Difference between Liberalism and Socialism - Essay Example

Liberalism and socialism reflect the way in which political, social and economic situations are viewed in the society. Socialism is promoted by individuals that advocate for equal distribution of resources throughout the population. Such individuals feel that governments and other authoritative bodies in the society should create policies that eliminate poverty from a society. Socialism advocates for total control of resources that contribute to political and economic development. Only through such control, can the state achieve true success and economic prosperity of its people (Hinnfors, 2006). Introduction History and Political Science What is the difference between liberalism and socialism? Through socialism, most of the individuals in a nation are highly likely to be provided for in terms of basic resources. The government in a socialist system is also highly likely to ensure that the people of the nation have all needed social amenities. Socialism is likely to ensure that all the available wealth in a nation has been equally distributed regardless of economic state held by the country’s nationals. However, some of the socialist systems that have been observed in most countries have not been as efficient as they were originally meant to be. If the individuals in the government happen to be corrupt, it is the innocent nationals of a country that suffer since the wealth in the nation does not get distributed as it should be (Mcdonald, 2008). There are different forms of liberalism that are used in the learning fields. This paper will focus on the classical form of liberalism and its views. Liberalism dictates that the governing power should only be in charge of institutions in the country if there is no recorded progress. Individuals that support liberalism feel that the people of a nation are likely to have more freedom if the government is only involved in the control of some institutions (Tamanaha, 2004). What are the basic components and goals of a liberalist government? (Based on the ideas of J.S. Mill, Adam Smith and John Locke) Liberalist governments view the needs and wants of their people as being the most important. The government encourages a system whereby individuals are made to feel free in their environment. There is freedom of speech and other constitutional rights to encourage harmony in the society (Tamanaha, 2004). Liberalist governments are based on the ideals of liberty and equality. The main components of liberalist governments include the freedoms of speech, free elections and right to life and own property. According to John Locke, each individual should have the right to life, own property and liberty. Another component is the rejection of absolute monarchies, state religion and the divine right of kings. J.S Mill asserts that an individual should have the right to do harm on himself or herself as long as he is not harming other people. ((Mcdonald, 2008). Adam Smith, in his work on wealth of nations, he asserted that governments should ensure economic liberalism by not interfering with the markets. He opposed restrictive trade practices, subsidies to government monopolies and trade unions. According to liberalist goals, the selfish interests of individuals will make the economic markets self-regulate. However, Adam Smith argued that the government had limited role in the provision of public goods like schools and roads that cannot be provided adequately by the private sector. Adam Smith maintained such costs should be charged to citizens proportionately according to their consumption through tolls ((Mcdonald, 2008). Individuals such as John Locke were on the front in encouraging the adoption of liberalism in governing systems. Liberalism supports the giving of power to the people in communities. Individuals are ideally free to communicate their satisfaction/ dissatisfaction with a government and demand for a democratic way of governing. According to Locke, individuals are entitled to ownership of any form of rights, rights or freedom. A governing system or government should not get in the way of this freedom. Liberalism is cited as having emerged as a result of individuals getting tired of monarchs and the religious governing systems that were being used at the time. According to Mill and Stuart, the liberal systems of governing were introduced into countries and states as a form of revolution. The French Revolution and the American Revolution are examples of revolts that were conducted as a result of dissatisfaction with governing systems that were seen as being a tyranny. Mill and Stuart cite utilitarian and the need for social justice as being the major reason behind liberal governing system (Mcdonald, 2008). The Democratic administration of President Franklin Roosevelt in the United States of America is as an example of a Liberal system of government. It is when President Roosevelt was in power that there was introduction of welfare policies that had the interest of the majority of the members of the community. Roosevelt was able to gain a lot of popularity through the socialist policies that he introduced while he was in power. A large proportion of people in the community who were considered as being poor were able to get assistance from the government through the welfare policies. Press freedom was also witnessed with the attainment of power by President Roosevelt and his liberal government system (Willis, 2005). 