Korsch, Karl. What is Socialization

8/10/2019 Korsch, Karl. What is Socialization

1/23

What Is Socialization? A Program of Practical Socialism

Author(s): Karl Korsch, Frankie Denton and Douglas KellnerSource: New German Critique, No. 6 (Autumn, 1975), pp. 60-81Published by: New German CritiqueStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/487654.

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2/23

What s Socialization?

A

Program

f

Practical

ocialism*

by

Karl

Korsch

1. The Goal

of Socialization

The socialization

demanded

by

socialism

ignifies

new

regulation

f

production

withthe

goal

of

replacing

he

private apitalist

conomyby

a

socialist communal

economy.

ts first

phase

consists

f

the socialization

(Vergesellschaftung)

fthe

means

of

production

nd

the

resulting

mancipa-

tion

of

labor. Its

second

phase

consists f the

socialization f

labor.

2. What is

Production?

The task

of

socialization s

concerned

with

production.

n

this

context

"production,"

however,

does not

signify

he technical

process

of the

manufacture

f

goods

nd the

relations etween uman

beings

nd

(naturally

given

or

artificially

roduced)

material.

Rather,

"production"

ere

simply

signifies

ocial

relations etween everal

people

which

are connected

with

every

echnical

production,

.e.,

the "social relations f

production."

The

*

The term

ocialization

n

Korsch's

ssay

refers

o the

active,

onscious

ctivity

f

constructing

socialist

ociety

nd

thus

efers

o

process

f

ocialist

ocialization

hich an be

distinguished

rom

hat

process

f socialization

n

bourgeoisociety

hat has become

n

increasingly

entral

oncernf ocial cientistshodiscuss ole

behavior,

olitical

ocialization

and ocializationy he amily,eer roups,chool,massmedia,tc.Korsch'smphasiss on the

social

elationsf

production

nd

process

f

socializingociety"

atherhan n

the

ocialization

of

he ndividualnto

refabricated

oles,

ehavior,

ttitudes,

tc.which rediscussed

y

ocial

scientists

n

their

heories

f

ocializationnd criticized

y

Marxistsn their

ritiques

f

false

consciousness,

lienation

ndreification.hereassocialization"

n

bourgeois

ociety

erveshe

function

f

tabilizing

he

urrent

ystem

f

production

nd

thus

nducing

he

ndividualo

conform

o

the

ystem,

ocialist

ocialization,

n Korsch's

iew,

trivesor

emocratic

ontrol

f

the

means f

production

y

heworkersho ecide n theirocial se.An

nteresting

iscussion

of

the

oncept

f ocializations used

by

Korsch

s found n

FelixWeil's

tudy

ozialisierung

published

n

Berlin n a

series dited

y

Korsch

n 1921

nd reissued

y

Underground

ress

(Berlin,

968).

Weilnotes

he

onfusion

urrounding

he

erm

Sozialisierung"

nd

then

n

a

study

eavily

nfluenced

y

Korsch

ttempts

o

clarify

he

concept

n

terms f

the

task f

constructinggenuinelyocialistnd thus socialized"ociety.his tudyspublishednKarl

Korsch,

chriften

ur

Sozialisierung,

rich

Gerlach

d.

(Europhiische

erlagsanstalt,

rankfurt

am

Main,

1969),

pp.

15-42.

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3/23

WHAT IS

SOCIALIZATION?

61

object

of thenew

regulation

hrough

socialization"

s

production

s the um

total of social relations.

"In

the

process

f

production,

uman

beings

work

not

onlyupon

nature,

but

also

upon

one another.

They produce

only by

working

ogether

n

a

specified

manner

and

reciprocally

xchanging

heir ctivities.

n order

to

produce,

they

nter

nto definite

onnections

nd relations

o

one

another,

and

only

within

hese ocial connections

nd relations

oes

their

nfluence

upon

nature

perate,

.e.,

does

production

ake

place."

(Marx, Wage-Labour

and

Capital).

The

structure

f the

capitalist

ociety

which

ocialism

truggles

gainst

s

determinedy

the

fact hat

n

a

capitalist

conomic

rder

hesocial

processes

of

production

re

essentially

iewed

s the

private

ffair

f

ndividual

ersons.

In contrast

ocialization

aims

at

the creation

of a socialist

communal

economy;

hat

s,

an economic

rder

n which

he ocial

process

f

production

is considered

public

affair

f

the

producing

nd

consuming

whole.

3.

What

are the

Means

of Production?

The

first

tep

toward ocialization

s

the elimination

f

capitalistprivate

property

n

the

"means

of

production"

used

in

production

and

its

replacement y

social

property.The "meansof

production"

re all those

physical

bjects

r

goods

thatare

used for

the

purpose

of

production.

According

o

the

Erfurt

rogram

his

includes

above

all:

"Land,

mines

and

quarries,

raw

materials,

tools,

machines

nd

means

of

transportation."

ot

the nner

haracter

f an

object,

but

its

use

for

the

goal

of

production

makes

it

a means

of

production.

Generally

peaking

he

entire

arth

n its

naturally iven

orm nd

character

(nature)

can

be

a "means

of

production,"

s

well

as all

alterations

nd

improvements

rought

bout

by

conscious

uman

ctivity

n,

under

or

above

the

earth's

surface

plants).

An

object

becomes seful or hegoal ofproductionwhen hroughtsuse a

productive

chievement

Leistung)

s

brought

bout.

Productive

chieve-

ments

an consist

f

performances

r

services

hat re

meant

o

directly

atisfy

a

present

eed;

e.g.,

the

performance

f a

virtuoso

n

concert,

taxi

driver,

or

a railroad

onductor.

As a

rule,

however,

roductive

chievement

onsists

of

bringing

orth

oods

that

erve

s

a

means

of

atisfying

uture

eeds

means

of

consumption).

n

the

first

ase

"means

of

production"

re

those

objects

used

n

performances

r

services

a

grand

piano,

a

taxi,

a

locomotive);

n

the

second

case

they

re

objects

used

to

produce

consumer

oods

raw

materials,

machines, tc.). Directly r indirectly,very roductivechievementerves

consumption.



4/23


5/23

WHAT

S SOCIALIZATION?

63

relations f

production,

ot

the

designation

fcertain

material

ypes

f

means

ofproduction. Capital" doesnotonly onsist f theproducts fpreviously

performed

abor

"produced

means

of

production," plants"),

s

in the

usual

designation

f theword

by

bourgeois

conomy

which t

contrasts

o

land,

to

thatwhich

s

originally iven.

Land

("nature")

tself

an

also

be

capital.

