SOCIALISM:A HATE STORY.

… or is it?

A journey though American Socialism through the ages!

By: Alex Kershetsky

Socialism… What is it?• A society run by the working class rather than the bourgeoisie.

The state machine is used to defend working class interests against those who still have wealth or power and who will attempt to return society to the capitalist system and bourgeois rule. Socialism is the period of transition between the overthrow of bourgeois rule and the development of a classless, communist society.

• WRONG definitions • Conservative definition # 1

Society in which the ruling bourgeoisie slightly betters the conditions of life of the working class and oppressed, through such measures as slightly higher taxation of the capitalists. In Europe the word socialism is often identified with the political trend of social-democracy.

• Examples of Conservative definition # 1:Sweden, France, etc.• Conservative definition # 2 --

Rule of society by a single party which maintains a monopoly of political power and suppresses all opposition. Control of the economy via centralized bureaucratic planning.

• Examples of Conservative definition # 2: the former Soviet Union, China, Cuba, North Korea, etc.

(From Dictionary.com)

COMMUNISM• Scientific definition: • A classless society with no exploitation. No state machine used by

one section of the population to oppress another section. No need for professional armies or police forces. No use of production for profit or exchange. Society runs in accord with the principle: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

• Conservative definition • Rule of society by a single party which maintains a monopoly of

political power and suppresses all opposition. Control of the economy via centralized bureaucratic planning.

• Examples of conservative definition: the former Soviet Union, China, Cuba, North Korea, etc.

True socialism or communism has never been achieved in the world! So the nations that have claimed to be have really been more Capitalist due to the society being in control of the rich and the few.

(From Dictionary.com)

Social Starts in America

• Started with German Marxist Immigrants in the mid 1850s. Eugene V. Debs was a 5 time presidential nominee for the Socialist Party and at most polled about 1,000,000 popular votes.

• American Socialism under Debs differed from the rest of the world for Debs claimed he was a Marxist only. He fought against poverty and injustice and not just the concerns of keeping social classes equal.

• It started through the Progressive movements when workers started realizing that they had the power to join together and stick it to “the man” (aka the rich class)

• The objective of the political party was to advance the goals of the working class and to create fair, decent government policies concerning work hours, wage limits, and safety conditions. The Socialist Party had received a blessing and a curse after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. It had rallied workers to the cause of proletariat but it had also created a fear of revolution from the rest of the nation. This became the first American Red Scare.

AP Book unless otherwise noted.

Dormancy of Socialism

• The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt was basically the end of the American Socialist Party

• Often considered the most socialist president in terms of policy (AP Book), FDR is also constantly believed to be the best US president of all time (TIME Almanac).

• His “new deal” had involved most of the reforms that the workers wanted, allowing his Democratic Party to soak up the socialist support.

AP Book unless otherwise noted.

Red Scares

• World War I: The Bolshevik Revolution scared the nation of Communists

• After World War II, there was another Red Scare during the Cold War with the Soviet Union, forcing the Socialists into a dormant state.

AP Book unless otherwise noted.

CommunistPics.org

Capitalism V. Socialism2 Big Differences:

• Government Stimulation of Business

• Eliminate extreme wealth and extreme poverty

AmericanRitual.com

• Such a harsh reputation in the world due to the fact that the nations that have been/are socialist or communist have been enemies of the United States due to the fact that Americans have always taken pride in Democracy and anything Socialist or Communist has been a little different and therefore is assumed to be wrong.• Socialism could very well be a future of America when Americans can eliminate the bias and view it with an open mind.If used properly, its basically the child of Democracy or the future of.

• Final Concept: The hardest workers have the most say in the country they work for.

FUTURE OF SOCIALISM

Socialism.org

• Works Cited • "CIA - The World Factbook -- References :: Flags of the World." Welcome to

the CIA Web Site Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/flagsoftheworld.html>.

• "Communism Movies - Download and Watch communism Movies Online - Jaman." Jaman: Your Home for Movies Online. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://www.jaman.com/browse/?tags=communism&theAction=genre>.

• "Journal 2: American Ritual." To The Roots. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://totheroots.wordpress.com/2007/01/21/journal-2-american-ritual/>.

• Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Pageant A History of the Republic Advanced Placement Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.

• Rowen, Beth. Time for Kids Almanac 2007 with Fact Monster. Alexandria: Time For Kids, 2006. Print.

• "Socialism | Define Socialism at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socialism>.

• "Socialism in America." United States History. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1669.html>.

•http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1669.html

All flags from CIA.

NOTES

• Idea: Government Funded Universities, Sports Arenas, and publicly owned airports are by definition socialist works.

• Capitalism will allow the CEO’s to make all the money while the hardest workers like the illegal immigrants get less than minimum wage trying to achieve the impossible “American dream” STILL WOULD BE RICH. JUST NOT TO THE POINT OF EXCESS