Snehal J - Final Project

My Journal of Ideologies By - Snehal Jain Social 30-2

Collectivism Collectivism is the political theory associated with communism and socialism. This ideology prioritizes the betterment and welfare of the community or a group of people over individual welfare. It is present on the left side of the spectrum and is the complete opposite of individualism.The decisions made in a collectivist, communist or socialist society are made considering a group of individuals and are made by a group of individuals . In this society collective strength is valued more than individual opinion.The people who believe in this ideology believe that the society will prosper more and more could be achieved when people come together and work on a single goal of benefiting the society as a whole instead of every individual focusing on individual personal goals.They also considered sacrifice oneself for the larger common good for people was acceptable and appreciated.

Communism The communism ideology was a special kind of socialism that began after the Industrial revolution .It disagreed with the way the working class was treated because of the class difference and recognised how it affected the society.So they focused on a creating a classless society and eliminating the differences created during the industrial revolution.They believed in the common ownership of the means of production and resources and a centrally planned economy.However different communist and political theorist had different opinions on the political control and the level of government intervention needed in a communist society.Due to the difference in opinions communism spread into branches like Marxism,Stalin Communism,etc which shared common values of communism but with some different ones regarding the level of control the government must have over people.The communist ideology changed the living conditions of all individuals under all branches and their standard of living improved while still prospering the economy.However under some branches like Stalin communism people lost their basic freedom and rights.I will be exploring communist ideologies with the help to two different communist.

Marxism Karl Marx with fellow socialist Friedrich Engels wrote one of his most recognised works called the communist Manifesto where they discovered Marxism in the year 1800 s. Marxism embraced collectivism and capitalism except for the part of the proletariat being abused by the bourgeoisie.They believed that communism would create a classless society and focus on collective prosperity and profit. Marx believed that Resources and Means of production should be collectively owned without any government intervention.He also wanted the proletariat ( working class) to seize power forcefully through revolution from the bourgeoisie ( the business owner) and believed it to be the way to achieve a classless society.

Communism in Russia - Leninism and Stalin communism Russia was late to the industrial revolution and experienced a period of rapid growth to catch up.This widened the gap between the rich and the poor causing unfair living conditions for the working class.After the russian revolution the leader of communist Bolsheviks Vladimir Lenin embraced the working class’s ideas to embrace Marxism and placed a new ideology of communism in the country.Lenin’s form of communism somewhat differed from that of Marx.Lenin agreed with the idea of a classless society and accepted revolution and violence as a means to achieve an ideal society however he believed that intervention of a communist government was necessary for the societies proper functioning.After Lenin died from a stroke Stalin the new leader of the soviet union claimed to be a marxist-leninist however his ideology of communism was influenced by absolute power and control.Stalin rejected all Liberal values and Capitalism and wanted collectivization of all private farms.The policies he created were influenced to create oppression and fear rather than freedom like the creation of prison camps and introduction of secret police.He also eliminated anyone that opposed him and rewrote and altered the historical proofs.Stalin’s idea of communism included a government controlled economy where an individual lost all control of their freedom as he believed that would not help in achieving the goals of the USSR.

Communism in Cuba Since the year 1965 , Cuba has been governed under a communist ideology.It follows Marxist Leninist policies and the current leader of cuba is Miguel Diaz Canel who succeeded in the year 2021.The communist policies have brought some positive outcomes like Better education system than America,less crime and a really good healthcare system securing people.However the poverty line is Cuba is at extreme and people cannot afford a good standard of living because of wages that are equal to none.The people living in Cuba also don't have any freedom of expression of opinions or speech.If they speak against the communist government they face imprisonment.The fear and oppressions controls them and prevent them from standing up for basic human rights.

Socialism The ideology of socialism developed through the introduction of communist manifesto embracing collectivism and maximum government intervention in the society.This ideology developed after the industrial revolution and was against the abuse faced by workers in capitalism.Socialism goal was to achieve a society in which everyone is equal and there is no class difference with maximum government intervention in the economy.It believed in having government owned property instead of private, valuing collective interests over individual interests and being responsible and cooperating, to have norms and economic equality unlike the capitalism situation. However there were some industrialists that differed on some of their opinions on socialism while still pursuing the same goal.

Utopian Socialism The ideology of Utopian Socialism mostly revolves around creating a society with equality and benefiting the working class and eliminating abuse against them.The socialist theorists believed in recognising the individual effort that took to achieve a well structured economy and society.They didn’t want to mistreat or manipulate the working class and believed in providing them with good workers rights and conditions and access to education and good standard of living.They believed by doing so workers would work better and would be happier and would want to help achieve success in the business as it would be benefiting them as well.They believed that by providing them with better wages and conditions and with the increased productivity it would lead to a higher sale in products and profits which could then again be invested in the workers to motivate and provide them with good decisions making profit for the business and prospering the economy simultaneously. After using this ideology in the society the economy was still prospering but in a civilised and positive way as there was equality and the working class was actually enjoying work and their standard of living had improved so much.