Both

"means

of

production"

an become

capital

when

they

provide

he material

basis

for

production

resting

on unfree

wage

labor

within

an

existing

framework

f

private

roperty.

f

that

ncomewhich he

capitalist

wner

f

the means

of

production

xtracts

rom he social

production

hat

has taken

place

with

hismeans

of

production

ut without

is own abor

s

designated

s

his revenue Rente), any income attainedby the capitalistwithout abor

belongs

to

this

revenue,

s well

as

the

so-called

and-rent

Bodenrente).

A

capitalist

s thusnot

only

he

possessor

f the

production

lant

erected

n

the

land

fromwhich

he obtains

his

"capital

revenue"

n

the

narrow

ense,

but

he

is

also

the

private

wner f

the and

on

which

he

production

lant

stands s

the

one who

ppropriates

orhimself

part

ofthe

profits

f

production

nder

the

name of

"ground

rent"

Grundrente).

s

social relations f

production,

"ground

rent"

nd

"capital

revenue n the narrow

ense"

are

equivalent

o

"capital

revenue."

5. The CapitalistSocial Order

When the ocial

relation

f

production

wage-labor"

ecomes

he

universal

foundation

f

ocial

production

n a

society,

hen

very

means

of

production

that

s

privately

wned

becomes

capital.

All

members

f such

a

social

order

are

divided

nto

two

lasses:

on

the one

side,

the

capitalists

who

exploit

nd

control

roduction,

nd the

exploited

proletarian

wage-slaves

n the

other.

Not

only

hedirect

managers

nd

beneficiaries

f social

production

elong

o

the

apitalist

lass,

but

n

a more

general

ense,

veryone

ho,

by

controlling

and

profiting

rom

ocial

production,

irectly

r

indirectly

as

any

share

whatsoever hichrepresentsecompense ot earned romproductiveabor

which

e

himself erformed

n the

production

rocess.

t makesno

difference

whether

e obtains

n

income

n

addition o

thatwhich

partially

ests n

his

own

productive

abor

the

so-called

employer's

rofit"),

nd

which

he could

also

obtain

without

eing

the

private

wner

fthe means

of

production

the

collector

f

ground

rent

and other

capital

revenue).

While

it was

normal

n

earlier

tages

of

development

f the

"capitalist"

social

order

for a

single

person

to

be both

the

manager

and

beneficiary

f

social

production

t

once,

today

hese

functions

re

normally arcelled

out

among everal ersons

r

groups

f

persons,

ll of whom

participate

more

or

less

directly

n

controlling

nd

profiting

rom

roduction.

We have

already

become

acquainted

above

with

the case

wherethe

capitalist

wner

of

land



6/23

64 NEW GERMAN

CRITIQUE

shareswith he

apitalist

wner

f the

production lant

n the

exploitation

f

productionhattakesplace in theplant.Two othertypical ases ofsucha

division f the

capitalist

unction re

first,

he

case in which he real

owners

do

not themselves

anage production

ut

permit

omeone lse to

manage

t

for

heir enefit.

or

example,

s shareholders

hey

et the

board of

directors

manage

the

ompany's

ffairs.

ven

more

widespread

s

another

ase

which s

relevanthere: a

production lant

that

works

with

credit.

n

this

type

of

business

s

well,

everal

ersons

articipate

s

"capitalists":

irst,

he

o-called

legal

"owner" f the

business;

nd

secondly,

he

provider

f

credit.

Together

both share

n the

control

nd benefits

exploitation)

f

the

production

n

question.The

replacement

f

private

roperty

n themeans of

production

hrough

social

property,

he

socializing

f the

means of

production,

s

equivalent

o

the iberation f

abor from

lien

capitalist

omination

nd

exploitation,

o

which

t is

subordinated

n

the

capitalist conomy

during

the

processes

f

production.

he

socializing

f

the

means

of

production

s

thus

quivalent

o

eliminating

he

opposition

etween

apital

and

wage-labor

hat

dominates

the

present

apitalist

conomic

order,

as well

as

eliminating

ocial

class

divisions,

lass

dominationand the

class

struggle

hat

arise from

the

opposition

between

apital

and

labor.

6.

Economic

and Political

Power,

Private

nd

Public Law

The

demand

for

ocializing

he

meansof

production

nd the

iberation f

productive

abor

is the

demand for

the

transformation

f a

historically

emergent

orm

f

the

ocialrelations f

production,

property,"

nto

nother,

only

now

emerging

orm.

Capitalist

private

property,

s it

appears

in

the

opposition

etween

apital

and

wage-labor,

s

not an

eternally

alid

form

f

social

production

but

rather a

temporary

ne,

valid

only

for

a

certain

temporally

ast

period.

The powerof the capitalistprivate property wnerto controlsocial

production

and to

appropriate

ts

profits

ppears

as an

economically

grounded

ower,

n

contrast o

politically rounded

ower

elations,

.e.,

the

right

f

the state to

govern

nd

tax

individual

itizens.As

we

showed

n

section

2,

both

forms f

power

are,

however,

t

the same

time

social

relationships

f

person

o

person.

These

are in

their

origin

and

continued

existence

ependent

n

the

ocial

principles

hich

erpetuate

nd

support

t;

especially

n

the

recognition,

nd if

need

be

coercion

y

the

aws

of

the

tate.

"The

owner fan

object

an..,

do with

he

object

whatever

e wants

nd can

excludeothersrom ny nterference.(?903 of theGermanCivilCodebook)

(Deutsche

Bi

rgerliches

esetzbuch).



7/23

WHAT

IS

SOCIALIZATION?

65

This

equivalence

etween

conomic nd

political

ower

has

become

obscured

by

the

present

ivision f theentire

aw

into

public

and

private

aw

which s

peculiar

to the

egal

system

marked

by

capitalist

rivateproperty.

"Publicum us

est,

quod

ad

statum

ei

Romanae

spectat,

privatum,

uod

ad

singulorum

tilitatem."

Ulpian

1

?

2 De

usto

t

ure,p.

2)

("Public

aw

s

directedowardhe

well-being

f he

ntire

olitical ommunity;

rivate

aw

serves o

benefit

ingle

ndividuals.")

The treatmentfhuman elations

n

economic

ife

s the

phere

f

private

law could

never

nd nowhere e

completely

arried ut because

tate nd

society

ould

havefallen

sunder s a result. he

right

fthe

wner

f the

means f

production

todo with

is

hings

hatevere

wants" as

onstantlyandeverywhereimitedypublicaw:by aws nd njunctions

romulgated

in the nterest

f

he

ommon

ood.

