Scientific socialism and utopian socialism are two branches of the socialist movement.
Socialism is a system in which the economy and social order are based on state management and the means of production are collective. It is a way of organizing society, with different kinds of institutions, rules, etc.
This same concept is used to name the political and philosophical thought developed by Karl Marx and the group or movement that seeks to establish this type of system or that promotes the adoption of a socialist economy .
For example: "When I was studying at university, I was a staunch defender of socialism" , "Many believe that Cuba should abandon socialism in order to grow" , "Socialism could obtain three new seats in the next elections" .
Essence of socialism
The essence of socialism lies in the broad powers of the State to make decisions regarding the economy and the way in which goods are distributed. Ultimately, according to its philosophical postulates, it is the workers and producers themselves who must manage these goods, while political institutions must be subject to the control of citizens through democratic mechanisms .
All this means that the term socialism, used for the first time in the mid -19th century by Robert Owen (father of cooperativism ), has been closely related over the centuries to concepts such as the workers' movement and the proletariat .
After the Russian Revolution that established socialism, Bolsheviks and Mensheviks fought for power in Russia.
Main references
In this sense, it is important to highlight the figures of some of the most important socialists who have existed throughout history. Among them, figures such as the German Friedrich Engels stand out, who played a fundamental role in the realization of works that would later bring about the birth of socialism.
The same can be said of Mikhail Bakunin , who was one of the most active members of the various socialist movements that were taking place in Berlin , Bern and Paris in the mid- 19th century . And this is without forgetting that it is also worth highlighting the fact that he founded the International Alliance of Socialist Democracy .
From the same period but in Spain , for example, the figure of Pablo Iglesias Posse stands out, who is considered the father of Spanish socialism because he carried out the creation of the General Union of Workers ( UGT ) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( PSOE ). The latter political formation became one of the two most important political forces in the nation.
Thus, Spain has been governed by leaders who belonged to the aforementioned PSOE , such as Felipe González Márquez , who was in power from 1982 to 1996 , and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , who governed the country from 2004 to 2011 .
Che Guevara and Fidel Castro , leading figures of the Cuban Revolution ; Ho Chi Minh ( Vietnamese revolutionary); and Rosa Luxemburg (Marxist theorist) are other important names in socialism.
21st century socialism, with leaders such as Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales in Bolivarianism, is characterized by its criticism of capitalism, its anti-imperialism and the promotion of sustainable development.
Socialism throughout history
Beyond these precepts, it is important to note that definitions of socialism have varied throughout history and according to the person in question. In general, it is held that socialism is a movement that attempts to promote the common good through state intervention and the search for a more egalitarian society through central planning.
Although socialism was originally opposed to capitalism , several decades ago movements with certain ideological nuances began to emerge. Thus, it is possible to find socialist parties that do not want to achieve revolution or abolish certain market freedoms, giving rise to a mixed economy.
Related concepts
There are several concepts that are related to socialism. One of them is communism , a system and movement that is based on the elimination of private ownership of the means of production and on class struggle.
While socialism supports certain types of private property and, as we have seen, can coexist with capitalism, communism establishes an economy planned entirely by the State (which, in turn, is administered by the Communist Party ).
Communism thus advocates a workers' state that is achieved through a proletarian revolution . For communists, the working class is the driving force of history.
Collectivism , on the other hand, is a doctrine that aims to eliminate individual property in order to transfer it to the community or collectivity (collective property). In this framework, the State is responsible for distributing the wealth generated by collectivization.
There are also notions linked to promoters of socialism. Marxism is used to refer to the doctrines developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels , who are the authors of the "Communist Manifesto" and appeal to historical materialism to analyze history. There are also Leninism (which refers to Lenin ), Trotskyism ( Leon Trotsky ), Maoism ( Mao Zedong , leader of the Chinese Revolution ) and Stalinism ( Joseph Stalin ), among other variants and currents.