What is Socialism?
SOCIALISM & CAPITALISM
Our society is divided into two broad classes the bourgeoisie, the capitalist ruling class who pay workers for their capacity to work in order to multiply their existing capital, and the proletariat, the working class who sell their time and labor capacity to the ruling class in order to secure a means of living.
Capitalism is an economic system where individuals privately own the tools and land that the working class uses to produce what people need to survive. Owning these means of production is what makes capitalists the ruling class; they have power over workers because workers have no choice but to sell their lives and labor to the capitalists to get by.
Socialism is an economic system where the working class controls the means of production and democratically decides how resources are distributed.
CAPITALISM AND ITS FAULTS
Capitalism separates workers from the fruits of their labor by making them sell their capacity to work to companies that pay them less than the value their labor produces. People are treated as commodities and only valued insofar as they produce value for their bosses. If a worker doesn’t help make their boss’s pockets deeper, they are often discarded and left to the whims of the system. Political decisions are primarily motivated by capital, affecting every facet of life. Politicians often play into what will ultimately net them the most money and power. Poverty, environmental destruction, imperialism—all are motivated by the capitalists’ desire to accumulate as much wealth and resources as possible and dominate the world.
Consider Amazon. The Amazon company’s services are pervasive, from groceries to delivery to aid in the home. Many are unaware of the countless examples of abuse that occur behind the scenes. Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia were deceived into contract work at Amazon’s warehouses. They were housed in appalling conditions, monitored constantly, and forced to labor to the point of total exhaustion for meager wages, all the while believing Amazon had hired them directly. When these workers complained about the treatment received at the hands of their contractors, Amazon allowed the abuse to continue for months, washing their hands of responsibility while gaining from the workers’ labor.
According to research conducted by Stand.earth, Amazon’s delivery process produced 5.84 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023 despite pledging to commit to reduction. Amazon was involved in a land development plan seeking to destroy a site sacred to South Africa’s indigenous Khoi and San people. Developers were poised to gain millions off of the deal despite extensive pushback from Native communities and their allies.
WHY SOCIALISM?
What makes socialism better than capitalism? Socialism is focused on uplifting and liberating people of all backgrounds who are forced to live under an abusive system prioritizing the wealthy few. It challenges the myth of workers needing to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” by emphasizing communal wellbeing as the key to prosperity.
In a socialist worker’s state, tasks such as distribution of resources (food, healthcare, housing, education, transportation, etc.) are centralized for efficiency and fairness. Leaders, paid a workman’s wage, are chosen democratically by the people, for the people, and able to be recalled at any time if they do not suit our needs. Wider access to resources means fewer do without. Capitalists are cast out of power, and bourgeois property that is privately owned is made public. However, this doesn’t mean giving up personal property like your toothbrush. Rather, the ruling class can no longer privately own the capital produced by the workers, and the workers will then decide together and for themselves how the value they produce is used and divided for their needs.
In order to achieve socialism, we need an objective lens to understand the world around us and how to accomplish these goals. Scientific socialism, also known as Marxism, provides this lens.
Marxists recognize that there is a long, hard fight ahead and that progress is not linear. Marxism is more than an ideology—it’s an evolving science based on trial and error; a method of analysis with practical applications. We learn from the mistakes of the past and develop upon them to ensure a better future.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO BUILD A SOCIALIST MOVEMENT?
Educate, organize, agitate!
To defeat capitalism, we must educate ourselves on its functions and how we are exploited by it. Our understanding motivates us to teach and talk to other workers, engaging with, unifying, and challenging a range of perspectives.
We can’t change the world alone. We need to organize with other working and oppressed people to advance our cause, form networks of support, and build strength in numbers.
Agitation calls attention to the contradictions inherent in the capitalist system and encourages political action. We agitate to raise awareness, rally our communities, and have our demands met.
In Conclusion…
Now that you’re more familiar with what socialism really is, you may be interested in learning more. Here are some texts that explain socialism, capitalist exploitation, and the need for socialist revolution in depth:
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Wage Labor and Capital by Karl Marx
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Friedrich Engels
Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg
The State & Revolution by V.I. Lenin
All these texts and more can be found and accessed for free on Marxists.org.