Similarly

hematerial

nfreedom

fthe

propertyless

age-laborer

hich

redominates

uring

he

ocial

processes

f

production

nd derives

rom

he

merely

ormal

freedom"

f

the

workers'

right

f

possession

nd

disposal

ver

is

abor

power

was,

n

fact,

lleviated

everywherehrough andatory

imitationsf

wage

contract

reedom

nd

throughegal publicprotection

f

workers

n

some

form r

another.

7.

Socializationnd

Social

Policy

From he reviousresentationtappears ofollowhat hererebasically

twodifferent

ays

f

"socializing

he

means f

production,"

f

eliminating

capitalistrivate

roperty

f

he

means

f

production.

ne

could ocialize

y

taking

he

means f

productionway

from

he

urisdiction

f

individual

capitalists

expropriation)

nd

by

placing

hem

nder he

urisdiction

f

public

unctionaries

nationalization,

ommunalizationnd other

ormshat

we hall

iscuss

ater).

Andone

could

ocialize

y nternally

ransforming

he

content

f

privateroperty

f he

means f

production

ithout

xpropriating

itsowners. ne would

progressively

reat

roduction,

hich

ccording

o

privateaw,previouslyelonged o theprivate ropertyf thecapitalist

owner s an affair f

public

aw,

the

regulation

fwhich o

longer

epends

exclusively

n the

private

wner

y

virtue

f

his

private

ight

ut nstead

depends

s

well

n

public

egal

organs:

ederationsfworkers

rganized y

professions

nd

territory,

ederationsf

mployers

nd

united

ssociationsf

workersnd

employers

labor

partnerships,

abor

parliaments).

The

chief

epresentative

f this

econd

orm

f "socialization"

oday

s

EduardBernstein.

ccording

o

him,

the

basic ssue

f

ocialization

s

that

we

place production,

conomic

ife,

under

he

control

f

the

public

weal

(Allgemeinheit)."n his iewocializationancome boutf the ubliceizes

more and

more

control f

economic

ife with the

help

of

laws and

ordinances."

nd

he

proclaims

oday,

s he didmore han

wentyears

go,



8/23

66

NEW GERMAN

CRITIQUE

that

a

good

factory

aw can containmore ocialism

han the

nationalization

of several hundredbusinesses nd enterprises."

Bernstein's

osition

maintains,

n

the

formulation

hich

ppears

here,

he

complete quation

of "social

policy"

and "socialization."

Through

gradual

limitations

n

the

privileges

Befugnisse)

f

private roperty

wners

y

means

of social

policy,private

property

s

supposed

to be

transformednd

slowly

develop

nto

public

property.

n

reality,

owever,

ocial

policy--which,

n

its

very

oncept presupposes apitalist

privateproperty

nd

wants

to

merely

settle

schlichten)

he

conflict etween he

ndividual

ights

f

the

capitalists

and

the

claims

of the

public by

arbitration-can never

hange

nto

a

true

socialization

without break nd radical

change

n

direction. he

important

element for true

socialization

which Bernstein's

onception

nevertheless

contains,

part

from

his

acceptance

of

capitalist

modes of

thought,

will

be

discussed

n the

following

ections.

n

the

meantime his

point

must

be

emphasized:

there

an be no

socialization

f

the

means

of

production

without

either

ll at

once or

gradually

liminating

ompletely

he

private

property

owner from he

social

process

of

production

8.

Socialization

nd

the

Distribution f

Property:

Half-measures"

From this

negative

ondition

f

anygenuine

socialization he

following

emerges:

no"socialization f themeansof

production"

uta mere

hange

of

private

roperty

wners

akes

lace

in

all

those

rocedures

hich

nly

present

a

more

equitable

distributionf

private

property.

he

transfer f

property

from

singleperson

o

a

so-called

judicial

person"

f

private

aw

must

be

included

here;

for

xample,

hetransferf a

privately

wned

business o the

common

property

of a

corporation.

Such

procedures

are no

more

socialization

han

ome

imple

projects

f

division

ccasionally

haracterized

as

"socialization"

y

the

badly

nformed

pponents

f

socialism;

for

xample

thedivision

f

arge

states

f

and into

mall

ettlements

ornumerous

ingle

owners.This kind of

thing

willnot, however, e consideredhere.

The demandfor

complete

limination f

the

private

roperty

wner

rom

the

process

f

production

eveals he

nadequacy

f all

such

measures,

which

amount to

a

power

and

profit haring

between he

non-working

roperty

owners n

the

one

hand,

and the

non-possessing

orkers

n

the

other.To

such measures

belong:

1.

Kautsky's

roposal

that

"land,

insofar s it is

being

utilized

by

large

industrial

lants,

hould

mmediately

e

nationalized,"

ut

that

"the

plants

that

exist n

or

upon

it,"

which

have

leased land

from he

State,

should

be

allowedto continue s "private perations."' Othermeasures nclude:

1.

See

Karl

Kautsky,

Richtlinien

far

ein

sozialistisches

ktionsprogramm

Berlin,

1919).



9/23

WHAT S

SOCIALIZATION?

67

2.

All

the

projects

f

"profit-sharing"romoted

ime

and

again,

with

or

without uccess,during he last hundredyearsbywell-meaningapitalists

who

proposed

paying

a

part

of

the total business

profits

o

their

wage

laborers.

3.

The

recently

roposedparticipation

often

falsely

abelled

"industrial

democracy")

f

the workers' nd

employees'

epresentatives,

lected

by

the

plant

members

or

he

ndividual

lant

labor

commissions,

actory

ouncils,

employee

ommittees),

n thecontrol nd

administration

f

the

plants,

which

are

basically

till eft

to

the

capitalist

owner.

From

the

point

of viewof

socialism ll these half-measures"

just

as

the

Bernstein

plan--can

be seen as

partial paymentsAbschlagszahlungen)

t

best.

n

lessfavorable ases

they

re

directly

pposed

to the

true nterestsf

the

working

lass

moving

owards

mancipation.

his

holds rue

specially

or

most

of

the

projects

f

so-called

"profit-sharing."

9.

The Task

of

Socialization

By

demanding

hat

he

private roperty

wnerbe

"completely

liminated

from the

sphere

of

production"

one does

indeed secure

the distinction

between

mere

social

policy"

nd

genuine

socialization"

cf.

section

).

One

also

avoids

confusing

ocialization

with

a

simple

distribution f

private

property

ndwith ll sorts f half-measures"

cf.

section

).

But

beyond

his,

the

demand

n

no

way

more

precisely

etermines

he

actual

content

f

the

task

of socialization.

