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Chapter 8 — Democratic Socialism and Communism: Ideologies of the Left Study Chapter Summary As the twenty-first century dawned, it
appeared that liberal democracies had won the day. The fall of the Soviet Union
indicated that the appeal of communism was waning. Many countries in Eastern
Europe adopted some form of democracy and initiated market reforms that might
lead to a capitalist system. However, the story of politics is much
more complicated. A number of countries, such as China, Cuba, North Korea, and
Vietnam, still maintain some form of communism. Indeed,
the early 21st century saw a rise of a number of Latin American
leaders who are quite vocal in their criticism of the capitalism embraced by
many liberal democracies, most notably the United States. Even more numerous are the nations that hesitate to
embrace all the ideals of liberal democracy, particularly that of a free
market. Despite the current popularity of liberalism and democracy, there
continues to be a vibrant leftist tradition that offers a powerful critique of
liberalism and its own version of how to achieve the good life. Chapter 8
explores the ideologies of the left: namely, democratic socialism and
communism. Democratic socialism, as the term indicates, combines democracy and
socialism. Politically, it involves a commitment to popular, constitutional
rule and the protection of basic rights. Economically, it involves an equitable
distribution of the community’s wealth. Democratic socialists maintain that key
aspects of economic life must be publicly owned or socially controlled to
ensure this equitable distribution. Socially, democratic socialism involves the
belief that all human beings, in a cooperative community, should have the
opportunity to fulfill their good and creative potential. There are many
sources of democratic socialism, including the Judaic-Christian tradition’s
concern for the poor, the nineteenth-century utopians, Marxist thought, revisionists of Marxist thought, the Fabian socialists in England, and the trade union movement. Critics of democratic socialism argue
that sooner or later the demand for equality will lead to a loss of liberty and
that socialism is inherently inefficient. To its defenders, democratic
socialism constitutes a brave attempt to advance social justice for those who
have been least free in society. Pragmatically, its defenders argue that it
offers a sane middle ground between capitalism and communism. Although communism shares with democratic socialism a powerful critique of capitalism, it is
a distinct political ideology, with its own diagnosis of what ails society. The
call for equality, which lies at the heart of communism, is best captured in
the motto: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
The key ideals of communism include a vision of a better world, which pointedly
appeals to the oppressed worker and the exploited, and a philosophy of history.
Communism purports to explain the evolution and structure of all human society.
It describes the historical development of society as a clash of material and
economic forces. Finally, communism is a strategy of revolutionary action for
overthrowing capitalism. The key sources of communist thought are
Karl Marx, who provided much of its economic theory, V. I. Lenin, who was a
master revolutionary, Joseph Stalin, who built up communism in the Soviet
Union, and Mao Zedong, who took communism to Asia and into a very agricultural
society. To its critics, communism is too utopian,
potentially totalitarian, and a failed theory of economics. To its defenders,
communism remains a truly liberating philosophy that offers the only theory of
politics and economics to truly appreciate the force of history and the power
of economics. Democratic socialism and communism remain
important political forces. They will remain so as long as economic and social
conditions create significant inequalities. The demand for some kind of egalitarian politics will not disappear, although it might appear under different
names and in different guises. No matter what name it appears under, we can be
sure that traditions of criticism developed by socialists and communists will
contribute to any new ideology devoted to making people politically equal. Chapter Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be
able to...
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