Assignment:
Compare and Contrast Populism and Socialism
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Fist complete a Venn Diagram and fill in a sentence frame – “Populism and
Socialism are similar in that they both . . . but populism . . . while socialism . . .”
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Then compose two to four paragraphs that defends and or criticizes the ideas. Also, include which
elements you would like to see included in your ideal civilization. For example, would you favor
some socialized ideas like healthcare and a living wage, or would you say that these would be
worse for the greater good for various reasons? In the US, we have socialized public schools,
police officers, fire departments, the Post Office, libraries, parks, etc. In Canada and Europe, they
have added healthcare, but we have not, for example.
Populism
Populism is a political philosophy which focuses on standing up for the rights and positions of the common people as
opposed to the elite and the government. Several political movements around the world have promoted populist ideals.
When used to describe political rhetoric, an individual or a political party, the term often carries pejorative connotations,
and “populism” has become a loaded word to many people.
For the Common Man
The key ideal behind populism is that the common man should have a chance in society and an active role in government.
Populist movements generally divide society into "the people" and "the elite," with individuals who have limited power
being considered the people and individuals who have clout being among the elite. The elite typically are wealthy and
often use their wealth to influence the political system while accruing more wealth. Populists typically feel that the
government protects the interests of the elite, not the needs of the common people, and they want that to change.
In Support of Democracy
People who espouse populism generally support democratic systems and believe that democracy is the best way for the
people to play a role in the government. Although they promote the welfare of the common man, conservative populists
tend to shy away from socialism and extreme liberalism. Politicians from various political parties or viewpoints can be
involved in populism, and politicians might accuse each other of pandering or playing to populism in an attempt to get
support and votes.
For the Greatest Good
These sorts of political movements are designed to encourage governments and society in general to work to provide the
greatest good to the greatest number of people. This might be achieved through policies and pieces of legislation that
support ordinary people. Populist movements, however, sometimes reject policy suggestions such as living-wage
mandates, public assistance, and government-sponsored healthcare, even though these policies are often designed to help
the members of the public who are most in need. Basically, liberal populists will promote them and conservative ones will
be more apprehensive of them.
Socialism (Marxism):
Socialism is an economic concept that advocates public ownership of resources (full out Marxism would say all resources).
The production and distribution of resources with a society are then controlled by members of that society collectively or
by the government that represents that society. Goods are produced and distributed based on need rather than on market
forces such as profitability, price, and consumers' purchasing power.
Economic Equality
The ideology of socialism developed from the notion that capitalism creates inequality in society. Under capitalism,
socialists argue, the wealthy few who own and control the resources and means of production are able to exploit the
working masses. These elite capitalists can pay workers less than the value that they contribute, so the capitalists can keep
larger profits for themselves to accumulate even greater wealth. The result, socialists say, is a society in which the wealthy
are able to oppress the middle and lower classes.
In a completely socialist (Marxist) society, there would be no money. Things such as food, shelter, education and
healthcare would be provided to everyone. There would be no poverty and no division of classes based on wealth.
Production and distribution of goods and services would be managed by the government rather than being based on
market forces, which can fluctuate and lead to recessions in capitalist economies. European Democracies, Canada, and
even the US all have mixed economies – some things are socialized while others are left to the free market. For example,
the US has public schools, which are paid for by taxpayer dollars. Europe and Canada have single payer healthcare
systems. Most European countries also have added college reimbursement, daycare reimbursement, paid family leave,
etc. – democratic socialism leads to more socialized programs (more taxes a conservative may argue).
Criticisms and Defenses
Critics of socialism say that such a society is impossible to create and sustain successfully. They argue that there would be
no incentives for people to work harder — or even hard enough to meet their needs — because they would receive only
enough to meet their needs regardless of how much they contribute. In addition, many capable workers would refuse to
work at all and still expect to have their needs met. Socialists, however, argue that workers in a socialist society would have
much different attitudes from those in capitalist societies because they would not be exploited by their employers. This
would create satisfied workers who are more willing to work, they claim.
Another criticism of socialism is that the government would determine the needs of the people in order to meet them.
Critics say that this would cause problems because different people have different things that they would consider to be
needs — as well as different things that they want, such as forms of leisure and entertainment. If a person's own ideas of
his or her needs is different from what the government considers his or her needs, this could create unhappy citizens.
Socialists, however, argue that the citizens collectively would be happier because each person would have equal access to
everything, whether they are wants or needs, instead of the wealthy elite having greater access to many goods and services
and the poor having virtually none.
Your mission is to consider populist views and socialist ones and define your perfect blend of the two
concepts. Democracies are based on the idea that everyone can succeed and should share in the rewards
of the country. “One person, one vote” is the motto. Populists can be either very liberal or very
conservative, so your explanations are important. What should be socialized and what should be left to
the free market? As an illustration, a conservative could say that nothing should be socialized since it is
for the greater good to let the market decide wages and so forth. On the other hand, a liberal may argue
that healthcare should be socialized since we all have the right to life, and it would be for the greater
good.