Even after

the

complete

elimination

f the

capitalist private property

owner,

he same

means

of

production

an

only

be

used

for

production

t

a

given

ime

by

a determinate

umber

f

producing

workers as

every

means

f

consumption

an,

in

the same

way,

be

consumed

or

used

only

by

a

determinate

umber

of

people

at

the

moment

when t

fulfillsts

purpose.

The

"socializing

f

the

means

of

production,"

which ocialism

demands,

cannotand doesnot wishto alter thisactual fact. In a socialist ommunal

economy

ne must

lso decide which

people

may

and should

use the

existing

means

of

production

for

production,

under

what

working

conditions

production

hould

proceed,

and

in

which

way

the

products

f

production

should

be

distributed

mong

the

totality

f

the

producers

nd consumers.

n

the socialist

communal-economy

oo

there

s a

regulation

of

the social

relations

f

production,

n

order

f

property.

he establishment

f

this

rder

is

the task

of socialization.

Depending

on how a

completed

ocialization

lan performs

histask and

how the above questions re decided, it will eithercreate a more or less

complete

ommunity

roperty

n

a true ommunal

conomy,

r

it

will

ndeed



10/23

68

NEW

GERMAN

CRITIQUE

eliminate

rivate

roperty,

ut

only

o

replace

it with ome

kind of

special

propertySondereigentum).

10.

The Conflict

f Interests etween

Producers

nd

Consumers

The

greatest

anger

hat

hetask

of

creating

rue

ommunityroperty

ill

nonetheless

meet

with

failure

n

carrying

ut

a

plan

of socialization

tems

from he

fact

that

even after

he elimination

f

capitalistprivateproperty

from

roduction,

wo

opposing

nterest

roups

will remain

n

the economic

life

f

a

human

community:

n

the

one

hand

the nterests

f

the

producing

workers

f

ach

individual

ranch

f

production,

n

the

other,

he

nterests

f

thetotalityf theremaining roducersnd consumers.n short, he conflict

of

interests etween

producers

nd

consumers.

When the

interests

f

either

he consumers

r

the

producers

re

given

priority

n

the

regulation

f the social

relations

f

production,

nstead

of a

true

"socializing"

"Vergesellschaftung')

f

the means

of

production,

he

formerlyxisting

rivate

apitalism

s

merely eing

exchanged

for

a

new

capitalism

hrough lleged

"socialization."

his new

capitalism, epending

on

circumstances,

an be

designated

s

a

consumer-capitalism

national,

local

or consumer

ooperative apitalism)

r

as

a

producer-capitalism.

nly

by avoiding

both

dangers,through qual

and

just

consideration f

the

interests

f

producers

nd

consumers

like does true

community roperty

develop

n

the

process

f

socialization,

ather

han

special

property

f

one

class.

Those

forms

of

socialization

which

come closest

to

the

danger

of

a

consumer-capitalism

re

socialization

by

means

of

nationalization,

communalization

nd

the

affiliation

f

production

plants

with consumer

associations.

he

danger

of

producer-capitalism

n theother

hand,

arises

n

an

attempt

to socialize

in the

directionof the

Workmen's

Cooperative

Production

ociety

movement

nd modem

syndication"the

mines to

the

miners,"

therailroads o the

railway

workers,"

tc.).

The

goal

of socializa-

tion

n

the

spirit

f

socialism,

however,

s

neither

onsumer-capitalism

or

producer-capitalism,

ut rather rue

community

roperty

or

he

totality

f

producers

nd consumers.

11.

The

Claims

of

Producers

nd Consumers

n

the

Regulation

f theSocial

Relations

of Production

The

division

f claims

raised

n

the

regulation

f

the social

relations

f

production

n

the

name

of

producers

r consumers

esults

rom

breaking

down of

capitalist

private property-which

ocialization s doing away

with--into

ts individual

privileges.



11/23

WHAT IS

SOCIALIZATION?

69

"Private

ownership

f

the

means

of

production"

s

domination n the

currentapitalist conomic rder ontains wo lements,s indicated bove:

a)

a

right

o

the

entire

yield

of

the

production

arried

out

by

using

these

means

of

production,

ess ll the

xpenditures

or

aw

materials,

wages,

axes,

etc.

according

o

Marx

right,

surped

y

the

capitalist,

o

the

"surplus

value"

continually

roducedby

the

unfree

abor

of

wage-laborers);

b)

a

right

o the ontrol

f

he

production

rocess,

imited

nly ygeneral

public

aw,

especially

o-called

ocial

egislation.

In

contrast,

he

demand

to abolish

rivate

wnership

f

the

means

f

production,"

nd to "socialize he meansof

production"

aisedfrom he

standpointf theproducingaborer ikewiseignifieswo hings:

a)

a

right

o

the

yield

f abor

for he

worker;

b)

workers'

articipation

n

the control f

the

production rocess

corresponding

o the

ignificance

f abor

for he

productionrocess.

The

same

demand,however,

rom he

standpoint

f the

consumer

signifies:

a)

distributionf

the

yield

f

the

entire ocial

production

mong

he

totality

f

the

consumers;

b)

a

transfer

f he

ontrollingights

f

he

apitalist rivate

wner

o the

organs

f

this

otality.

12. The

Two Basic

Forms

f

Socialization

As a

result

f

hese

erspectives

different

ttitude

ppears

n

the

part

f

the

producers

nd

on the

part

f

he

onsumers

oward

he

various

otential

forms

f

"socialization."

n

thefirst

ype,

atisfaction

or heclaims f

the

producing

aborers

s

granted

nly

ndirectly

hile

the

claims

of the

consumers,

n

contrast,

re

directly

atisfied.

n the

second

type

of

socialization

he

pposite

s

the

ase,

representing

irect

ocializing

een rom

the

tandpoint

f

the

producing

aborers,

ut

only

n indirect

ocializing

viewed romhe tandpointf thewhole fthe consumers.

a)

Socialization,

s nationalization

r ommunalization

f

plants,

s

well

s

in

the

ffiliation

f

production

lants

with onsumer

ooperatives,

s ndirect

from

he

tandpoint

f

he

producing

aborers,

irect

rom

he

tandpoint

f

the

otality

f

consumers.

n none

of

these hree

asesdoes

the

producing

laborer

mmediately

chieve

ny

share

n

the

control

nd benefits

f

production,

utrather

emainss

before

wage

aborer.

his

s

due

to the

replacement

f

he

apitalistrivate

wner ith

unctionaries

f

he

tate,

he

community

r

the consumer

ooperative.

Ifthiswerehe xtentf hematter,ocommunityropertyf he otality

would

n

reality

e created

hrough

his

lleged

ocialization,

ut

rather



12/23

70

NEW

GERMAN

CRITIQUE

special

property

f theconsumer lass.