Robert Owen Socialism in New Lanark Robert Owen was one of the Industrialists in New lanark who was the one of the first British Industrialists to use socialism.He believed that it was the responsibility of the owner and not the workers or the government to provide good working conditions and education for the working class.He also provided health care for the working class and recognised their efforts in prospering and achieving profit in the business.He embraced Socialism and inspired others to do the same.

Democratic Socialism Democratic Socialism began in the late 1800’s by socialist who believed in evolutionary change rather than revolutionary change.Democratic socialism agreed with some values of Utopian Socialism like creating a classless society and fair share of wealth in the country.However they believed in political equality and introduced the voting system as a measure,they still wanted economic inequality and to make sure the workers were treated fairly and nicely they wanted industries to be publicly owned and the government would be responsible for providing the working class with insurance,healthcare and education.

Democratic socialism Today Canada is one the nations that have the democractic socialistic parties like the NDP (The new democratic party ) with the leader Jagmeet singh that embrace Democratic Socialism. It provides people with benefits like health care,insurance,education and make sure that workers have their essential rights and aren't mistreated and abused.They support the businesses being government owned however it isn't causing a drain in the economy and the nation is still prospering.

Liberalism The ideology of Liberalism values Individualism and is present on the right side of the spectrum.Its purpose was to avoid Royal Monopolies and increase the economic growth of a nation and they believed to do so they need to eliminate government involvement in the economic section.they also wanted to Eliminate mercantilism and promote Laissez Faire Capitalism.They believed for the economy to prosper they must remove all economic restrictions and have policies that encourages free trade and competition which profited the business owners and then the economy as a whole.This ideologies were promoted at the time of Classical Liberalism.However they had many disadvantages like the lack of rights for workers.The Period of Industrialisation widened the Income gap between the workers and the Business class as people from the business class did everything to achieve profits for themselves and the business which came at the expense of Workers.The workers were abused and faced a lot of challenges including surviving in a society with little wages and a increased standard and cost of living.

Modern Liberalism Modern Liberalism was a ideology that developed in the late 1800s and early 1900 s as a response to classic Liberlaism.It still embraced many ideologies of the classical Liberalism however brought some significant changes to help the working class and bring equality while still preospering.It proposed having significant government intervention and not just for maintaining the rights and freedoms but having a role to prevent unemployment and provide workers with benefits like insurance,health care,education.Modern Liberalism believed that basic human rights for workers should be a part of political and economic systems in a society.They led to the creation of labour laws and even encourages protecting the environment.Overall it was a response to classical Liberalism to try and improve their negative outcomes and encourage Human rights and freedom.

Modern Liberalism Today For example Today Modern Liberalism exists in The country of Canada today.Following this ideology insures workers rights and freedoms and gives them a security that with the Capitalistic Economy they won't be Abused or Mistreated.This provides workers with good wages and standard of living and recognise their individual efforts that benefit the society as a whole.They embrace Government Intervention in the society and believe that involving them ensures security and fairness among everyone.The people living in a canada under this ideology are provided with health care,child care,Education,public housing, and labour and collective and Individual rights

Mixed economy Mixed economies is present in the centre of the spectrum and developed as a system that combined the values of capitalism and socialism and created a mixed system involving both System’s beliefs and working creating a balance.Individuals living under this system were provided with their freedom of owning a private property or having freedom and rights however with some government involvement like the means of production of a private property is controlled by the government or how the government is responsible for passing the laws which can be request by the individuals and be a use to them.It provided people with freedom while the government still having some control to keep things balanced.Mixed economies are mostly used to produce goods heavily used by the public.They are created so that individuals still have access to the embraced ideologies while making sure it doesn't have bad outcomes and the system is balanced and fair.

Individualism Individualism is present on the right side of the spectrum and is the complete opposite of collectivism and values Individuals over a collective group.This belief embraces Individuals right and Freedom and their wellness over a collective group.They believe that individuals are unique and the society revolves around them as they are the one living in it so they should be responsible for their own actions and should have the essential rights to choose outcomes for themselves.They believe that every individual is responsible for their own self and a person isn't responsible for the group disregarding collectivism.They don't agree with much government involvement in the society except for matters to ensure that their rights are secured and the law and their freedom are valued.They embrace private ownership of properties,having a rule of law and Individual rights and freedom.They also encourage competition and believe that this ensures prosperity for the economy and helps Individual business to grow and earn profit.They believe in having economic freedom without any government placing restrictions any preventing them to grow.And last they believe in Self Independence by every Individual being responsible for their own self.

