regulatory measures. Socialists counter that making money does not correspond to satisfying demand or producing use-values. Private property becomes obsolete when concentrated into centralized socialized institutions not based on private appropriation. Excessive income disparities lead to social instability requiring redistributive taxation which weakens work incentives. Marxists argue inherent conflict between working class and capital prevents optimal resource use. Joseph Schumpeter rejected associating socialism with state ownership because the state exists only within capitalist society. He believed different institutions would exist within socialism just as feudalism had unique forms. The role of money in a hypothetical socialist economy remains contested among theorists.
Common questions
When did Pierre Leroux first use the term socialism in a Parisian journal?
Pierre Leroux claimed he first used the term socialism in a Parisian journal during 1832. The word finds its root in the Latin term socialis, which means to combine or to share.
Who published The Communist Manifesto and when was it released?
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published The Communist Manifesto between 1847 and 1848 just before the Revolutions of 1848 swept Europe. They expressed what they termed scientific socialism in that document.
Which country became the world's first nominally socialist state following a revolution?
The Soviet Union became the world's first nominally socialist state following the Bolshevik-led revolution in Russia. The dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred in 1991 after seeing the end of communism marked by Revolutions across Eastern Europe in 1989.
What year did the Australian Labor Party form the first socialist government in the world?
The Australian Labor Party formed the first socialist government in the world during December 1899 when elected into power in Queensland. Premier Anderson Dawson led this administration for one week.
When did the São Paulo Forum launch to link left-wing socialist parties across Latin America?
The São Paulo Forum launched in 1990 linked left-wing socialist parties across Latin America. Member parties ruling countries included the Front for Victory in Argentina and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela led by Hugo Chávez.