The Socialist Movement in the United States - Essay Example

Topic: Why there is no socialism in the U.S. Historical background Socialist movement in the United States started way back in the 19th century. It was spread by the Utopian communities who were determined to show their line of thoughts which were socialist in nature. However, such socialist beliefs held by the Utopians were majorly influenced by the European nations. The Utopians, therefore, were merely experimenting with that idea. The idea or experiment spread fast and led to the formation of the first Socialist Labor Party (SLP) as well as the Socialist Party of America in the early 19th century (Caramani, pg. 30). Swayed by the European lines of thought, these parties managed to grow in numbers since they appealed mostly to the oppressed people as well as the distressed workers in the country. They successfully managed to field candidates throughout the nation in numerous elected positions for the next several years. However, towards the beginning of the 1920’s, these socialist movements faced severe resistance and condemnation from the government and eventually broke off the movement. The parties ceased to attract numbers to support its cause in the beginning of the early 20th century, though the Socialist Labor Party remained alive until the end of the 20th century. Socialism in the U.S. Socialism refers to a system whereby the ownership and control of majority of assets in a given country is granted to the central government. The United States, unlike other countries such as Japan and Germany, has not employed this system of running the economy. Though the system has worked very well in the above mentioned countries, the United States continues to thrive well without its enforcement. Politically, socialist parties in the United States began fairing very poorly in the run up to the general elections. For instance, in the year 2008, socialist candidates and their parties received less than two of the three socialist candidates (Caramani pg. 201). This is way below what other socialist candidates in other nations receive. In Germany for example, socialist parties gathered close to 50% of the total votes cast in each successive election since the 1970’s. There are several theories, however, that explain this phenomena in United States politics or governance. The United States has never had a feudal system. Other nations have had hierarchical systems which was lead from the top by a supreme deity while at the bottom of the system lay the commoner. Such systems were discriminatory in nature since it gave too much power to the person at the top at the expense of the common man at the bottom. A good example of such a system is the United Kingdom, which has always been headed by the Royal family members. Since there is no known history of such a system in the history of the United States, it would be very difficult to establish one presently. Most United States citizen prefer or think that they live an average lifestyle therefore can be categorized as living in the middle class. Even the filthy rich would like to believe this fallacy. This means that majority of United States citizens fear class systems since it would make them look different from others. They do not appreciate the fact that some of them may be superior or wealthier than others but would rather be seen as equal to one another. For instance, the head of state from one regime to another have all been seen or reported to be engaging in activities that are considered to be done by the regular person such as collecting firewood or swimming by the sea shores. These activities are regarded as normal since they are undertaken by the common man in their day-to-day activities. Unlike other socialist nations, the United States workers were not mandated to form parties so as to be heard in the national elections. Instead, workers were granted freedom to vote or run for office without necessarily forming a labor party. Additionally, many political parties were ready and willing to welcome any worker who had interest in running for a particular political office (Caramani pg. 111). This can be seen in the way presidential candidates woo workers during campaigns by visiting them at their work stations and extending a welcoming arm to anyone who would like to join the campaign as well as searching for potential votes. The United States has been long regarded as the land of opportunity. Many immigrants have desired to move into the United States with the sole belief that they would get better opportunities to earn and make a living. United States citizens also believe that their nation is blessed with plenty of resources and therefore argue that their children would live a prosperous life and have all the necessities that the current generation have lacked. So deep is this belief in the minds of the Americans that it has now become part of their culture. Even the poorest of citizens have the most basic of needs, such as owning a car, which other nations may consider luxurious. As a result of this embedded culture, it becomes very difficult for the United States to embrace socialism. There was the possibility of the East being over crowded by a particular ethnic community, therefore resulting to class identifications. It was also feared that these classes would form labor parties which would have encouraged the spread of socialism. However, this was not the case. Some of the inhabitants of the East started migrating to the West, therefore intermingled with the other races. This action prevented any possibility of class formation or the rise of labor unions. The overcrowding in the East was henceforth diffused. Over the years since, the United States government, has experimented on various state resources and come to the conclusion that certain assets could be better utilized and managed by the market rather than the state. For instance, in the early 1900’s, President Roosevelt with the help of John Muir, managed to conserve the natural resources in the country. This involved the creation of national parks that would ensure proper management and conservation of natural resources. Socialism in the United States failed to spread due to the collapse of the socialist movement or party. The socialist party began growing in numbers in the early 1900’s through the help of its leader Eugene Debs. However, in the 1920’s, the movement strength weakened since majority of its members left the party. Additionally, racial and ethnic differences within the party divided most of its members further reducing its members. Membership of the party later on attracted the elites in the country who were the minority at the time. Later on, many Americans rejected socialism ideas since they felt that they were retrogressive in nature (Caramani, pg. 203). Attempts by previous governments especially under the leadership of president Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, to introduce state controlled factors of production contributed partly to the rejection of socialism. Under their leadership, the government created state run organizations such as the Tennessee Valley Authority which performed dismally despite massive investment by the government in such state organizations. Many Americans felt that the government was spending too much at their expense yet the economic results of such investments were minimal. The American people wanted to progress especially after the great depression and therefore rejected socialism since they felt that it would inhibit their growth. Majority of the government officials and other leaders in the 19th century were all educated white people who also had the right to vote. This means that they had an influence on the stand of the government regarding any issue that required their vote. As a result of this, it was very difficult for the socialists to penetrate through since they faced stiff government resistance as they tried to spread their view. Additionally, the dominance of the democrats and republicans in national politics made it very difficult for the socialist party to grow in numbers or create a lasting impact. Conclusion. Absence of socialism in the United States has worked greatly to its advantage. It has encouraged equality among its citizens whereby everyone is given a chance to be heard or participate in whichever economic, social or political activity he or she wishes to engage in. This means that everyone has an equal opportunity to battle on a level ground without outside interference or having unfair advantage (Caramani, pg. 305). It has also brought the government closer to the people and therefore can easily address issues affecting the general population since the government has hands on experience and is accessible to the people. There has been great misunderstanding with regards to the definition of socialism especially in the United States. It has been argued that socialism refers to total ownership of major assets in a country is owned by the government. Majority of the U.S. public resources and other assets are owned by the government, yet it has been claimed that the United States does not embrace socialism. We can therefore deduce that socialism may refer to a situation where private ownership of crucial resources is allowed in the country. References Caramani, Daniele. Comparative Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print. Read More