Conservatism This ideology embraces the traditions and disagrees with change.The belief in valuing what our ancestors constructed and valuing it without change.However if change is absolutely necessary they believe in gradual change rather than a sudden one.This ideology promotes the teachings and values of their ancestors and believe in benefitting from their experience and not having to go through and make the same mistakes as them.And while many of the beliefs are valid and individuals would benefit from the experience of their ancestors they are certain drawbacks to it .The decisions made by the ancestors at the time were based on their surrounding conditions and those conditions might not be the same today and so adapting to their decisions could not align with the society and its surrounding conditions today.

Capitalism and classical Liberalism Classic Liberalism began to put an end to monopolies and Mercantilism.It wanted the economic system to change and in order to achieve that they believed they had to change the policies to eliminate the restrictions put on businesses.They believed the more open and unrestricted the economy would be it would create more opportunities and lead to faster development and prosperity of the economy.They embraced Laissez faire Capitalism which states the government must keep their hands off from economic decisions and let Industrialist control it.They also encouraged Competition believing the need to be the best would make the industrialist go towards success and not be satisfied as there would always be something better and more to achieve.Classical Liberalism also led to Industrialization and Capitalism which did create development in the industry and provided options for people however it widened the economic gap between the working class and the business class so much that they business class could barely survive.Rich business owners were driven by profit and the life the profit bought for them.They disregarded workers efforts in achieving that and took every chance from them of living a decent life.Their luxuries came at the cost of death and tears for the working class.It also led to increased Capitalism,Business owners were not restricted now and were free to build factories,invest,purchase machines and they earned good profit by doing so.

Adam Smith and Liberalism The philosopher Adam Smith wrote a book called the wealth of nations where he talks about the inequality in the wealth distribution throughout society.He recognises and disagrees with the class system and monopolies created.He believed that individuals must have freedom and control in the economy and that competition should be encouraged.He recognised self interest acting as a invisible hand driving individuals towards success as they would be benefiting them and they would put in all their effort trying to achieve success and never settle as the competition will always help them strive for perfection and to be better.Smith also introduced Meritocracy which stated every individual must be rewarded according to the work they do.He wanted people to act freely and the economy to prosper and layed out the beliefs for classic Liberalism.He also believed that government shouldn't interfere with the economy but believed their presence was required in order to see that people maintain the law and decorum.

Fascism Fascism is present on the far right side of the spectrum.It is characterized by dictatorship power and people losing all their rights and freedom including the say or decision to choose what happens to them.It is a ultranationalist belief combined of elements like militrinaism and totalitarianism People living in this ideology are oppressed and controlled by fear and are threatened using different tactics like prison camps or punishments and consequences for their every action.The leaders of facism do not take it well if anyone opposes them or their beliefs and make it a priority to eliminate any opposition against them.They control and spread their beliefs with the use of propaganda,indoctrination and scapegoating.Individuals living in a fascist ideology are manipulated and controlled in a way that they find it extremely hard to escape the facist rule as the consequences for getting caught can lead to death.

Adolf Hitler and Fascism Adult Hitler was the leader of the Nazi government in Germnay and rules under the ideology of Facism from the year 1933-1945.His facism came to be known as nazism and he used techniques like propaganda,youth movement,elimination of his opposition so that no one rises against him and he controls everything ,use of terror and force to threaten the people and scapegoating to blame the jewish people as responsible for preventing germany from prospering.He took away Individual rights and freedom and believed that if individuals werent serving the state they had no place in his facist society.He rejected all liberal values and labelled “Aryans” as the master race.He used Jews as a Scapegoat to blame them for everything that was wrong with germany.He and the Fascism Ideology led to the Holocaust in which over 6 million jews died in Nazi concentration Camps.

Fascism Today Today North Korea is labelled as a dictatorship country using Fascism ideology methods ruled by the leader Kim-Jong-Un. The people living there consider the leader as a god figure and worship him.Individuals have no rights and freedoms there and anyone who opposes the leader or his beliefs is labelled as a antinationist and is executed or put in prison camps for this,and not just the individual but the whole family is punished with the same punishments.People are oppressed with fear and are put in a situation where they cant speak anything against fascism.The leader uses propaganda and America as a Scapegoat to develop a image on america being the enemy.Every Individual is required to attend the weekly meetings to show their loyalty and devotion or else they are considered traitors to the nation and its beliefs.There are punishments like imprisonment for doing something as simple as filming.The people in the country are oppressed and controlled and have no control over their life and live under a dictatorship which are all descriptions of a facist government.