Private-capitalism

ould be

replaced

byconsumer-capitalism.his isespeciallyruefornationalization,s well as

for the other

two aforementioned

orms f socialization.

The

true

relationship

may

be

seen in

the two

terms

requently

sed as

synonyms:

ocialization and

nationalization.We have

already

observed

above:

not

every

ocialization akes

place

in

theform f

nationalization. nd

we observed here: mere

nationalization lone

and of itself

cannot be

recognized

s

socialist

socialization

sozialistische

ergesellschaftung

(Sozialisierung)].

b)

The form f ocialization

hich

s

direct rom

he

tandpoint

f

aborers,

and ndirectrom he tandpointf he otalityfconsumers,onsistsfthe

transferf

ownership

f all

means f

production

f

a

plant

a

branch f

industry)

o the

laboring

articipants

n

that

plant

(branch

ndustry

participants).

hrough

his

ransfer,

he

aboring

articipants

n

production

achieve

omplete

ontrol ver

heentire

rocess

f

production

nd over ts

yield.

rue

community

roperty

an,

of

ourse,

o

more e

created

hrough

this

rocess

lone,

han

hrough

heform f

ocialization

iscussed

nder

)

above. nstead

he

apitalism

f

he

private

apitalist

ould

nly

e

replaced

by

producer-capitalism,special

wnership

f

ertain

roups

f

producers.

13. The NeedforBothBasicForms f Socializationo

Complement

ach

Other

The common haracteristicfthe wo

iffering

ypes

f

"socialization"s

the

following:

ocializationf either

ype

lways

liminates

he

private

capitalist,

ho

previouslyretended

o

represent:

a)

the

workers

gainst

he nterestsf the

consumers;

b)

the

onsumers

gainst

he

nterestsfthe

workerss

producers;

ut

n

actualitynly

ssured

imselfocial

power

nd

a

laborlessncome

rom he

profits

f

ocial

roductiony urtailing

he hare

f he

aboring

orkerss

wellas of the

totality

fconsumers.

nly

through

heabolition f this

superfluous

ink, owever,

oes he

necessary

nd

natural

onflictf

nterests

between

roducers

nd

consumers,

aborer nd

beneficiariesake

actual

effect. his

conflictf

nterestsas to be settled

y

each

of these

orms

f

"socialization"

f

community

roperty

nd

not

merely

pecial roperty

f

a

single

lass s

to be

created.

This ettlementakes

different

orm

n

the

nationalized,

ommunalized

plants

ffiliated ith

onsumer

ssociations

n the

one

hand,

and

in

the

plants

ocialized

y

means f

Workmen's

ooperatives

nd

syndicates

n

the

other.The endresultn bothcases mustbe thesame,however,f true

socializing

s to

develop.



13/23

WHAT IS

SOCIALIZATION?

71

a)

The

same

is true

in

regard

to

the

distribution f the

profits

of

production.tseems hat here re twovery ifferentuestions:how muchof

the total

yield

of

a

plant

a

branchof

ndustry),

aken over

by

the laborers

participating

n

the

plant

by

meansof

Workmen's

ooperatives

r

syndicates,

are

the

producers

equired

o deliver o the

state,

ommune

r other

rgan

of

the

totality,

nd how

high

should be the

wages

in

a

state,

communal or

consumer-cooperativeroduction lant?

n

reality

oth

questions

im

at

the

universallyecessary

olution

f one

single

problem:

which

percentage

f the

total

yield

should

go

to the

producers

s

such,

which

percentage

o the

totality?

b) And it is likewisewithregardto the distributionf control ver the

production

process.

The

control of

social

production

s

composed

of

a

number

of different

ecision-making

rocesses.

Among

these are:

1)

the

decision s

to what

nd how much

should

be

produced,

hat

s,

which

xact

quantity

f

goods

or

services

hould be delivered o

the

consumers

y

the

branch

of

production

n

question;

2)

the

decision bout

the

way

n which

production

houldbe

carried

on,

that

s,

the selection

f

material nd

work

processes

nd human tools

of

abor;

and

finally

)

the

establishment

f the

conditions

under

which these human tools of labor should

be

working

(temperature,tmosphere,anitary egulations,

uration

and

intensity

f

labor,

wages

and other

considerations).

n a

purely

private capitalist

economy,

ll

thesedecisions

re made

by

the

private

wner f

the means of

production

as

he

pleases."Up

to

now

the

aboring

lass could

only

ndirectly

through

political

struggle

and

through

the

actual

labor-struggle,

.e.,

through

mplementation

f

legal

decisions

and collective

abor-contracts

(tariff-contracts),

xercise

certain

nfluence n the

content

f

the

working

conditions

3

above)

and

perhaps

on the selection

f the

work

processes

2

above)

insofar s

these ffect

he

working

onditions.Outside

the

plant,

as

citizen

nd member

f the trade

union,

the worker tood

on

equal

footing

withthe

employer;

n the

plant,

thelatterwas master nd theworkerhis

slave.

Only

after he

Voluntary

erviceLaw

(Hilfsdienstgesetz)

f 1916

did

that

development

egin

which,

now

progressing

t

a

faster

ace

since

the

November

evolution,

alled

into

existence

within he

plants

elected abor

representatives,

abor

commissions

("Arbeiterausschfisse")

nd

factory

councils

("Betriebsrate"),

with codecision

rights

Mitbestimmungsrechte)

guaranteed

by

public

law.

Clearly,

form f "socialization"

with he

goal

of

creating

rue

ommunity

property

ould not transfer

he diverse

rivileges,

xercised

n

purely rivate

capitalist conomy ya privatendividual, ntirelyo thepublicfunctionaries

authorized

by

the

totality

f

consumers

state,

community,

tc.);

the



14/23

72

NEW

GERMAN

CRITIQUE

workers ho are

first nd

foremost

ngaged

n

production

would remain n

theirfunction

s

workers

nfree.

Nor could

it reserve

ll

these

decision-

making

ights

olely

orthe

producing

aborers f a

plant

a

branch of in-

dustry),

f

the

totality

f consumers

re

not to

be

placed

at the

mercy

f

the

workers

f

the

ndividual

lant

the

ndividual

ranch

f

ndustry).

Whatever

means

are

employed

o

draw the

boundary

between

he

rights

f the

pro-

ducers

nd

the

totality

f

consumers,

t is certain

hat

n

the

end it mustbe

drawn

uniformly

n

the two

fundamentally

ifferent

orms

f

socialization,

f

ever a

just

settlement

f the

conflicting

nterests,

nd

consequently

true

socializing

f the

means of

production

s to be achieved.

