Authoritarian Socialism: Difference between revisions

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''Not to be confused with [[Non-Libertarian Socialism]]''
'''Authoritarian Socialism''', on which the USSR is based, is one of the three major socialist ideologies, alongside [[Democratic Socialism|democratic socialism]] and [[Anarchism|anarchism]]. Of the three, it has been by far the most historically influential, even becoming one of the two major forces of the [[Cold War]] and being largely responsible for winning [[World War II]]. It refers to an effort to build a socialist society that differs from anarchists on four main areas:
 
* The [[State (Polity)|state's]] role in history is viewed completely differently. For authoritarian socialists, the state was a product of [[Class|class divisions]] which emerged alongside the development of [[agriculture]] and cannot be gotten rid of in the short run without having huge side effects which would destroy socialism. Whereas anarchists view the state as an independent entity that accumulates power on its own will and predates class.
'''Authoritarian Socialism''' or '''State Socialism''' refers to an effort to build a socialist society that differs from libertarian socialists on four main areas:
* The [[State (Polity)|state's]] role in history is viewed completely differently. For authoritarian socialists, the state was a product of [[Class|class divisions]] which emerged alongside the development of [[agriculture]] and cannot be gotten rid of in the short run without having huge side effects which would destroy socialism. Whereas libertarian socialists view the state as an independent entity that accumulates power on its own will and predates class.
* Decisions are not to be made via popular assemblies and regional confederations, but instead through a one-party dictatorship with little to no input from the general public. According to authoritarian socialists, this is necessary to maintain the organizational efficiency necessary to defend socialism from [[Counter-Revolution|counter-revolutionaries]] and warmongering capitalists.
* Decisions are not to be made via popular assemblies and regional confederations, but instead through a one-party dictatorship with little to no input from the general public. According to authoritarian socialists, this is necessary to maintain the organizational efficiency necessary to defend socialism from [[Counter-Revolution|counter-revolutionaries]] and warmongering capitalists.
* Industry is to be [[Nationalization|nationalized]] and operated according to the will of the state. Industry may have some degree of [[Workers' Self-Management|workers' self-management]], as in [[Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. This is done in order to ensure the most effective use of resources towards building socialism.
* Industry is to be [[Nationalization|nationalized]] and operated according to the will of the state. Industry may have some degree of [[Workers' Self-Management|workers' self-management]], as in [[Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. This is done in order to ensure the most effective use of resources towards building socialism.
* Dissent is to be harshly punished in order to create a stable and harmonious society and to protect the gains made for workers.
* Dissent is to be harshly punished in order to create a stable and harmonious society and to protect the gains made for workers.


== History ==
== Historical Examples ==
Some have argued that several ancient societies like the Incan Empire followed an authoritarian socialist model. But its origins exist in the French Revolution (among the Jacobins) and the European working class movements that followed.
* [[Socialist Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] (1978 - 1992)
 
* [[Socialist Albania|Albania]]
During the [[Revolutions of 1986 - 1995]], 66% of authoritarian socialist governments collapsed across continents except in Latin America.
* [[Socialist Algeria|Algeria]]
 
* [[Socialist Angola|Angola]]
== Schools of Thought ==
* [[Socialist Bangladesh|Bangladesh]]
* [[Socialist Benin|Benin]] (1974 - 1991)
* [[Socialist Burkina Faso|Burkina Faso]] (1983 - 1987)
* [[Socialist Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]
* [[Socialist Cambodia|Cambodia]]
* [[Socialist Cape Verde|Cape Verde]]
* [[China]] (1949 - 1978, or Present)
* [[Socialist Congo|Congo]]
* [[Cuba]] (1959 - Present)
* [[Socialist Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]]
* [[East Germany]]
* [[Socialist Egypt|Egypt]]
* [[Socialist Ethiopia|Ethiopia]]
* [[Socialist Grenada|Grenada]]
* [[Socialist Guinea|Guinea]]
* [[Socialist Guyana|Guyana]]
* [[Socialist Hungary|Hungary]]
* [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]] (1968 - 2003)
* [[Laos]]
* [[Socialist Libya|Libya]] (1969 - 2011)
* [[Socialist Madagascar|Madagascar]]
* [[Socialist Mali|Mali]]
* [[Socialist Mongolia|Mongolia]] (1924 - 1991)
* [[Socialist Mozambique|Mozambique]] (1975 - 1991)
* [[Socialist Myanmar|Myanmar]]
* [[North Korea]]
* [[Socialist Peru|Peru]]
* [[Socialist Poland|Poland]] (1947 - 1989)
* [[Socialist Romania|Romania]]
* [[Socialist Seychelles|Seychelles]]
* [[Socialist Somalia|Somalia]]
* [[South Yemen]] (1969 - 1991)
* [[Socialist Sudan|Sudan]]
* [[Socialist Tanzania|Tanzania]]
* [[USSR]] (1917 - 1991)
* [[Vietnam]] (1975 - Present)
* [[Socialist Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] (1945 - 1990)
* [[Socialist Zambia|Zambia]]
* [[Socialist Zimbabwe|Zimbabwe]]


