System of Socio-Economic Organization Based on the Full Intervention of the State and the Disappearance of Classes.- Socialism is a system of social and economic organization based on collective or State ownership and administration of the means of production, which aims at the progressive disappearance of social classes.
Also, the political movement that seeks to establish the mentioned system with its promulgated aspects is designated with the same word.
Developed by German philosopher Karl Marx
The philosophical and political theory that promotes Socialism was developed by the German intellectual Karl Marx in the mid-19th century. However, Marx was the main theorist along with his colleague Friedrich Engels. Sharp critics of capitalism have approached this system exhaustively to find an alternative that could overcome its weaknesses and achieve a fairer and more balanced model .
Marx’s creation was so influential that the beginning of his date remains in force in almost every nation on the planet.
State intervention must be in strategic areas
Among its maxims, Socialism stands out for promoting the regulation of all economic and social activities by the State and the distribution of goods . Socialism believes that the best scenario for the progress of a society is that administrative control must be in command of the same producers or workers, just as democratic control of political and civil structures must be in the hands of the citizens.
For Socialism , the State must play a predominant role. That’s why it says that all sectors of a nation’s economy must be controlled by the State . This situation is also known as interventionism and is exactly the opposite of capitalist thinking , which commands the law of supply and demand and which relegates the State ‘s participation in the economic aspect.
Promotes freedom and equality, but has limited individual freedoms in many cases
Although the values defended since its birth have been altruistic, such as equality between citizens, universal public services, solidarity and freedom , it is important to emphasize that some political regimes that have adopted the colors of Socialism have been characterized by limiting freedoms. of individuals who did not follow the socialist proposal, moreover, were persecuted and even imprisoned for dissent. The structure of the state, in most of these cases, was placed at the service of hunting for those who opposed the socialist regime.
Without a doubt, this point is one of the most fragile and questionable.
Your opposition: liberalism
The opposition of Socialism is Liberalism, a current in which state intervention must be minimal to achieve general progress. Freedom is above equality. Currently, this ideological dispute is perceived in many two-party systems of democracies.
Criticism of today’s socialism
Socialism is one of the political systems with the greatest critics and detractors ever seen since its appearance on the world stage. This question has defined some very variable data over the years. Although, in most cases, Socialism is associated with issues such as the search for the common good, social equality, state intervention, among others.
Basically, its birth is due to the need to propose the other side of the capitalist system. Anyway, this situation has evolved in recent years and although there are still very intransigent postures, there is also a reality due to the fact that there are some movements that express certain aspects in relation to the original conception.
In the political field, the idea of Socialism is to build a society without the existence of social classes subordinate to each other, whether through social evolution , a revolution or institutional reforms.
This slowdown in ideas and forms began to become evident after World War II with the Cold War and, later, with the fall of the Soviet Union, a faithful exponent of this type of system.
Currently, countries such as Cuba, North Korea, China, Libya and Vietnam have this type of organization system.
