Summary: The Rise Of Socialism

Many ideas from different political ideologies can attribute to the rise of the welfare state around the world. Government intervention ,class and power struggles, and social justice are root causes of the rise in the welfare state each coming from different ideologies. However, the rise of the welfare state is mainly caused by the ideas and policies of socialism itself because it allows the government to control the market and goods and leads to greater dependence on the system. There is no decline in socialism, but instead as the welfare state rises the socialist movement is slowly and steadily rising as well. Socialism itself causes a rise in the welfare state because the government is involved in controlling the means of production
and the distribution of goods to try and benefit society as a whole. One way they try to achieve this “social justice” is by redistributing wealth in the way it sees fit. Socialism’s core reason for controlling economic activity is to provide the absolute necessities of life for all citizens. This can vary from providing housing, food, and education, to providing basic health care and social services. By controlling the means of production and distribution through public, government agencies instead of private and local enterprises the government can better cater and control providing these necessities for all. However, though these services are beneficial it causes individuals to lose the core principles of liberalism; freedom and property. They no longer control where their money, property, or goods go because the government controls the redistribution. Nozick opposes this idea of government distribution in, Anarchy, state, and utopia by claiming that “From each according to what he chooses to do to each according to what he makes for himself and what others choose to do for him and choose to give him”(Nozick 163). He believes that the individual who worked for his goods should be given the discretion to do whatever he pleases with it. Whether he chooses to give it to others or simply keep it for himself, the individual is the one who earned that good and therefore should be the one to distribute that good. Yet, as central control of the market and economics gradually increase, liberalism and choice of distribution decreases causing a rise in socialism and the welfare state. This idea of redistribution of wealth by the government is strongly used against socialist movements by other political parties because most people do not want their hard earned goods or money to just be given away. For example, political candidate Bernie Sanders proposes a tax reform that will raise taxes on the rich and large cooperations. He believes that making wealthier institutions and individuals pay higher taxes is a way America can alleviate the gap between rich and poor. He also believes the amount of income that will come from raising taxes is what will help pay for services, such as tuition free college that will benefit the working, middle class. However many opposers believe like Nozick in the sense that, “Whoever makes something, having brought or contracted for all other held resources used in the process is entitled to it”. (Nozick 161). People should not be forced or obligated to give their resources to anybody if they are the ones who worked for it and Sander’s reform would only cause an increase in the welfare and socialist state. This active role by the state in social and economic activity is also harmful because people who do earn their wealth start to lose the initiative to work if all their money is being given away. Those who continually work, but have their benefits given away will eventually cease in working hard or effectively because the result will be no gain. Since all the money they earn will be distributed to the less fortunate, it is unlikely that they will have the incentive to produce labor. Nozick best states explains this by saying “Someone might work overtime in a society in which it is assumed their needs are satisfied because they care about things other than needs. People either must do without some extra things they want or be allowed to do something extra to get some of these things. In equalities [this would] be forbidden(Nozick). In general, after earning enough to provide for their basic needs, people will put in extra effort and time into gaining wealth so that they could have extra to spend on leisure and pleasurable items. Yet, in a socialist society the extra they earn would be given to those who cannot provide themselves with basic necessities. Why work extra if the wealth does not directly benefit or bring pleasure to oneself? On the other hand, those who are given benefits without having to actually reap or sow tend to continue living with no incentive to find a job and earn for themselves because they will be serviced by the government. Because socialism emphasizes equal distribution people began to demand and expect to receive help from the the government. They began to rely on the welfare state and the earnings from other people.“The desire to use the powers of government to insure a more even or more just distribution of goods are [supposed] to be used to insure that particular people get particular things, it requires a kind of discrimination between, and an unequal treatment of, different people (Hayeck). However, the problem occurs when trying to distinguish who really needs the services provided and who is simply taking advantage of the system. Hayeck explains in, The Constitution of Liberty that although the welfare state is meant to service those less fortunate it is nearly impossible to figure out who truly needs the wealth. He says the “welfare state aims at social justice” by becoming a “primary redistributor of income”, but it’s efforts are bound to lead back to socialism and “its coercive and essentially arbitrary methods”(Hayeck).

