Political Ideologies in Conflict - Essay Example

Political Ideologies in Conflict Essay Topic What role does equality play in socialist ideology? Socialism, in politics, is a term that refers to the advocacy of the system of government of collective management and ownership of the factors of production, exchange and sharing out of products (Alesina & Rodrik 465). Socialism upholds the doctrine of cooperation in managing fixed assets as opposed to competing for them. It came into being towards the end of the 18th century and start of the 19th century in reaction to the social and economic changes caused by the industrial revolution, with the oppressed communities protesting against exploitation and bullying by the wealthy. Socialism’s key theme is based on the community’s power, instead of individual effort (Alesina & Rodrik 465). On the other hand, equality denotes the creation of a society that is fairer and everyone is a participant and is accorded an opportunity to realize their potential. Equality aims at getting rid of discrimination and prejudice so as to offer fair, diverse and personal services to the society (Alesina & Rodrik 471). It aims at eliminating discrimination based on gender, age, religion, race and ethnicity. Ideology entails a set of ideas reflecting a nation’s, people’s or society’s beliefs. This paper will discuss the role of equality in socialist ideology. Socialism and equality are inseparable. Early socialism (also known as Utopian socialism) criticized the capitalist society, condemning it and pushing for its destruction (Nozick 16). It struggled to make the rich realize the immorality caused by exploitation. The desire for a new system and order contained the emergent factors of socialist ideas and represented the reaction of the working masses’ wishes of emancipation and, concurrently, their political and ideological powerlessness. Over many years, socialist ideologists tried to authenticate the ideal of a fair society with no exploitation and class oppression (Giacomo & Gruner 90). They advocated for equality. In socialism, equality is addressed in four forms; economic, foundational, formal and equality of opportunity (Blanchflower & Freeman 439). Foundational equality addresses the fact that God created all people as equal human beings. This is further explained to clarify that not all have the same abilities and talents, rather, because of the common humanity, their moral worth is equal (Alesina & Rodrik 479). Formal equality addresses the aspect of citizens and the law. It provides that State institutions are obliged to accord its citizens equal treatment, and that the institutions should themselves remain subject to the law as a way of defence against possible dictatorship of the State. Equality of opportunity fights discrimination in education, employment, housing or social services because of race, colour or sex (Giacomo & Gruner 84). Finally, economic equality intends to eliminate disproportions in the distribution of wealth, income disparities, and the gap between the poor and the rich (Blanchflower & Freeman 440). Socialists view social inequality as a disproportion of economic advantages within a society (Giacomo & Gruner 86). They believe humans must be accorded equal opportunity to prosper in the society. However, humans are not treated equally in all senses. To this end, socialists declare inequality an evil that should be eliminated. In particular, wealth inequality is so evil among socialists that it justifies the forceful repossession from those who have it in abundance for fairer redistribution to the poor (Blanchflower & Freeman 446). Socialism is outstanding for its sustenance for social equality. Parliamentary socialists approved equality of opportunity as a substitute to equality of outcome because it signifies an unassuming level of outcome through the redeployment of wealth (Alesina & Rodrik 481). They base their support for equality on several factors. They argue that it is a more significant variety of equality than equal opportunities or formal equality since it makes sure that all people get equal resources to prosper and fulfil their needs. Social equality promises social justice because people’s differences do not stem from unequal social bequest but, rather, from unbalanced social treatment (Alesina & Rodrik 465). Social equality also emphasizes unity and social strength, inequality or class that breeds competition and conflict. Equality in socialism upholds that the more people work for common social goals and profits shared equally, the more the feelings of selfishness are eliminated, creating more room for a unified society (Bebchuk & Fried 100). Unity and harmony are enhanced. According to a study by the United Nations, more than one and a half million children live in overcrowded, run down or temporary housing in Britain (Harman 14). It further suggests that the figure is likely to grow in two years. The same study terms Britain as more unequal than most of the industrialized countries. The most obvious pointer to this fact is the gap between the well off and the not so well off (Alesina & Rodrik 463). This is blamed on inequalities in the people’s economic status in relation to their being male or female, ethnic backgrounds and age (Harman 15). In socialism, equality plays a role in an attempt to stamp out such discrepancies. After