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 takes a closer look at the ideology of socialism.
For many years it flourished in Europe, Russia and Asia. For some countries, this phenomenon remains relevant at the present time.
Defining Socialism
If you turn to various scientific and non-scientific sources, you can find an incredible number of definitions of this concept. Not all of them are clear to the average reader and, unfortunately, not all of them 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 production and distribution of income to the people, the complete gradual eradication of the phenomenon of private property and the fight against capitalism.
History of the development of socialism in Europe
It is generally accepted that the history of developmentThe ideology of socialism originates in the nineteenth century. However, the first descriptions of the socialist system were described long before that in the works of T. More (1478-1535), which described the idea of the development of a society in which there were no elements of social inequality. All material we alth and productive capacity belonged to the community, 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 them" for the work done or not done. The code of laws in such a society had to be short and understandable to every citizen.
Later these ideas were finalized and presented in their works by K. Marx and F. Engels.
In the second quarter of the ninth century, the ideas of socialism begin to gain popularity in Europe: England, France and Germany. Publicists, politicians and fashion writers of that time actively brought socialist ideas to the masses.
It is worth noting that socialism in different countries had a different character. England and France were talking about eliminating certain 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 somewhat similar to the Soviet version, had quite serious differences.
The prototype of National Socialism in Germany wasanti-Semitic movement (1870-1880). It promoted blind obedience to the authorities and advocated the restriction of the rights of Jews. Members of the movement regularly staged "Jewish pogroms". Thus, the idea of the superiority of one nation over another began to emerge in Germany.
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 made it possible for 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 its love of borrowing Western ideas, quickly intercepted these trends. At first, the matter was limited to conversations in close friendly companies, then circles began to be created in which they talked about the fate of Russia. After some time, these circles were dispersed by the authorities, 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.
Marxist directionsocialism in Russia
In the eighties, the Marxist direction of the ideology of socialism begins to form. The Emancipation of Labor group was born under the leadership of Plekhanov. And in 1898 the first congress of the RSDLP was held. A distinctive feature of this movement was that its followers believed that the full formation of socialism was possible only after the destruction of the capitalist system. 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 split into two wings:
- The Bolsheviks, led 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 process of transition to the socialist system to be successful and painless for the population.
For a while, these two wings tried to work together in the fight against a common enemy. But gradually the Bolshevik Party is gaining authority and taking a leading position. This gives it the opportunity to gradually eliminate all competitors and become the only governing body in Russia. However, it wasn't that difficult. By this time, Russia had fallen into a deep political and economic crisis. The people, exhausted by revolutions, famine and incomprehensible changes, were glad to unite under the idea of buildingnew, perfect Soviet society, where everyone will be equal and happy.
Basic principles of socialism
Today, 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.
- Priority of general interests over private ones. The interests of society are more important than the interests and problems of an individual or family.
- Removing elements of exploitation of one person by another and helping the needy segments of the population.
- Social justice. This principle is implemented in the elimination of the concepts of private property and the redistribution of resources for the needs of the common people.
Ideology of developed socialism
The concept of developed socialism and its concept were already formulated in the twentieth century. The creators of the concept of developed socialism relied on the fact that the USSR had achieved by that time a sufficient material base for citizens to be able to fully satisfy all their urgent 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 so onreally? No. But the theory of developed socialism at that time was actively promoted by the authorities and subsequently received the name "Ideology of Stagnation".
Conclusion
Socialism as a political ideology seems very attractive. In its ideal form, it promotes things that mankind has been striving for for centuries: equality, justice, the eradication of the shortcomings of the capitalist system. But history has shown that these ideas only work well on paper and do not take into account many of the nuances of human nature.
