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Socialism And Communism In The 19th Century

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The 19th century was a century of industrialisation, and with such advances in the means of production, a few prominent political philosophies were created. Laissez-Faire capitalism was one of these philosophies, and it’s one that greatly influenced today’s politics. The proponents of this system preached against government involvement in economy, arguing that natural laws will govern the economy instead. At the other end of the spectrum were socialists and communists. They believed that the means of production should belong to all of the people rather than just a small bourgeoisie class. Communism, a more extreme form of socialism, advocated for no private ownership at all. Though socialism and communism didn’t take hold until the 20th century, …show more content…

They both advocate for less private ownership and more wealth redistribution. Socialists generally follow the teachings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels , who wrote The Communist Manifesto, a pamphlet outlining the major tenets of a communist society and the major flaws of a bourgeoisie democratic one. Though the pamphlet was written in 1848 and spawned a few uprisings that were soon put down, communism didn’t really take hold until the 20th century. Communist teachings say that capitalism leads to oppression of the working class, or proletariat, by the owners of the means of production, or bourgeoisie. Marx suggests that a revolution by the proletariat is necessary in order to put in place a socialist government, with the ultimate intent of becoming a communist state. Communism preaches against private ownership, and prefers ownership by the people. Communists and socialists argue that when the means of production are controlled by the state, people in the society will become equal. In a fully communist society, there is absolutely no private ownership, and houses and goods are distributed based on the needs of the populace. Additionally, people receive payment based on the work that they do rather than their parents’ wealth or their social class. For this reason, in a fully communist society, there is no inheritance. A true communist society is a utopian one. Everyone works for the common good, and everyone has equal rights and opportunity. Socialism is simply a less extreme form of communism. Private ownership is still allowed, but ownership of means of production and employing others is not. Advantages of this system include a more equal wealth distribution, less oppression, fair prices set by the people, and an overall happier populace. Disadvantages of this system include a lack of motivation to invent new products, the ability of a government to abuse power, and the selfish nature of certain people.

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