What do Socialists Communists and Capitalists believe in?

Answer 1

"Marxism is the basis of socialism and communism. The question answers its self." This answer is even more confused than the question. Socialism was around in one form or another a long long time before Marxism. And Communism was also professed in one form or another before Marx became synonymous with it (e.g. "The Communist Manifesto" was Marx and Engel's attempt to put a coherent policy statement in place for the official international Communist Party.) It would require a book to answer the original question. But as I have about 45 mins free while I sit here in this airport I will give it a go. I already put my 2 euro in after all! Loosely described socialism was associated with a diverse collection of beliefs that became more and more prevalent in the era of the Enlightenment (late 17th-18th centuries). Some of the great figures in this were Frenchmen such as Saint-Simon, Proudhon, etc. These doctrines, in line with the spirit of the age, began to question the foundations for everyday beliefs which organised, justified and explained society into strict hierarchical orders (such as monarchies, religions, etc). Socialists questioned the claim that these orders were given by God and that they reflected the natural order and place of different human beings. They began to question justifications that the poor were poor, or slaves were slaves, because they had certain given (inferior) natures that made them only fit for those roles. Instead, most socialisms began with the rejection of divine authority and replaced this with the idea that man's nature (whether he be poor, rich, slave, etc) was the result of man-made actions and force (wars, division of property, etc). These societal divisions had obscure historical roots that were often disguised as religious or national ideologies and were therefore accepted as eternal orders (e.g. the Church or the Nation). But they were in reality (according socialists) the result of man's will and need to dominate other men. Socialist's wished to free humans from the domination of other humans. Socialist's believed that society determined the nature/behaviour of any individual you met (not any divinely ordained good or evil nature). And that if you could create a truly free society you would create better truly free humans. This is the root of the name "socialist". These ideas were influences upon - and subsequently greatly influenced by - the French Revolution in 1789. Just over 50 years later, Marx and Engel's were dismayed by the degree to which socialists (and communists who professed similar understandings and goals) were as prone to follow whimsical and idealistic notions of mankind as were their religious counterparts. They were particularly dismayed that these idealistic visions were often completely impractical and only served to discredit more serious demands for political and social change. Changing society required drastic changes to the material division of society they felt. In writing their Manifesto they sought to set down ideas that would clarify the views of the Communist Party and allow supporters of social justice and change to understand what was at stake in the issues which they fought for and debated. Over 30-40 years of writing, both Marx and Engels would lay down a body of work that would become the touch-stone for all those who worked under the name Marxist. They put forward immensely complex and revolutionary understandings of History, Economics, Phillosophy all under the name of a new all-embracing philosophy of Historical Materialism (although this name itself is really a later invention). I am running out of time for my flight. And these issues are too complex to explain here. However, at root, Marx and Engels claimed that all of the history of mankind was a struggle for those material resources (property, food, water, technology) that allowed societies to reproduce themselves. This extraordinarily simple idea underlay every complex organization of society that you can find. All those words in the service of myths or religions or governments or democracy, were really all just justifications for different hierarchies that served the interests of some particular group. Those who suffered from these divisions were trained and forced to accept these words from the moment they were born (Marx called them ideologies). This is where it gets even more complex. For Marx did not claim that his doctrine aimed at revealing a reality or truth that was universal. This would require that God truly existed in order to make that truth universal. Instead he claimed that all truths with regard to philosophy or history, were representative of the interests of certain societal groups. His work sought to show to the working classes how their interests had been silenced and hidden by those who forced them to labour for things that they did not benefit from. In earlier societies these oppressors were Kings or Druids or Popes or Military figures who dominated the production of weapons or books and forced the masses into work (sometimes justifying this order with religious beliefs). But in the era of industrialization and the bourgeois capitalist, things were much more complex (though not much different). In capitalist society, workers worked and the benefits of whatever they produced were taken away by the owner of their factory (the capitalist). The capitalist was backed by the military and legal power of the state which granted him rights of property and ownership. These divisions within society were then justified/explained by numerous ideologies that were paid for and produced by bourgeois academics and universities (such as economics). Marx claimed that capitalist societies agonies and torments would only get worse and worse as the uneven distribution of the products of society only allowed greater inequality and suffering. In order for mankind to be truly free then each individual needed to be freed from having to constantly fight and chase after the basic necessities of life (food, housing, etc). Only then would he/she be free to pursue their own true wants and become their own person. This could only happen once workers had rested control of production from the minority capitalist owners (who used ideology to justify their ownership). Only then could workers turn the aims of production towards the needs of society as a whole. In communist societies work was supposed to become secondary to living. However, as money and production were at the basic root of all society's beliefs and values, this would be immensely difficult to achieve. Capitalists who controlled the state, ideology and the military would not simply "give-up" their rights to ownership and control. They would have to be overturned by force. This would only happen if the working classes began to organise themselves in the face of intimidation and harassment. Marx intended his doctrine to help in the task of this organisation. The day would then finally come when, spaked by increasing hunger, oppression and increasing understanding of their role in society, the workers would rise up and through an international revolution overthrow the capitalist organization of society. Once this happened history as we have known it would come to an end. And in the new egalitarian society, a new even more complex "history" would begin, as each individual member would seek to contribute to societies understanding of what it means to live as a free human. OK out of time. Gotta catch my plane now. I wonder if this will ever be read by anyone at all. In any case I hope it helps someone with their term paper or summat!!