14. Their Ability o Complement ach Other

If

it

is

possible

o

mutually

reate

true common

property

n all

available

means

of

production

or

he

totality

f

producers

nd consumers

hrough

n

adequate

settlement

f the conflict

f

interests

ith

both basic

forms

f

socialization

nationalization,

ommunalization

n the one

hand,

and

Workmen's

ooperative

roduction

ocieties

nd

syndicalism

n the

other),

then

hese

asic

forms

ave both

roven

o

be

appropriate

oints

f

departure

for

socialist

ommunal

conomy

Gemeinwirtschaft).

hus

both

ways

ould

be

adopted

side

by

side

with

no offense

o

the socialist

dea.

a) It followsn particular hat all the arguments suallyraised by the

professed

dherents

f nationalization

gainst

he

socialization

dvocated

by

the

Workmen's

ooperative

roduction

ocieties

and syndicates)

est

n

false

assumptions.

obody

would

onsider

ividing

he

profits,

hich

re

gained

n

a

plant

by

using

means

of

production

elonging

o

the

totality,

xclusively

among

he

plant's

workers.

nstead,

t

would

be natural

o

designate

portion

of

this

profit

or more

general

purposes.

And

while

a

mathematical

al-

culation

of the

absolute

ize

of this

portion

annot

be

made,

it

may

be

said

of

ts

relative

ize,

that

he

portion

f the total

profits

f

a

plant

a

branch

of

industry)o be specified orgeneralpurposes

ould

be

larger,

he

arger

he

total

worth

land

and

building

worth)

n the

plant

in

thebranch

of

ndustry)

of the

means

of

production

sed

n

production

s

in relation

o

the number

f

workers

mployed.

n

this

way,

the

possibility

ould

be

avoided

that

the

workersf

a

single lant

a

branch

f

ndustry)

hemselves

ecome

capitalists,

exploiters

f

alienated

abor,

through

he

collection

f

and rent

nd

capital

revenue.

b)

The

opposite

may

qually

be

shown o

be

true,

hat

n

the

correct

ppli-

cation

of

nationalization

communalization,

tc.)

those

arguments

re

unfounded,

hich re directed

pecifically

gainst

his

ype

f ocialization

y

implacable

pponents

fthe

ystem

f

wage

abor.

Wage

labor snot n itself

incompatible

with

ocialist

ommunal

conomy,

ut rather

s an

element

f



15/23

WHAT IS

SOCIALIZATION?

73

the

opposition

capital

and

wage

labor";

this s

the case

where

apitalism,

specialownership

fthe

means

of

production,

xists nd

can exploit hewage

laborers

who

are excluded from

uch

ownership.

Where no more

special

ownership,

o more

apitalist xploitation

xists,

he

payment

f

wages

s

only

a technical

orm f

distributionf the

profits

f

production

esignated

or

he

producers.

t

is

only

a

technical

difference,

whether n

a

Workmen's

Cooperative

roduction

ociety

lant,

after

etting

side

a

considerable

um

to

be

paid

out to the

state,

the

community,

nd

miscellaneous

public

purposes,

the remainder of the

profits

s

divided

among

the

plant

participants,

r

whether,

n

a

pure

state

plant,

the

aborers

re

paid

a

corre-

spondingly igherwage.

Moreover,

histechnical

orm f

wage payment

s

not even

necessarily

nd

inextricably

ound to the socializationformof

nationalization

communalization,

tc.).

In

the borderline

ase,

in

which

a

pure

state

plant--exactly

s

many

a

capitalistplant

has

already

done in

private

conomy--pays

ts

workers

portion

f the

profit

made

by

the

plant

in the

form f

"profit-sharing"

n

addition

to the fixed

workingwage,

this

technical

differencelso

disappears

and,

as far as

the distribution f the

production

rofits

s

concerned,

he two basic forms

f

socialization

ollapse

into

one.

c)

It

would be

equally

false, if,

fromthe

standpoint

f

the

producing

laborers, ne wanted o

give

preference

o the ocialization orm

epresented

by

the

Workmen's

Cooperative

Production ocietiesor

syndicates

ecause

they

uarantee

he

worker

more

nfluential

hare

n the control f

produc-

tion

han

does

nationalization.

or,

after

ll,

sucha

preference

f one

form f

socialization

ver he other

xists

nly

o

long

as

the

state

plant,

community

plant,

etc.,

clings

o

theundemocratic

orm f

plant

organization eveloped

by

private

apitalism,

which xcludes

he worker rom

ny

codetermination

whatsoever ithin

he

plant.

Inherently,

owever,

t need

by

no means

do

this.

The

private

apitalist

as,

as

we

saw

n

section

3b

above,

already

been

forcedbythe atestdevelopmentsf our "social legislation," heVoluntary

Service

aw

(Hilfsdienstgesetz)

f

1916 and the

revolutionary

evelopment

f

1918-19

to

accept

a certain

public-legally

uaranteed

participation

f

the

"labor commissions"

"factory

ouncils"),

lected

by

the

plant

members,

n

the

administration

f

the

plants.

How much more

capable

and available for

such

organizational

evelopment

s

the

no

longer

capitalist,

but

already

socialized

plant,

that

is,

the

state

plant,

community

lant,

or

consumer

cooperative

plantl

A

decisive nfluence

n

the establishment

f

working

conditions,

ooperation

n

thedeterminationf the

work

rocesses

o be used

and at least an advisorynd observationalkenntnisnehmend)hare n the

remaining

matters f

plant management

an

immediately

e

granted

o the



16/23

74

NEW GERMAN

CRITIQUE

elected

representatives

f theworkers

nd

employees

f the

plant

n

the

state

plant,communitylant,or consumer ooperative roduction lantas well.

In

other

words: a

division f control verthe

process

f

production

which

s

fair

o

the

nterestsf both the

producers

nd

consumers

an be

achieved

s

easily

n

the

course

f

nationalization

communalization,tc.)

as

in

thecourse

of

syndicalization.

15.

The Settlement f the Conflictof

Interests etween

Producers and

Consumers

The most

mportant

esult

f the

foregoing resentation

s the

following:

neither

he

transfer

fthe

means

of

production

rom he

private ower phereofthe

capitalist

ntothe

power phere

ofthe

public

organs

of the

totality

(nationalization,

ommunalization,

tc.)

nor the

transfer f the

means

of

production

ut ofthe

possession

f

private

wners

nto

he ommon

possession

of all

parties

concerned

in

production

(socialization

by

Workmen's

Cooperative

Production ocieties r

syndicates)

epresents

n

itself

lone

a

replacement

of

capitalist

special property

by

true socialist

community

property.

ather,

n

addition o these

measures,

nternal

ransformationf

the

concept

of

property

s

needed,

a

total

subordination f

every

pecial

property

o the

viewpoint

f

the

ommon

nterest

f

the

otality.

ere

the dea

promoted

by

Bernsteinreceivesdue credit: he

emphasized

the

lasting

significance

f

all those measures

(so-called

"social

legislation")

which

attempted

o lessen

the

generally

amaging

ffects f

the

capitalistprivate

economy

n

the

existing apitalist

ociety.

hese measures

emain,

s

we now

see,

necessary

or

he

completion

f

socialization ven

when

private

apitalist

property

s

totally

liminated nd

replaced by

a social

special

property,

whether his

be the

special

property

f

the

functionaries

f the

totality

f

consumers r

the

pecial

property

f

partnership

f

producers.