An example of this would be when citizens receive welfare checks from the government. Those who receive aid should be allowed this benefit ,but only to the extent that allows them to obtain the absolute necessities during their time of need. While receiving aid they should look for jobs,internships, or education so that they could eventually get “off the system” and sustain for themselves. The problem is many become accustomed to receiving checks that they no longer have the incentive to actually work because money is being given to them for free. On a personal account, I have an aunt who receives welfare checks and EBT cards because she is a single mother with 3 children. However, her husband pays child support, two of the three kids have already grown and moved out to supply for themselves, and she is completely healthy both physically and mentally. However, when it comes to finding a job she refuses to apply because why work when she already receives enough money from the government to live happily. Though she is perfectly capable of providing for herself she uses welfare checks as a source of income and has become acclimatized to living off the system. Again this dependence on the redistribution of income is what causes a rise in the welfare system and the ideology that supports the equality of income is socialism. Although many oppose the redistribution of wealth, basic social services in the community are necessary and are rapidly developing as technology evolves.
This increase in government and social services also encourages the incline of socialism. Though it is a slow and gradual change, as technology advances more regulations and laws are being put forward mainly by government agencies. Leisure and pleasurable services are also provided by the nation and can be viewed as beneficial to all of society. Hayeck even encourages the idea that government can and should support “all kinds of public amenities which may be in the interest of all members of the community to provide by common effort, such as parks and museums, theaters and facilities for sports”(Hayeck). Although he believed “there are strong reasons why they should be provided by local rather than national authorities” he acknowledges the fact that higher intervention is needed to provide services to communities and citizens.This is yet another reason why socialism is rising because as more services for the community are needed and demanded by citizens, more regulation and distribution of income to uphold these facilities is needed by the government. Some may argue that each citizen is capable for providing to their own needs and that humans are “self-governing beings” and should have “the power as much as to commit errors as to set them right as often as made” (Rawls). Those that argue this believe individuals should be
able to govern themselves and if mistakes are made in the process, man will eventually learn from them and should continue to govern as he pleases. Yet as Hayeck explains,“There are common needs that can be satisfied only by collective action and which can be thus provided for [by the government] without restricting individual liberty” (Hayeck). If the government can provide the services needed without interfering with liberal ideas of liberty and freedom, more people might support the rise of a more socialistic state. The rise of socialism and the government will continue to incline, but only if it’s changes are brought upon slowly and gradually. If minor socialistic changes occur over time, people will be more open to receiving and implementing these ideas. If all socialism ideas were brought up all at once people would be more for opposing to it. Since most societies are composed of liberal ideas, liberty and freedom should not be threatened if socialism is to continue to incline. As Mahatma Ghandi states, “Every citizen renders himself responsible for every act of this Government. And it is quite proper to support it so long as the actions of the Government are bearable. But when they hurt him and his nation, it becomes his duty to withdraw his support. (Ghandi 59). As long as the welfare state and socialism do not impose hardships or take away liberties from individuals it will most likely continue to rise.

Child labor laws, social security, and safety regulations are just a few of the services provided by the government that are viewed by most citizens as beneficial. Child labor laws protect the children and youth and prohibit them from working jobs that are detrimental to their safety, health, or being. These laws help the youth of the community without causing harm to anyone other then major cooperations who are unjust for trying to exploit children anyways. Safety regulations are needed in construction, restaurants, and other facilities because without them more harm would be done to the individuals in the community. They do not impair any individual, but only bring caution and preparedness which in turn in beneficial to all. Most people support these types of government intervention because overall they provide benefits to the community without harming others. These are the types of ideas that bring rise to socialism and as time evolves and more regulations are needed, more people are open to government intervention.

Opposers of socialism however can argue that some government services such as healthcare and welfare are a threat to members of the community and that they rob individuals of freedom.
In both cases it is argued that tax dollars and earnings of the working class are given away to those who cannot provide for themselves. With welfare checks, as stated before, many feel as if their hard earned money is being taken regardless of how they and then given away to others by the government. It can be said that this does in fact take away freedom of the individuals property and brings detriment to person whose earnings are being taken away. If socialism is to succeed these types of services that favor one individual, but bring harm to another cannot continue. Even Hayek explained that our nation should not have a passive government, but instead one that seeks benefits for all members of a community. Regulations and laws must be general and certain and apply equally to everyone, not just those considered less fortunate .He says, “It is the character rather than the volume of government activity that is important’’ meaning that only the services that are absolutely important in benefiting all members of the community should be implemented. The amount of services provided are useless if they bring abut no good or only apply to certain
individuals.

All in all, the welfare state is rising due to socialist ideas which will continue to incline as time evolves. They both go hand in hand because socialism is the root cause of the welfare state as it tries to implement government intervention and equality. Although many oppose the idea of socialist state, they do not realize that the services they want are brought about by the government. The rise in socialism can be positive as long as the active government assists in providing services that are preferable and beneficial to the population; the community’s interest is the ultimate opinion they should seek. If it ceases to provide for the people the rise of socialism might begin to decline, but currently it is providing more then it is bringing harm . Total equality and a classless system may be far out of reach, but as nations seek to redress and regulate their people and communities, socialism will continue to slowly incline around the globe.