Answer 2

Socialism is the belief in the worker ownership of something called the "Means of Production". That is, the people working in a business and industry should own that industry. Socialists also do not believe in the ownership of private property - that is, if someone wants to own land, they should be living on it. So one person cannot own 7 houses while other people have no houses. Things like that.

This is for a variety of reasons.

1. Democratic

2. Enviornmental

3. Equality

They believe that worker ownership is the extension of democracy into the workplace. That is, the people most effected by the decisions a business makes should be the ones that get to make the decisions. It is an extension of the fundamental belief in democracy practiced by most "Western" nations.

The enviornmental factors come in, in regards to that Socialists believe that due to Capitalism being entirely about the pursuit of profit, it will inevitably destroy the enviornment. As such, in order to safeguard the planet, the workers should have control of the Means of Production in order to stop this damage being done and have a safer and sustainable future for their children.

Equality is one of the main drivers. That is, Socialists believe all men(AND WOMEN!) are born equal, should have equal opportunity, and should be allowed to live a life free of oppression, discrimination or any other forms of inequality inherent within the system. So, you will not be born disadvantaged compared to other people simply because their parents had more money, for example.

Notable Socialists include Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Albert Einstein, Leon Trotsky, Ché Guevara, Rosa Luxemburg, James Connolly and Eugene Debs.

Answer 3

A socialist is a person who believes in changing society. Example- the communism in Russia, the socialists, followed the beliefs for a communist party being worldwide economic equality. (see Marx theory)

Answer 4

These questions are not always correctly categorized, but if you are indeed asking a question about Germany in WW II, then the socialist party to which you refer is the National Socialist party, better known as the Nazi Party. Their beliefs were in the supremacy of the German nation and people; they considered themselves to be the Master Race. Other races were deemed to be subservient, to be either enslaved or killed. Their greatest hatred was for Jews, and they famously murdered 6 million of them. They were also hostile to Gypsies, communists, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the mentally ill.

Answer 5

Socialist countries want to take care of all their citizens. If you get sick and need to go to the hospital you wont have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you want to go to a university you wont have to pay for that either. It is all paid by the people who pay taxes.

Answer 6

The Capitalists beliefs were that of the anatcho-capitalism. They believed the government was nothing but thieves. The Socialist Communists believed that society should not have classes and should be run by the working people, allowing the working people to benefit from their own efforts rather than the government.

Answer 7

Public ownership of the means of production, collective decision-making or self-management in economic enterprises, production for use instead of for profit.