The term Socialism is being thrown around quite a bit these days. I want to quickly break down what socialism actually is and how you can recognize it. Let’s start with a definition. Socialism is an economic and/or political system in which the production and distribution of goods are controlled and/or regulated substantially by the government rather than by private enterprise, and in which cooperation rather than competition guides economic activity.
There are a few different varieties of socialism. None of them are good, and all of them inevitably lead to a massive loss of human life. They are, however worth taking a look at so we can be aware of charlatans and tyrants that may try to herd us down the road to ruin. Let’s take a look at a few examples of socialist leaders and the death and misery they left in their wake:
Karl Marx
Marxism is a political and economic philosophy put forward by Karl Marx. It assumes, falsely, that capitalists are the evil and greedy controllers of society (the bourgeoisie), and that the oppressed worker class (the proletariat) should rise up and seize control of the means of production. In the mind of the Marxist this will ultimately end class struggle and bring about utopian equality. Marx’s philosophy is the cornerstone of the collectivist evil that we’ll be examining below.
Joseph Stalin
As the benevolent dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Joseph Stalin seeked to make the USSR a heavy-weight in the age of industrialization. Being heavily influenced by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, Stalin believed that his brand of socialism would help bring the meager and backward regions of the Soviet Union into the new industrious Utopia promised by his flawed ideology. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. Stalin ruled with an iron fist, and ultimately killed somewhere between 20 and 62 million people; the vast majority were citizens.
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong was the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, and it’s stated goal was to purge capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. This is known as Maoism or Chinese Communism. Mao’s Great Leap Forward was intended to be a 5 year plan to bring a mostly agrarian society into industrial greatness by means of communism. That didn’t turn out so well though. Starved, shot, or worse, Mao’s communist regime killed at least 45 million people.
Mussolini and Hitler
Benito Mussolini is credited with being the first fascist leader. Adolf Hitler was among the many leaders who admired this particular brand of villainy. Fascism and socialism go hand in hand. Nazi is short for National Socialism, and the Nazi regime was indeed fascist. See, hand in hand.
While fascism doesn’t put the control of production into the hands of the proletariat, it still has a strong control over the means of production; state control. This control is maintained through a mechanism that we call corporatism today. Fascists regulate and work closely with corporations and economic elites. In doing so, one of the goals of the fascist state is to build up a strong military and education/propaganda structure. This doesn’t sound familiar, does it? See our many episodes of the podcast to hear more about US Imperialism and government schools.
While Hitler and his Nazi regime were responsible for only 6 million deaths (a small number compared to Mao and Stalin), the genocide goes down in the history books as one of the worst atrocities ever committed.
Central Planning
A planned economy is a system in which the government controls and regulates production, distribution, prices, and other aspects of trade. We see this all over the world. As a matter of fact, if you ever see an economy that even resembles a free market it’s usually in spite and in direct violation of the regulations set by the central planners.
Central planning is mainly attributed to the many varieties of socialism. Some socialist structures control all aspects of production and trade; like Stalin’s USSR. Others seek to control large corporations; like Hitler’s Germany. We have certainly seen a mixed bag of centrally planned economies over the decades. They always fail, they kill massive amounts of innocent people, and it’s no surprise that we see aspects of it in America today.
America
While we haven’t had an administration thats killed millions of their own citizens (yet), America has indeed seen her share of socialist policies and public programs. Any service that your government offers and claims that the private sector can’t handle it is, more than likely, a socialist program. Let’s look at a few of the big ones.
- The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 created America’s central banking system. This gave the American federal government full control over the money supply.
- The Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 gave us antitrust laws and gave the fed a stronger socialist grip over the economy.
- The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was founded in 1931. The RFC bailed out railroads, financial institutions, and other businesses that probably would have been better off failing.
- Between the years of 1933 & 1938 President Roosevelt (FDR) set up many new socialist programs and agencies as part of his administration’s New Deal.
- FERA – Federal Emergency Relief Administration
- FDIC – Federal Deposit Insurance Fund
- CCC – Civilian Conservation Corps
- AAA – Agricultural Adjustment Administration
- PWA – Public Works Administration
- TVA – Tennessee Valley Authority
- WPA – Work Projects Administration
- The Social Security Act
- The National Labor Relations Act
- The Housing Act
- The Fair Labor Standards Act
- In 1945 the United Nations came into being. The UN has been key in keeping American soldiers and tax dollars flowing overseas to aid other nations; whether American citizens like it or not.
- In 1947 Truman gave us the NSC, CIA, and in 1952, the NSA. The birth of these agencies basically gave the US all the fascist military control they could ever dream of.
We can keep going on and on until we get to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act or President Trump’s proposal for a wall. There are also countless other instances that I’ve left out for the sake of time. The point is that socialism isn’t new to America. Your betters just want you to think that socialism is a new threat. Fear makes for effective marketing, and that’s their Modus Operandi.
The fact is that every time a government creates a new agency, gains more power to tax, or grows in any way it’s becoming more socialist. It’s the centrally controlling aspect of this leviathan that makes it so. I’m not even sure if we’re still at a point where we can fight this growth. As a matter of fact, I’m convinced that the people of the US have lost that fight. I have no more hope for the republic. I’ve put my faith in free individuals. After all, that’s where true liberty is found and forged.
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