2. What are the basic components and goals of a socialist government? (egalitarian ethos) A true socialist government equally distributes its wealth among its people. The wealth might be distributed through taxation systems that are introduced in the population. The people of the nation who form the largest component of the labor force form an important part of a socialist government. The constituents of the economy such as industries are also regulated by the government in a socialist economy. Such a move is attributed to the planning that is conducted by the government in terms of its population and economic capacity to produce useful commodities. If a socialist government is well planned, it has minimal levels of poverty and unemployment. Most of the organizations that are located in countries governed through socialism have a high level of bureaucracy. The bureaucracy is put in place in order to control the manner in which social and political movements are controlled (Tamanaha, 2004). In terms of the forces that are supposed to control the market, they are not in force in a socialist controlled government. Normally, the forces of demand and supply are allowed to control prices of products in the market. However, in socialist systems, the government has control over the forces of demand and supply and therefore determines the prices of commodities and properties available in the market (Tamanaha, 2004). The government is also in charge of setting up welfare for the unemployed and old in the society. The government decides on the funds or amenities allocated, and the individuals in the society that are to be on welfare. A socialist system government sets up a committee that conducts research and passes on the information that lead to decision making by the government. In a socialist system, there are no groups of individuals that have superior rights in comparison to other members of the country or state. Therefore, socialist governments should not be government by hereditary governing systems. Such a governing system would mean that some individuals in the country are more privileged in comparison to their fellow countrymen (Stepan, 2001). Socialist systems have their origin in medieval times. During this age, communities were very religious and countries and states were ruled by Kings and Queens. Properties and resources in the community were communally owned and shared. Therefore, most of the production; especially agricultural was carried out with the sole purpose of feeding the people of the land (Mcdonald, 2008). The socialist system is in line with egalitarian ethos which dictates equality in a community. According to egalitarian ethos, all human beings are the same. Therefore, they should be accorded similar opportunities and access to resources regardless of their economic, social or political affiliation (Stepan, 2001). 3. How do these two ideologies differ from one another? Nowadays, most political, economic and social systems do not differ greatly. The change can be attributed to globalization and introduction of technology. These factors ensure that there is speedy delivery and sharing of information. Information empowers people to make decisions that are highly likely to positively influence their lives (Stepan, 2001). Socialism is cited as being highly government controlled to ensure that all individuals in the society do not lack any resources. Liberalism encourages observance of human rights and the freedom of speech among all community constituents. According to John Locke, liberalism encourages individuals in the society to feel as if they have an equal opportunity in getting what they want in the society. The two ideologies; socialism and liberalism seem to have a similar goal (Mcdonald, 2008). The major goal is attaining the best possible resources and opportunities for individuals of a state or country. However, the execution into achieving this goal is quite different between the two ideologies. Currently in socialism, there is a lot of focus o the needs of the people such as education and health care. Scandinavian countries are some of the best examples that have modern socialist systems for their people. The government covers taxes on all their income earning citizens. The revenue that is generated is used to fund education, health care, public access facilities and welfare. In modern socialism, individuals can get as much wealth as possible without placing a lot of focus on the difference between the rich and the poor in the society (Willis, 2005). Most third world countries have socialist system of government. However, most of the officials that govern the socialist systems are corrupt and as a result, they loot most of the public funds. Therefore, the people in such countries continue to pay taxes but instead of the money being put into good use in the community, it is selfishly taken by a few individuals. Liberal systems put constitutions into good use based on the views of the majority of individuals in the community (Stepan, 2001). Trade that is conducted in the country is free and fair left out on the forces of demand and supply in the market. Critics of the liberal system argue that it is actually controlled by the government as far as market forces in the economy are concerned. Liberalism encourages freedom and its observance as far as the members of a country or state are concerned. All individuals should have equal legal, social and political rights as dictated by the constitution of the land; which is superior as a source of law (Hinnfors, 2006). References: Hinnfors, J. (2006). Reinterpreting Social Democracy. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Macdonald, T. (2008). Global Stakeholder Democracy. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Stepan, A. (2001). Arguing comparative politics, Oxford, oxford University Press. Tamanaha, B,Z. (2004). On the rule of law: history, politics, theory. New York. Cambridge University Press. Willis, K. (2005). Theories & Practices of Development. New York. Routeledge. Read More