What is Socialism? What is Marxism ? What is Communism?
These words are all related, but do not mean the same thing. They refer to ideas, political parties, and workers organizations. Try by the end of the section to distinguish them.
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a necessary prelude to working class politics, since it created the working class, but also suggested new political opportunities.
The oppression of the working class
Industrialization and population growth created poverty on a new and much more visible scale. But industry also created wealth on a scale hitherto unknown. This created a new possibility — that poverty might actually be abolished if only we organize society better.
Socialism is a response to working class oppression, based on the belief there is enough wealth to eradicate poverty.
This was a new possibility. Before the Industrial Revolution, there was not, in most societies, enough wealth to eradicate poverty even if it had been distributed equally.
The creation of class consciousness
As the Industrial Revolution progresses working people come to be conscious of themselves as a class. Middle class people shared the intense class consciousness of the 19th century — newspapers of the time are quite explicit in their discussion of class.
The existence of class consciousness created the possibility of working class political action, from the 1830′s on.
Judeo-Christian ideas of Justice
All forms of socialism drew on beliefs about justice and oppression of the poor. Many of these beliefs had roots in Jewish and Christian traditions which condemned the wealthy and favored the poor.
• The Jewish Bible (Old Testament) condemned usury (taking interest on a loan) and oppression of the weak.
• “Blessed are the poor”: Jesus’ condemnation of wealth seekers and his option for the poor.
• Apostolic Community – In Acts all the disciples of Jesus live, selling all they own for the community.
• Give the laborer his due: One of the Catholic “Four Sins crying out to heaven for vengeance” was “depriving a laborer of his wages.”
• Medieval theologians condemned the profit motive.
[The Jewish and Christian idea that history has a goal was also and important analog to certain ideas within Marxist thought.]
Liberal Politics
Liberals opposed the domination of society by the old landed elites, and made arguments about the rights of “all men.” In practice, though, political liberalism supported the goals of the industrial and professional middle classes. The French Revolution, for instance, did not include granting workers’ rights, and protected the rights of property. It supported Lassiez-faire economics, and opposed trade unions. These ideas were carried on by Liberals in the 19th Century.
The political reality, however, was that a new industrial working class was coming into existence, a class which was not served by Liberalism.
Early Socialists
. French Utopian Socialists
These thinkers all tended to promote a system of greater economic equality organized by the government.
1. Count Claude Henry de Saint-Simon (1760-1825)
Planned economy – he believed modern society requires modern management. Government by a board of directors. He was not keen on wealth redistribution, but of making all not-poor by good management. He had followers known as Saint-Simonians who organized a little cult around him.
2. Charles Fourier (1772-1837) – Socialist Communities
He dealt with problem of tedium in work by suggesting that each worker have several jobs and wander around from one to another so as to avoid tedium. He proposed that special industrial communities be set up. There were called Phalansteres or Phalanxes. They were communities on about 200 acres of land with 1500 people. There was one set up in the US – Brook Farm, Mass, 1842-1847. The only place this sort of socialism has ever worked is Israel – the kibbutz is an example of a Phalansteres.
3. Louis Blanc (1811-1882) – (Not really a Utopian.)
• Louis Blanc (1811¬1882): The Organization of Labour, 1840
He was leader of industrial workers in the Paris region. He was actually part of the French Cabinet (main government committee) in France in just after the Revolution of 1848. He argued that the state should promote socialist programs and guarantee employment through “National workshops.” These were set up for a while, until liberals managed to displace Blanc from the government.
4. Pierre Joseph Proudhon (more an Anarchist)
He claimed that the worker was source of all wealth, and so would be able to use it. In his book What is Property (1840) he argued that “Property is theft.” Despite this radicalism, he ended up working for Louis III Napoleon.
Why Utopian?
These Utopian Socialists do not talk about class struggle. They see something is wrong, but feel paternal action is the appropriate response. They also lacked any meaningful political following. However they propose certain ideas that remained common to socialism
• An interest in eradicating poverty.
• A belief in industrialization, and its proper use to eradicate poverty.
• A profound disbelief in the liberal idea that person is basically an atom in society. Socialists always look at a person’s place in a community. (some link here with European conservatism).
• Many of their ideas continue in European socialism, which is never only Marxist.
Early English Socialism
Sometimes English working class political are lumped in with Utopian socialism. But English socialism was distinct from European movements. It had a much larger following early on, and tended to be less doctrinaire later on.
A. Robert Owen (1771-1858)
Own was born poor, but became an important and successful factory owner. He was committed to improving life for workers. In his industrial center at New Lanark – a small town in Scotland – he adopted several methods to do this. He:
• Built houses and schools for children.
• Did not pay workers off during a depression.
• Made a Profit.
He later organized an unsuccessful copy in the US at New Harmony.
Owen’s Aims:
• He thought people could be made better by better conditions (goes back to Locke).
• Shows no need for bad conditions or low wages.
• Basically paternalistic.
He ended his long life as a spiritualist
B. The Grand National Consolidated Trade Union
The GNCTU was a mass union founded by Owen in 1830s. It tried to unite all workers into once huge union. But it suffered a collapse in the 1830s. Nevertheless, the idea that workers should be organized in unions was central to later British socialism.
C. Chartism
• Chartism: The People’s Petition, 1838
In the late 1830s, Britain acquired a mass working class movement organized around a “People’s Charter” – Chartism. The movement began when in 1836 William Lovett (1800-1877) formed London Working Men’s Association.
The Charter had Six Points – all connected to how Parliament was run. It called for:
• Universal male suffrage
• Annual elections
• Secret ballots
• Equal electoral districts
• Abolition of property qualifications for MPs
• Payments of members of parliament.
[All but number two are now accepted]
The movement was radical and quite sophisticated. Its most renowned orator was Fergus O’Connor, who made speeches all over the country.. There was a also a Chartist press.
It was note entirely united as a movement – some would not accept violence. Once conditions improved in late 1840s it lost some of its force. But at once stage it had the support of 1/2 the people.
It is a unique example of a mass working class movement before Marxism.