== Applications ==
It is no secrete that authoritarian socialism has been tried many more times and on much larger scales than [[Libertarian Socialism|libertarian socialism]], by continent, these are the results of their efforts:
* In Africa, authoritarian socialists took control of 24 states, none of them have survived until today.
* In Asia, authoritarian socialists took control of 16 states, 4 of them have survived until today.
* In Eastern Europe, authoritarian socialists took control of 9 states, none of them have survived until today.
* In Latin America authoritarian socialists took control of 4 states, 1 of them has survived until today.
== Criticism ==
== Criticism ==
The main criticism of authoritarian socialism advanced by [[Libertarian Socialism|libertarian socialists]] are:
The main criticism of authoritarian socialism advanced by [[Anarchism|anarchistss]] are:
* The authoritarian socialist conception of the state is based on outdated or misleading historical data. More recent evidence shows that the state emerged long before class divisions, and is usually based on factors such as [[Religion|religious]] worship.<ref>[[Pierre Clastres]] (1974) [[Society Against The State]]</ref><ref>[[David Graeber]] (2011) [[Debt: The First 5000 Years]]</ref><ref>[[Peter Gelderloos]] (2017) [[Worshiping Power: An Anarchist View of Early State Formation]]</ref>
* The authoritarian socialist conception of the state is based on outdated or misleading historical data. More recent evidence shows that the state emerged long before class divisions, and is usually based on factors such as [[Religion|religious]] worship.<ref>[[Pierre Clastres]] (1974) [[Society Against The State]]</ref><ref>[[Peter Gelderloos]] (2017) [[Worshiping Power: An Anarchist View of Early State Formation]]</ref>
* If decision-making power is not distributed among the population, it will create a small elite isolated from the consequences of their actions who will quickly become consumed by greed and paranoia, violently maintaining their control over the population and ultimately reinstating [[capitalism]] to ensure their own wealth and power.<ref>[[Mikhail Bakunin]] (1873) [[Statism and Anarchy]]</ref>
* If decision-making power is not distributed among the population, it will create a small elite isolated from the consequences of their actions who will quickly become consumed by greed and paranoia, violently maintaining their control over the population and ultimately reinstating [[capitalism]] to ensure their own wealth and power.<ref>[[Mikhail Bakunin]] (1873) [[Statism and Anarchy]]</ref>
* The belief that hierarchical organizations are more efficient that non-hierarchical ones is conflicting with existing evidence<ref>[[Kevin Carson]] (2008) [[Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective]]</ref>, especially within the military, where decentralized forces frequently defeat centralized ones despite having access to inferior equipment, knowledge and army size.<ref>[[Peter Gelderloos]] (2010) [[Anarchy Works]]</ref>
* The belief that hierarchical organizations are more efficient that non-hierarchical ones is conflicting with existing evidence<ref>[[Kevin Carson]] (2008) [[Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective]]</ref>, especially within the military, where decentralized forces frequently defeat centralized ones despite having access to inferior equipment, knowledge and army size.<ref>[[Peter Gelderloos]] (2010) [[Anarchy Works]]</ref>
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== References ==
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Ideologies]]
[[Category:Ideologies]]
[[Category:Libertarian Socialist Wiki]]
[[Category:AnarWiki]]
[[Category:Authoritarian Socialism]]
[[Category:Authoritarian Socialism]]

Latest revision as of 14:54, 13 December 2024

Authoritarian Socialism, on which the USSR is based, is one of the three major socialist ideologies, alongside democratic socialism and anarchism. Of the three, it has been by far the most historically influential, even becoming one of the two major forces of the Cold War and being largely responsible for winning World War II. It refers to an effort to build a socialist society that differs from anarchists on four main areas:

  • The state's role in history is viewed completely differently. For authoritarian socialists, the state was a product of class divisions which emerged alongside the development of agriculture and cannot be gotten rid of in the short run without having huge side effects which would destroy socialism. Whereas anarchists view the state as an independent entity that accumulates power on its own will and predates class.
  • Decisions are not to be made via popular assemblies and regional confederations, but instead through a one-party dictatorship with little to no input from the general public. According to authoritarian socialists, this is necessary to maintain the organizational efficiency necessary to defend socialism from counter-revolutionaries and warmongering capitalists.
  • Industry is to be nationalized and operated according to the will of the state. Industry may have some degree of workers' self-management, as in Yugoslavia. This is done in order to ensure the most effective use of resources towards building socialism.
  • Dissent is to be harshly punished in order to create a stable and harmonious society and to protect the gains made for workers.

Historical Examples

Criticism

The main criticism of authoritarian socialism advanced by anarchistss are:

  • The authoritarian socialist conception of the state is based on outdated or misleading historical data. More recent evidence shows that the state emerged long before class divisions, and is usually based on factors such as religious worship.[1][2]
  • If decision-making power is not distributed among the population, it will create a small elite isolated from the consequences of their actions who will quickly become consumed by greed and paranoia, violently maintaining their control over the population and ultimately reinstating capitalism to ensure their own wealth and power.[3]
  • The belief that hierarchical organizations are more efficient that non-hierarchical ones is conflicting with existing evidence[4], especially within the military, where decentralized forces frequently defeat centralized ones despite having access to inferior equipment, knowledge and army size.[5]
  • Nationalization of industry or limited workers' self-management only creates a bitter and alienated workforce, who may begin to sympathize strongly with far-right anti-communist ideas.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Pierre Clastres (1974) Society Against The State
  2. ↑ Peter Gelderloos (2017) Worshiping Power: An Anarchist View of Early State Formation
  3. ↑ Mikhail Bakunin (1873) Statism and Anarchy
  4. ↑ Kevin Carson (2008) Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective
  5. ↑ Peter Gelderloos (2010) Anarchy Works
  6. ↑ Immanuel Ness (2010) Ours to Master and to Own: Workers' Control from the Commune to the Present - Part III: Goran Music - Yugoslavia: Workers’ Self-Management as State Paradigm
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