Socialism

• 
• Intro: Joseph A schumpeter in Capitalism,socialism and democracy defined socialism as The organisation of society in which the means of production are controlled and decision on how and what to produce and who is to get what are made by public authority instead of privately owned and privately managed firms
• Evolved in the backdrop of socio-economic inequalities generated due to Industrial revolution. hence primarily an economic doctrine as it came against capitalism
• reject aggregative view of society and support organic view of society (hence the notion of sharing of surplus among all)
• Core concept- equality(socio-economic). Instead of equality of opportunity they talk about equality of outcomes in opposition to proportionate equality advocated by liberals.

After Marx...

• Democratic/ evolutionary socialism:

1:

Edward Bernstein- no need for revolution as now since workers have right to vote , we can bring revolution through parliamentary system.

CPI in india left violence and adopted parliamentary method to bring revolution.

2: 

Karl kartsky- A combination of democracy and socialism is now regarded as not only possible, but logical and even inevitable.

• The scholars of the school replace “class conflict” with “class cooperation” and “democracy” with “dictatorship of the proletariat” and “revolutionary method” with “evolutionary method”
• Criticism-
• Many varieties- fabian, evolutionary socialism, guild socialism,etc. hence fail to show how these can function effectively to attain socialist goals.
• Also it serves as “safety valve” for the capitalist system
• Fabian socialism not based on working class but on the intellectuals of middle class, hence goes against the essence of Marxism
• It aimed at permeating all classes, but failed to arouse the working class which is the main sufferer under the capitalist system

• By adopting democratic socialism, India has achieved many socialist objectives like right to work for people under MGNREGA, reduced poverty through schemes like PMAY, PM ujawalla yojana ,etc

• German social democracy : same as above that is Parliamentary route to realise socialism and democracy

1. 

Ferdinand lassalle

• Fabian socialism
• A british variety of socialism based on the ideas of Roman General Fabius
• is a form of socialism that advances the principles of democratic framework to achieve gradual conversion to socialism rather than by revolutionary overthrow.
• peaceful
• socialsim cannot come novernight, it will come only when it becomes common sense.
• middle class individuals(organic intellectuals)must spread the idea of socialism.

1:

G D H Cole

2:

Annie besant

3:

G b shaw

• Syndicalism:
• French variety 
• Violent form
• Nearest to marxism
• Goal is to end political state and set up an economic state where all offices to be acquired by workers
• In Marxism there is no concept of class but here the workers will be ruling class

1. 

Emile Pouget

2:

Soreal

• Guild socialism
• British variety
• Exponent - gdh Cole
• Said real interest are economic interest and hence public ownership of industries based on guilds
• guild: an economic association
• gave concept of functional representation(doc represented by doc) and functional parliament, ie parliament having doctors ,workers,etc
• combination of syndicalism and fabianism

• contemporaray relevance of socialism/Marxism:
• World inequality report - world’s top 10% own 77% of global wealth while the bottom half own 2%
• Thomas picketty book the capital in 21st century and James Crabtree talk about rising economic inequality.
• Picketty in his latest book capital and ideology
• ʼtalks of progressive socialism. Wehre workers have more rights and say in the mgmt of companies. Everyone should have power to participate in an economy.
• Socialism seems to be back in U.S. politics now with Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and young Democrats.

• Criticism of socialism- 
• 
  The inherent vice of capitalism is unequal sharing of blessings, the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries – Winston Churchill

• Conclusion: until class divide exists, socio-economic inequality exists, socialism would exist.