Socialism the "S" Word in American Government

Karl Marx was a German philosopher and writer who introduced socialism to Europe as means of addressing the social and financial disparity between classes. Marx was a Hegelian thinker; therefore he believed that reality is capable of being expressed in rational terms and could be reduced to a more synthetic unity within a transcendental idealist structure (Alexander 3/23/07).

Marx was disturbed by religion and commerce, which led him to focus on revolutionary change and sparked writings such as The Manifesto of the Communist Party, Das Kapital, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, and Capital. A Critique of Political Economy, Volume I (Engels). In A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy Marx gives a new perspective on theories of money, while in Capital. A Critique of Political Economy, Volume I he scientifically reduces the political economy of the working class (Engels).

Marx believed that religion fogged reality and clarity and did not offer solutions nor did if offer a change in social standards (Alexander 3/23/07). He also believed that capitalism fosters greed, elitism, exploits women, alienates man from society, and creates a cycle by which the worker can not afford the goods he helps to create. He believes that because manufacturers can’t meet the demands of society and a lust for goods remains which results in poor working and living conditions and an enormous separation in social classes (Alexander 3/23/07). In London workers lived in poverty while manufacturer owners lived in extreme wealth (Zinn 204). In America, capitalism took priority over safe working conditions alienating the poor and causing worker strikes (Zinn 204). Americans sought to end the reign of gold and socialism seemed to allow for greater equality and humanity (Zinn 205).

In a socialist government, manufacturers would be held to government imposed standards for work conditions and wages. Taxes would be pooled to provide education, medical, yet still allow for entrepreneurial ambitions, thus ending the struggle for basic needs. Some communities sought to employ socialism in Utopian type societies, but failed due to religious influence and tyranny such as the Shakers and Oneida (Foner 371,372). In these communities property and assets were shared but standards of living, including sexual relations and self slavery, were imposed and ultimately deteriorated the spirit of their efforts (Foner 371-374).

In the Soviet Union after Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin began a reign of terror within his own government by eliminating all those who appeared to be disloyal to him (PBS). The Soviet Union had a government with socialist structure but with a communist outcome. That is to say that socialism was morphed with totalitarianism to create a government operating under tyranny. The union of Adolf Hitler and Joeseph Stalin further impacted the opinion of American’s towards socialism. Socialisms greatest weakness had been exposed and exploited resulting in a massive loss of life (PBS). In America socialism has become synonymous with communism; America was a key player in eradicating communism from the Soviet Union and introducing democracy, so Americans are not tolerant of socialist ideas because of where they have the potential to lead.

Marx’s ideas were in the right place both philosophically and realistically, but the nature of man to allow greed to impose his will on another always seems to find its way into large structures that affect many. While socialism offers a way to help man live in harmony it does not protect against those who use its foundation for wrong.