The Incas and Socialism
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: The Incas and Socialism
Pages: 11
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The Incas and Socialism
During the history of early America, one of the most well-known peoples of South America were the Incas. The
Inca Empire was one of the most advanced in America when the Spanish began exploring the Pacific coast of
South America in the 1520s. One must imagine the shock of the Spanish Conquistadores lead by Francisco Pizarro
when they marched into Incan towns and cities. Incan language, culture, technology, and social structure was very
unique and very different from their own. Even today, modern historians find it difficult to place the Inca into a
specific political and economic system.
The dominant thinking by historians such as George Murdock in the 20th Century is that the Inca were a socialist
society. At first glance, it would seem to appear so. There was very little individuality and there was a large
emphasis put on working collectively for the state. However, when one looks at the full extent of the Inca social
structure, one sees that only in a local context could the Incas ever be called a socialist society. Rather, the Inca
were a society with a complex social hierarchy with only a communal economic system at the local level. There
were no socialist elements in their centralized government, which was essentially politically authoritarian.
Though socialism is an important term in the modern world few people have an exact understanding of what it
means. It is usually merged into the definitions of Communism and Marxism though it is a very different economic
and political system. According to Mastrianna &Hailstones book, Basic Economics, "Socialism involves strict
government regulation of production and distribution and is advocated as a way to pro...
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