What Is The Connection Between Ch. 10 In Hayek's, The Road To Serfdom, And The Nazi Atrocities - Essay Example

? Langua What is the connection between Ch. 10 in Hayek's, The Road To Serfdom, and the Nazi atrocities? Language of Liberty State power is only familiar to a few as the western democracies have continued to abandon the issue of economic freedom by centralizing all planning to the government leaders. This is uncalled for as the dictators continue to enjoy power where the interests of the minority groups are not taken into consideration. Most of the leaders are known to come from communities with a majority in the country and this makes them have a say on how to manage the resources of the country. This can as well be related to history which over the years has left a trail of dictators most of whom have adopted the constitution that was left behind by the colonial powers. This was a constitution characterized by dictatorship which encouraged the divide and rule tactic. This was a disadvantage to the minorities in such countries as they could not enjoy the resources in their own country. Leadership remains a thing of the majority in the country. The case is not different from the Nazi atrocities that as a result of socialism democracy only sought democracy through liberty where restraint and servitude was a common feature. This encouraged the worst leaders to get on top as room for criticism was not present and members were also able to accept various values that were laid out (Hayek 86). At the end it is the dictators who rise to the top and with the support of the large numbers they think independently and come up with decisions that favor them. In the Nazi atrocities innocent people were killed as a result of leadership that was poor and did not put into consideration the interests of their citizens. Killing of women and children in any war is a crime yet such laws were ignored. The constitution set up by the German colonies was one that followed dictatorship making women and children to suffer during war breakout. Morality in the constitution was not addressed since women were raped during the war making them to give birth to bastards an issue that left them tortured psychologically. State power only benefited those with the means and the resources to let the ends stable. Groups without common goals cannot hold themselves together and this relates to the social classes that are formed in the society. Through socialism Nazism thought that they would be able to achieve all round development an issue that was never to be. The results were numerous killings which were as a result of the fatal war in the country and it is only those with the means who were able to walk away alive. From the killings it was evident that it was only those with the numbers in the country and resources who would make it to the top and manipulate those who lacked. The fact that they thirst for power and organization makes them use all the available resources including manipulating the constitution in order to get to the top (King 44). Through strategic power, they leave nothing to the simple power which guarantees them organic growth. The ways in which the economic problems of a country are solved determines how through civilization they will be able to manage their economic affairs. The level of wealth has to be improved in order to effectively build the nation. The dictators reach a point where they have to become oppressive to their subjects a move that creates a conflict of interest between them and their citizens. Living under the rules of the regime is what most dictators do and this explains why in most countries they haven’t been able to do away with the old constitution given to them by their colonial powers (Ebenstein 55). These results to a country that is planned where freedom is only limited to those with resources yet those who are poor since socialism is considered by many as a hypocritical system. This is attributed to the fact that the goals that are set through such a system can only be implemented through a brutal method. The government intervention in most of the public resources like the free market resulted to loss of freedom among citizens. Tasks are performed with instructions from the leaders and these delays the activities of the free market and with time there is reduced competition for products with other countries. Scarcity of resources precipitates class system, where division of labour is seen as the intervening variable. The ruling class exercise control over productive resources and property ownership is legally recognized. Because of this, work becomes external to the worker making him less fulfilled at work. This cultivates boredom and unnecessary physical exhaustion. Work becomes a means to achieve ends, making it involuntary and hence forced labour. Work can only be considered creative if it is done wilfully and out of one’s conscience. It should be a social expression and not just for subsistence. To achieve this purpose of work and eliminate dictatorship and discrimination, it is vital to do away with specialization of labour and the market system that preserves and enhances the class system. Both market and property systems compelled labourers to sell their own labour competitively like any other product. Scarcity of resources leads the stratification of society into the haves and the have-nots. This leads to dominance by the ruling class who wield power over the working class. This power and domination may become so much and render many human beings, property-less thus calling for a revolution. . Dominance of one class by another is a means to secure these resources (Marx and Engels 23). Class domination ensures loss of independence to the subordinate class, resulting to its alienation. The remedy would then be in increasing productivity so that men no longer strive to control each other. Societal stratification into ruling class and an oppressed class come as a result of shortcomings in the production process. Conclusion Modern structure of the government and the production process is seen as a leading contributor of inequality in society. The majority in a country continue to benefit at the expense of the minorities who cannot access resources since they lack representation in the government. This encourages dictatorship and ownership f resources and leadership by a specific segment of the society. This explains why issues of Nazism had to occur as there are members of the society who were not satisfied by the form of leadership being adopted by their leaders. The result is enslaving human beings who have to work not from their own will but just to meet their subsistence needs. Such classes were facilitated by colonialism where their aim was to exploit the resources in their colonies in order to obtain wealth that they would use to develop their mother countries. References Ebenstein, Alan O. Friedrich Hayek: a biography. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2003. Hayek, Friedrich, August. The road to serfdom. Classics Ed. New York: Routledge. 2001. King, Ross. 2005. Capital Consequences: Families of the condemned tell their stories, Rutgers Charles H. Kerr. Marx, K. and Engels, F. (1888). Communist Manifesto authorized English edition. Chicago: university press, New Jersey Read More