Socialism Defined.

Socialism is an ideology that relentlessly pursues:

(1) “the reorganization of society on new [collectivist] principles”;

(2) “the destruction of traditional limitations on the powers of the state”; AND

(3) “the manipulation of the economy so that the distribution of income can be made to conform to their conception of social justice.”[1]

Socialism is often associated with the idea of collective, or state, ownership & control of the means of production to bring an end to the exploitation of the proletariat (wage earning class) by the bourgeois class (capitalists, the owners, financiers).  This is certainly socialism, but after WWII the failed Russian experiment & the National Socialism example in Germany, even socialists couldn’t bear to be associated with the word “socialist”, and as socialists were dropping socialism, its main goal, “social justice”, didn’t go anywhere. 

Oh don’t be mistaken, socialists still want to murder Capitalism, they still believe that cooperation is superior  to competition (despite the clear historical record to the contrary), and should the opportunity arise for them to seize ownership or control over the means of production, or anything, for the common good don’t expect anything less.

They are more cautious about revealing their intentions than pre-1945 however, let me add that, as I say this they’re becoming more brave every day.  The point of this short discussion is this:  Socialism became subtle after WWII, but they’ve been persistently & patiently usingdemocracy, our own political system, & decades of re-education, thus dumbing people down & successfully instilling a false sense of security & a dangerously persuasive proposition that one can put their faith & hope in a maternalistic government that claims it can love you, take care of you, & solve your problems!  While they’ve managed to distract you with this promised false-security,  they have been effectively chipping away at our Constitution & strategically position themselves for their next power grab.

“By increasing government control of what nominally remains private industry, they can more easily achieve that redistribution of incomes that had been the real aim of the more spectacular policy of expropriation.” - F.A. Hayek [2]

If we haven’t been lulled into a Welfare State, then how do you explain the increasing number of individuals who, as of right now, seriously believe that they have a Fundamental Right to medical care & medicine? 

“Thus a paternalistic power controls most of the income of the community and allocates it to individuals in the forms and quantities which it thinks they need or deserve.”- F.A. Hayek [3]

The great Milton Friedman puts the entire situation into a perspective clear enough that you’d think you were reading it in HD:

“It is tempting to believe that social evils arise from the activities of evil men and that if only good men (like ourselves, naturally) wielded power, all would be well.  That view requires only emotion and self-praise – easy to come by and satisfying as well.  To understand why it is that ‘good’ men in positions of power will produce evil, while the ordinary man without power but able to engage in voluntary cooperation with his neighbors will produce good, requires analysis and thought, subordinating the emotions to the rational faculty.”  - Milton Friedman [4]

Socialism is that species of collectivism that relentlessly pursues the “reorganization of society on new [collectivist] principles”, “the destruction of the traditional limitations on the powers of the state”, and the “manipulation of the economy so that the distribution of income can be made to conform to their conception of social justice”.[1]

 Jason Bradley

Other Links:  America In Chains –  “Socialism & Hate”

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[1]Hayek, F.A. “The Constitution of Liberty”.  Chapter 17 – The Decline of Socialism & Rise of the Welfare State.  The University of Chicago Press. Chicago:1960. Pages 256 – 257

[2]Hayek, F.A. “The Constitution of Liberty”.  Chapter 17 – The Decline of Socialism & Rise of the Welfare State. The University of Chicago Press. Chicago:1960. Pages 256 – 257

[3]Hayek, F.A. “The Constitution of Liberty”.  Chapter 17 – The Decline of Socialism & Rise of the Welfare State.  The University of Chicago Press. Chicago:1960 Pages 260 – 261.

[4]Hayek, F.A. “The Road To Serfdom”.  Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.  Introduction by Milton Friedman.  The University of Chicago Press. Chicago:1944(1994) Pages xi – xii.