Chapter 5
REJECTIONS OF LIBERALISM:
20TH CENTURY
A.
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Totalitarianism
Seeks complete control over every aspect of the people’s lives – both public and private
Hierarchy
Single political party
One leader (or small group of elite)
Radical: (Soviet Union) move towards the far left side of the economic spectrum (equality, classless
society) and complete rejection of the traditions of the past
 Reactionary (Nazi Germany – Fascism): move toward an idealized past and an acceptance of
economic inequality (some are naturally better than others)
 As an ideology, it used all the elements (past, present, future) to target the needs/desires of the
people
o Also used: propaganda, coercive power, strict control of citizens
o Conformity (and acceptance of beliefs) were achieved using:
 Secret police and terror
 Youth groups and other organizations to promote the ideals
 Extensive organization: locally, regionally, nationally
 Indoctrination (education)
 Censorship
 Redirecting popular discontent (scapegoats) – more extensively used in Nazism
• Attempted, at all costs, to hold off/reject the values in Liberalism and the worth of the individual
B. Communism vs. Nazism: Theory and Practise
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Nazi Germany and Communist Russia, although both using totalitarian ideas, were very
different in their ideologies and beliefs about human nature
Fascism – supports totalitarian government
World is divided into good and evil with nothing in between
Nation must work together for common and spiritual goals – individually they cannot survive
Need a strong leader (dictator) to achieve this
Similarities
Differences
• Dictatorship
• Both often arise when democratic
gov’ts fail (Mussolini) – crisis theory
• Leader is the bearer of collective
good
• Communism – people are rational
(Rousseau), Fascism – people are
irrational (Hobbes)
• Communism – uses reason to
motivate people, accept
technology and science as a means
to building the future
• Fascism – emotions, hate, rejects
reason and science and looks to the
past for its model
C. Karl Marx
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Developed his political and economic ideals that attempted to provide an overall philosophy of
life
Wrote the Communist Manifesto (with Fredrich Engels) and Das Kapital
The story of humanity was a history of class conflict between the owners of the means of
production and the workers
All aspects of life are determined by how you are related to the means of production (owner,
worker)
Believed that the Industrial Revolution caused inhumane treatment of the lower class or
workers
Created 2 classes of society
1. Proletariat – workers
 Exploited
2. Bourgeoisie – ruling class
 Exploiters
 Selfish, owned the courts, police, media, government
 Believed that the proletariat should rise up in revolt against the ruling class to create
ONE class (equality)
D. Karl Marx – view on Capitalism
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Central feature of capitalist system was that workers must “sell” their labour to those who
owned the means of production
Bourgeoisie became wealthy because they didn’t pass the profits onto the workers
Condemned the profit motive and private property – caused conflict between the classes
It exploited and degraded workers
Prevented humanity from achieving its potential - humans are creative and capitalism doesn’t
allow for this to be fostered
Lead to economic depression, imperialism (taking of land), wars, and revolution by the
proletariat
E. Karl Marx – Role of Government
 One class, dictatorship of the proletariat
 The state would have:
- Central planning, increase production, equality (distribution, economically), work for society
- “from each according to his ability to each according to his need” – motto
 after transition period crime/poverty would stop, state would “wither away” (bourgeoisie power –
not in structure)
Pure Communism
 No capitalism
 Would work because you wanted to work – to better society
 No need for a formal government structure with no more ruling class – live in a voluntary and
cooperative society
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Lenin – used Marx ideas to rise the peasants up in
revolt against the Tsars in Russia – Russian
Revolution of 1917
USSR: UNION OF THE SOVIET
SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
A. The Russian Revolution: 1917
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Marxist theory: Russia was an unlikely place for
revolution because it was only in the process of
industrialization and had not completed it
Tsars (before 1917) and Russian Government was
authoritarian, inefficient, and repressive
o Problems that sparked revolution
 only in beginning stages of industrialization
- poor working/living conditions, low
standard of living, poor economy
 famine
 WWI: hundreds of thousands of lives lost,
starvation of people and soldiers, soldiers
poorly trained and equipped, continued to
fight for 3 years of war
 High food prices, rising inflation, striking
workers, many soldiers deserted army
and/or would not stop protestors
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Lenin and Bolsheviks promised “peace, land and bread”
o made peace with Germany in WWI - Brest-litsovik Treaty
o crushed civil war in Russia in 1918 to take control
o 1921: founded 1st communist party in Russia
 Lenin is considered “Father of Communism”
1922 : Union Of Soviet Socialists Republics formed (USSR)
B. Joseph Stalin
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Ruled 1927-1953: Made the Soviet Union the second most
powerful nation
most “successful” dictatorship:
-TOTALITARIANISM: using terror, force and propaganda to
control all aspects of peoples lives and all aspects of country
greatest achievement: rapid industrial development of Soviet
Union (SU)
to industrialize, SU needed 3 factors of production - land, labor,
capital
In 1928, Russia had:
Increasing population (labor)
Abundant amount of resources (land, cotton, minerals, oil, gas,
lumber etc.)
Russia did not have the money to industrialize – Stalin needed to
find the money to do complete industrialization (no capital)
with goal of increasing standard of living of people
believed capitalist powers would try to crush Soviet Union developed and strengthen military/control
C. Stalin’s 5 year plans:
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Stalin created five 5 year plans dating 1928-1953 in
order to industrialize his country
The Third plan was interrupted by WWII –
concentrated on the war effort instead
The Fifth plan was stopped by his death
Main goals of his 5 year plans:
- Build up heavy industry
- steel, coal, machinery, production of weapons
- changed to oil, air crafts, chemical
Came at the expense of consumer goods – no choice,
very few products for everyday life were created
Standard of living fell – especially for farmers
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Collectivization of Farms (collectives)
Peasant farmers had to give all production to the state
Tried to rebel - were quickly stopped/killed
Execution/exiling of all “enemies of the state/people”
Anyone opposed to his rule
As well, millions of peasants were dying from starvation
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Fall in standard of living – hunger, fear, rising prices of goods
Defended country from Western Capitalists and created a strong state by controlling and
owning all means of production
Note that between 1922 and 1953, Europe was being lead
by 3 of most notorious leaders: Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler
CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMIES
A. Centrally Planned Economy - Theory
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Also called: Command economy, planned economy
Public or state ownership of all factors/means of production
Based on Socialism – governments owns all ‘for the people’ – to create more equality
Two main types of Socialism:
1. Democratic Socialism – Sweden – free elections, some individual rights, profit motive, but
gov’t ownership of key industries and high taxes
2. Communist system – total public ownership, no democratic rights
Politically - 3 “isms” that fall under umbrella – Communism, Fascism (mixed), democratic
socialism (mixed)
B.
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Centrally Planned Economy – Key Characteristics:
Collective Property: Property is owned by an entire group of people (gov’t), not individual
Cooperation
Collectivism – produce and distribute goods together
Group Incentive: Incentive refers to planning which offers the group a reward, not the
individual
Central Planning
Committee of economic experts (elected or not) makes all economic decisions
Either the government themselves or a group acting on behalf of the government
Answer the economic questions - employment, who gets goods/what to produce rather than
supply and demand
Must consider scarcity