the economic crisis of 2008, the wealthiest people of the UK have grown their wealth by an average of 18 percent (Harman 19). Those in the medium wage or unemployed sector lacked the financial muscle to redeem themselves. Socialism has lent itself the mandate to campaign for equality to end such gaps in citizens’ lifestyles and give decent standards to all. Through advocating for equality, socialism targets the extremely rich, speculators, tax evaders and bankers who run countries as a priority as they tackle economic problems (Bebchuk & Fried 93). It is a common belief among socialists that inequality is turning this priority to the opposite direction. This trend is fuelled by the ever growing profits for the financially able citizens. Socialists acknowledge that equality will not fulfil its role overnight and fighting for equality lies in the hands of the oppressed groups. For example, women need to lead the fight against sexism. Equality also plays a role in trying to make education accessible to all in a socialist society (Bebchuk & Fried 100). This is because education privileges those with it to high wages, especially in societies with high demands for workers. The result is that those who cannot afford education, or do not take up optional education, end up receiving lower wages (Bebchuk & Fried 102). It is also noted that the key division in society lies between employers and employees, the wealthy and the poor, or the ruling and working class (Blanchflower & Freeman 438). The working class turns out to be universal, with divisions in wage terms, conditions, roles, skills, culture and ethnic background. Struggling for equality is what unites the divisions, with the need to put an end to the common enemy; wage slavery. In the absence of equality, the ruling class always plays on the divisions in the working class that they created through their own system. The working class, on the other hand, uses equality arguments to bring down divisions in its ranks (Blanchflower & Freeman 438). It stands up on behalf of sections under victimization by the ruling class. They attempt to integrate their struggles and move towards abolishing the system that introduced the divisions. Modern ideologies in support for equality outline the basis of equal opportunity, defending the case for welfares. They maintain that if certain individuals are disadvantaged socially, the state has a social obligation to remove or reduce the disadvantages. The state should facilitate their achieving of the right to decent housing or work. In conclusion, socialism provides a voice for disadvantaged groups through instilling equality and human rights (Bebchuk & Fried 104). Changes in government and society should be made in equality through open elections. No citizen should exploit any other citizen, especially with regards to labor. Natural resources must not be wasted or exploited. Equality ensures availability and accessibility of opportunities to all possible participants and that existing initiatives do not impact negatively on disadvantaged groups. It is for the sole purpose of equality that in a socialist system everyone works for wealth that will be distributed to all (Blanchflower & Freeman 436). In the name of equality, socialist economic systems operate on the principle that what benefits an individual may also benefit the whole society. Every person works for their benefit and the benefit of everyone else, with the government making decisions as to how the wealth is equitably distributed (Bebchuk & Fried 104). In other words, socialism attempts to provide many of the social benefits through equality. What socialist societies gain from equality includes healthcare, education, and care for the vulnerable and elderly. Equality promotes socialism’s quest of paying for the society’s decency of life and grater good without expecting financial returns (Giacomo & Gruner 83). Although socialism seems to be slow in achieving progress, equality is helping it move towards it peacefully. Economic equality stands up for abolition of classes in socialism. Formal equality demands for equal legal and political rights to all citizens of a socialist society. Equality of opportunity campaigns for level playing grounds in accessing means of growth in life. Foundational equality is what holds all human beings equal before God, with equal moral values. Although true socialism may not be practically implemented completely, it rides on the ideals of equality to endear to its citizens (Giacomo & Gruner 84). Works Cited Alesina, A., & Rodrik, D. “Distributive Politics and Economic Growth.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 109 (1994): 465-90. Print. Bebchuk, Lucian & Fried, Jesse. Pay without Performance: The Unfulfilled Promise of Executive Compensation. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2004. Print. Blanchflower, David & Freeman, Richard. “The Attitudinal Legacy of Communist Labor Relations,” Industrial & Labor Relations Review 50.3 (1997): 438-459. Print. Giacomo, Corneo & Gruner, Hans. 2002, “Individual Preferences for Political Redistribution,” Journal of Public Economics 83 (2002): 83-107. Print. Harman, Harriet. An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK. London: Case & LSE, 2010. Print. UNDP. Human Development Report. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print. Read More