Vis-d-vis

his

type

f

special

property

s

well,

t

remains

necessary

o

provide

or

distri-

bution of theprofitsfproductionn whichtheinterestsf all sections f

society

re

ustly

onsidered,

nd

in

general

to

place production,

conomic

life,

nder

he

ontrol

f

the

general

public."

Only

n

this

way

s the

develop-

ment

of

social

production

elations arried

urtherrom

private

wnership"

by

ndividual

ersons

hrough

special

ownership"

y

individual

ections

f

society

o

"community

wnership" y

the

entire

ociety.

16.

The

Socializing

f

the

Means of

Production

s

"Industrial

Autonomy"

Thus

"socialization,"

socializing"

f

the means of

production

onsists f

two complementaryransformationsf the private capitalistmode of

production

to

create

true

community

property.

First,

the means of



17/23

WHAT

IS

SOCIALIZATION?

75

production

re transferredut of

the

power

sphere

of

individual

private

owners

nto

the

power phere

f

some ort

f

social functionaries

nd

second,

there s

a

public legal

limitation f the

power privileges

f the

present

directors

f

social

production

n the interest f the

totality.

Through

the

simultaneous

ompletion

f both

of

these

transformations,

neither that

which one

today commonly

means

by

nationalization

(communalization,

tc.)

emerges-which

n

reality

s

merely

tate-capitalism

(or

anotherform

of

consumer-capitalism)

nor that

which one

nowadays

calls

Workmen's

ooperative

roduction

ociety

ocialization

r

syndicalism,

and

which

n

reality

s

only

producer-capitalism.

nstead,

a

new

and more

complete

orm f

socializing

hemeans

of

production evelops,

whichwillbe

designated

here as "industrial

utonomy."

17.

What

is

"Industrial

Autonomy"?

Industrial

utonomy

xists

when n

every

ndustry

"industry"

s used here

in

the

broad

sense

f

any

planned

conomic

ctivity

ncluding griculture)

he

representatives

f

theworkers

articipating

n

production

tep

n as

executives

controlling

he

production rocess,

n

place

of the

previous

rivate

wner

r

his

appointed

manager.

At the ame

time he

imitations

lready

orced

pon

capitalist

private

ownership

f the means

of

production

by

state

"social

policy"

re furthereveloped obecomean effectiveublicpropertyfthe

whole

Obereigentum

er

Gesamtheit).

t is

of no

inherent

onsequence

for

the

development

f ndustrial

utonomy

whethert

s

envisioned

s

nationali-

zation

communalization,

tc.)

with

ubsequent

imitation

for

he benefit

f

those

irectly

articipating

n

production)

fthe

rights

fcontrol

iven

ublic

functionaries

f

the whole

community

r,

vice

versa,

as the transfer

f

the

means

of

production

f an

industry

o the

possession

f its

memberswith

subsequent egal

limitation

f the thus

created

separate

ownership

f

the

partnership

f

producers

in

the

interest

f

the

consumers).

18.

The Realization

of Industrial

Autonomy

The

carrying

ut

of

the

socialization f

a

branch

of

ndustry

n

the

form f

"industrial

utonomy"

willturn ut

differently

ccording

o

the

needs of the

individual

ase. It

is

possible

to

accomplish

he socialization

f

individual

plants

n

the

form f

"participatory

rganization"

Veranstaltlichung)

thus

designated

y

SchAiffle)

,

the

success

f which ven within

capitalist

ocial

order

may

be seen

in

the

classic

example

offered

by

the

"Carl

Zeiss

Foundation"

lready

n

existence

or everal ecades

n

Jena.

For

the

present

2.

Albert

Schaffle,

Die

Quintessenz

es

Sozialismus

Gotha:

F.A.

Perthes).



18/23

76

NEW

GERMAN

CRITIQUE

situation here s

greater

ignificance

n the

possibility

hatentire

ndustries,

which re asyetnotripefor entralizednationalization,"ndperhapsnever

will

be,

can

immediately

e

socialized

by way

of

industrial

utonomy

nd

transferred

nto he

community

roperty

f

ociety.

n

an

industry

ocialized

in

this manner

autonomymay

exist in

several

forms:

1)

the

syndicate

comprised

f all

plants

f the branch

of

industry

n

question

may

possess

n

autonomy

is-a-vis

he

nationalcentral

government

hich s

limited

nly

by

necessary

onsideration or

he nterest

f

consumers;

)

the

ndividual

lant

may possess

limited

utonomy

is-d-vis

he

syndicate

which

comprises

he

plants

and

partially

etermines

heir

dministration

y

central

means;

3)

within he administrativeodiesof the yndicate1) as wellas the ndividual

plants

2)

the

various

evels

f other

roducers

the

employees

nd workersn

the narrow

ense)

may possess

limited

utonomous

phere

of

rights part

from

he

superior

management,

right

o

independent

egulation

f

those

matters

f

special

concernto them.

The manner n

which he

nterestsf the

totality

f

consumers

manage

to

prevail

vis-a-vis

hese

"autonomous"

ndustries

will

likewise

be

different

according

o the

needsof

the ndividual

ase. Here the

communal

conomic

goal

is

cooperation

mong

the

consumer

rganizations

state,

community,

consumer associations

and

specially founded administrativeunions

[Zweckverblinde])

n

a

public

assessment

f

demand,

which

s

binding

or

he

syndicates

nd the

ndividual

lants,

nd

which

replaces

he

production

or

the market

n

an

exchange economy

with

pure

production

ccording

to

demand. To the

extent

hat uch

pure

demand

production

annot

as

yet

be

realized,

the

present

exchange

economy

among

individual

persons

is

temporarily

eplaced

by

an

exchange conomy

mong

the

different

ranches

of

ndustry.

n

this

phase,

therefore,

he

ndividual

ranches f

ndustry

o

not

produce

xclusively

ccording

o

demandbut

still

n

part

for

he

market

(one

may

think

here of

the

export

business

specially).

