Suchergebnisse

The immediate causes of the current crisis in socialism are the highly authoritarian and extremely hierarchical political and economic structures created by Leninism. Yet the collapse of state socialism also appears to be part of a more general crisis of socialism, a crisis that includes even its potentially more democratic variants. At the core of this broader crisis lies the diminishing appeal of the publicly owned enterprise, an institution that has always been central to the very definition of socialism, but whose economic advantages are called into question by the recent and rapid development of global markets in factors of production and especially in assets. Consequently, communism's demise by no means signifies a victory for either democratic socialism or even social democracy.

RECENT HISTORY HAS NOT BEEN KIND TO THE IDEAS OF SOCIALISM AND TRADITION. THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM IN EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION--"THE ONLY EXISTING SOCIALISM" ACCORDING TO SOME FRIENDS AND FOES ALIKE--SEEMS TO MAKE SOCIALISM AN OBVIOUS CANDIDATE FOR THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY. IT IS WITHIN THIS HISTORICAL MOMENT THAT PEOPLE ON THE LEFT, WHO IN THE PAST HAVE DEFINED THEMSELVES UNHESITATINGLY AS SOCIALISTS AND AS PART OF A SOCIALIST TRADITION, FACE THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THEY ARE MISGUIDED IN CLINGING TO THAT IDENTITY AND TRADITION.

THIS ARTICLE, ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE FIRST ISSUE OF THIS JOURNAL, WAS CONTRIBUTED BY THE WORLD-FAMOUS PHYSICIST ALBERT EINSTEIN. IT IS REPRINTED TO COMMEMORATE THE FIRST ISSUE OF THIS PUBLICATION'S FIFTIETH YEAR. THE ARTICLE EXAMINES SOCIALISM FROM A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE, WITH SOCIALISM BEING DIRECTED TOWARDS A SOCIAL-ETHICAL END. EINSTEIN ASSERTS THAT THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO SOCIETY, WITH THE INDIVIDUAL BECOMING MORE CONSCIOUS THAN EVER OF HIS DEPENDENCE UPON SOCIETY, CONSTITUTES THE ESSENCE OF THE CRISIS OF OUR TIME. HE ALSO CONTENDS THAT THE CRIPPLING OF INDIVIDUALS IS THE WORST EVIL OF CAPITALISM, AND THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ELIMINATE GRAVE EVILS IS THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOCIALIST ECONOMY, ACCOMPANIED BY AN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM WHICH IS ORIENTED TOWARD SOCIAL GOALS.

CAN MARKET SOCIALISM REALIZE THE SOCIALIST VISION OF THE GOOD SOCIETY BY ENDING EXPLOITATION AND ALIENATION, SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCING INEQUALITIES OF WEALTH AND INCOME, ENSURING FULL EMPLOYMENT, AND CORRECTING OTHER MARKET IRRATIONALITIES? A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL FORMS OF CAPITALISM (NOTABLY THE SMALL OWNER-OPERATED FIRM AND THE LARGE CORPORATION) AND MARKET SOCIALISM (THE SELF-MANAGED COOPERATIVE THAT RENTS ITS CAPITAL FROM THE STATE) REVEALS THE RELATIVE EFFICIENCIES OF CAPITALISM IN REDUCING TRANSACTION COSTS, IN TURN REDUCING THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPLOITATION. BY CONTRAST, THE TRANSACTION COST INEFFICIENCIES OF THE ORGANIZATIONS OF MARKET SOCIALISM PERMIT AND ENCOURAGE FORMS OF EXPLOITATION THAT ARE PRECLUDED OR DISCOURAGED UNDER CAPITALISM.

Evaluates the methods of regulating capitalism proposed by the New Labour Party of GB led by Tony Blair. It is argued that the party's manifesto does not include the goal of full employment or provisions for its support, calling instead for the regulation of capitalism rather than questioning the fundamental capitalist basis of society & the economic inequality it inevitably creates. Such regulations alone are deemed insufficient, as the capitalist system is inherently exploitative of labor. It is concluded that the capitalist system must be challenged & socialism reinvented if workers are to be served by the New Labour Party. M. Nichols-Wagner