Therefore

he

case

might

ome

up,

inwhich ne

plant

realized

disproportionately

ighprofits,

while

another

could

not even

obtain

the

necessary

profits

or

minima1l

payment

f

tsworkers.

nsofar

s

this ase

concerns

ifferent

lants

of

one

and the

same

syndicated

ranchof

industry,

he loss

suffered

y

one

plant

must

naturally

be

made

up

from

the

surplus

of

the

other;

technically

defective

lants

are

closed down

by

the

syndicate.

Apart

from

his,

every

autonomous

lant,

and

likewise

very

utonomous

yndicate,

must set

the

prices

f ts

products

ufficiently

igh,

o that

the

total

yield

f

the

plant

all

the

plants

ncluded

n the

syndicate)

uarantees

ll

working

articipants

n

production continuous,dequatemeansofsupport. hat the pecial

group

of

producers,

which

makes

up

the

individual

utonomous

factory

r

the



19/23

WHAT

IS

SOCIALIZATION?

77

autonomous

yndicate,

might vercharge

he

community

f

consumerss

to

be

avoided

by

means of

the egallyguaranteedpublic participation f the

consumer

rganizations

n

determining

rices.

A

further orm f

consumer

participation

n

the

management

f

production,

which

imits

he

autonomy

of the

groups

f

producers, rows

ut of the

principle mphasized

n

section

14b: the

two-part

ivision

f

the

total

profits

f

every

lant

every

ranch

of

industry)

uch that

only

one

part

is available

for

the

laboringproduction

participants

hile

the

other,

n the form

f

taxation,

or

xample,

s drawn

upon

for the

general

purposes

f

the

community

f consumers. here the

principle

was also

stated,

according

o

which

the fixation

f

these

portions

takes

place:

after

ssessing

he absolute mount

of the

expenditure equiredto

satisfy eneral

consumer

purposes,

the

coverage

of thesecostswill be

divided

mong

the ndividual ranches

f

industry

the

individual

lants)

n

accordance with the basic

principle

that

every

branch

of

industry

every

plant)

must ontribute

roportionately

ore

from ts

profits,

he

greater

he

total

value

resource

nd labor

value)

of

the

utilizedmeans

of

production

s

in

relation o the

number fworkers

mployed.

nly

hat

part

of

the

profits

f a

branch

of

industry

or

plant)

still

remaining

s

available

for

the

special

purposes

f the

partnership

f

producers

e.g.,

for

reation

f

reserves,

lant

improvements

nd

expansion,

workers'

pay

and

pensions,

among

other

things).

Thus, in thisdirection s well, alreadyat this evel of communal

economic

development

where as

yet

no

true

demand-economy

xists,

the

autonomy

f

the

producers

inds

ts

imits

n

the consideration

f

the

general

consumer

eeds

which

re

to be satisfied

y

the total

production

f

society.

Making

sure that these imits are observed

s

the

task

of

the consumer

organizations

state,

community,

onsumer

ooperatives,

tc.),

which,

for

this

purpose,

have

been

granted

he

right

o share

n

the

management

f

the

autonomous

ndustries

cf.

as one

way

n which

the

change

can be

executed

practically,

he

excerpt

from a

proclamation

f

German-Austrian

ocial

democracy, s well as therelevant iscussionsn thereport f the German

commission

or

ocialization

n

coal-mining

ublished

uring

he

printing

f

this

publication).

19. Industrial

Autonomy

etterthan "Nationalization"

The

implementation

f

"socialization"

s

usually

nvisioned

y

the

ayman

in

the form f

simpl-

nationalization.

Most of the

arguments

onventionally

raised

gainst

socialization" re based

on

this

quation

of

socialization nd

nationalization.

Hence the

argument ppears

that

nationalization f the

3.

Both

texts

were

printed

n an

appendix

to the

German

publication,

the

editors).



20/23

78

NEW

GERMAN

CRITIQUE

means

of

production

ithout

ndangering

rofitability

ould

only

be

feasible

at all within rathernarrowlyimited roupofproduction ranches, hose

plants

"ripe"

for centralized

management.

For all other

branches

of

production

period

of

gradual

maturation

would have

to

be observed nd

many

branches f

production

would

not

develop

n

the direction f

gradual

maturation

for

centralization t

all,

but rather

n

the

exactly opposite

direction;

he atter

ould, therefore,

ever

e

"socialized"

without

inancial

loss and a decrease n

production otential.

Further

here

s

the

argument

that

very

ype

f

socialization" hatsoever ould ead to

bureaucratization,

schematization

nd

consequently

o the death

of

private

nitiative

nd to

stagnation.

All

these

arguments

make

sense as

objections

to

centralized

"nationalization"

f

certain nsuitable

ranches

f

production.

hey

have

no

significance

s

arguments

gainst

ocialization

tself,

gainst

he

replacement

of

capitalist rivate wnership

y

socialist

ommunity

wnership,

hich s

to

be

begun immediately

n

a wide scale. For

as

we

have

seen,

this

socialist

community

wnership

s

in

no

way

synonymous

ith

state

ownership.

Nationalization

was,

fromour

point

of

view,

only

one

of

the

forms

f

socializing

nd all forms f

socializing

whatsoever ere

only

ecognized

y

us

as true socialist"socializing," f they ed as a resultto that particular

regulation

f

the ocial

relations

f

production,

which

we here

designated

s

the

formof

industrial

utonomy.

Vis-d-vis

his ocializationn

the form

f

ndustrial

utonomy,

ll the

usual

arguments

aised

against

centralized

nationalization"

rove groundless.

Bureaucratic

chematizationnd

stagnation

s

precluded;

private

nitiatives

notkilledbut

rather urthered herever

ossible,

ince

the

opportunities

or

exercising

uch

nitiativere

expended

hrough utonomy

o

a

group

of

plant

participants,

whichunder

private

capitalist

conomy

had no

possibility

f

exercising ny

nitiative.

nd

the

danger

f

osingprofits

ould

only

rise n

the vent

hat,

following

heexclusion fthe

private

wner rom

roduction,

private

elf-interest

ere

to cease

providing

constant

mpetus

o

the

most

profitable

roduction

ossible.

The fact

s,

however,

s will be

illustrated

immediately,

hat he

mere

ocializing

fthe

means

of

production

s

n

no

way

connected

with

he

limination f

private

elf-interestrom

he

motivationsf

production;

nstead,

hrough

ocializing

he

means

of

production

n

this

irst

phase

of

communal

economy,

private

elf-interestan

be of

even

greater

service

s

motivation or

he

most

profitable

Documents

Korsch, Karl. What is Socialization