Socialism: Theory vs. Praxis from a Christian Worldview In "Thinking for the Sake of Global Faithfulness", Thabiti Anyabwile, reminds us that we are called to be thinking people As Christians, he says, “we are called to love the Lord our God with all our mind, all our intellect, in the cause of being faithful to God and enjoying Him forever” (2011, p. 82). In considering an alternate worldview, such as socialism, careful mindfulness should be applied. It must be done with logic and, as good Christians, with heart. Dr. James Henderson would agree with this, as he says we must be “humble and redemptive” in evaluating a worldview. (Henderson, 2015) In this paper, I will evaluate socialism as theory versus praxis with humility and a redemptive Christian worldview perspective and, in so doing; expose the true fundamentals of socialism as nothing more than the very elitism and totalitarianism it sets out to eradicate. Socialism came about at the end of the Eighteenth Century following the French Revolution and the fall of the French monarchy. The weak and incompetent French monarch, Louis XVI and his controversial queen, Marie Antoinette, lived a lifestyle of excess and opulence while the French people starved due to years of bad crops and economic uncertainty. Louis XVI was indecisive, irresponsible, and completely out of touch with the desperate needs of his people. Resentment for the French monarchy paved the way for movements like socialism and liberalism, all of which had
Canada has many rules in place for all the crimes that happens throughout the country. However, people of different ages are treated differently. This is because of the YCJA, which gives youth who commit crime, under the age of eighteen, certain rights that adult criminals don’t get. This is a very debated and important topic because this act gives certain advantages to youth criminals because of their age and some people don’t think that this is fair.
In the late 17th Century, the French Revolution began. The French Revolution was a rebellion of the third estate against the inequality and injustice of the social classes. The high economic gap and social inequality led to reforms such as the drafting of the Declaration of Rights for Men and the Tennis Court of Oath. One of the main factors that led to the French Revolution is the economic gaps between the rich and the poor.
“Against us tyranny's, Bloody banner is raised, Do you hear, in the countryside, The roar of those ferocious soldiers?They're coming right into your arms,To cut the throats of your sons, your women!” -French National Anthem. In the late 1700’s France, the three estates are stirring with injustice. During this time the king, King Louis XVI was in power over the nation. Consisting of middle class and peasants, the Third Estate people were growing frustrated with the unfair taxes and treatments towards them. This continuous feeling of anger eventually led to what is known as the French Revolution. But how exactly did it start? Although both political and economic causes to the French Revolution occurred, the paramount cause appeared to resigate from social issues. This is because the main problems were from the groups and social classes of
The socialists, believing everyone is equal, saw that the proletariat was being treated poorly and knew that would have to change. The cruel working conditions and little civil rights made a gap that no single man could cross without help. Many believed that socialism was the key. Socialism grew from the problems of the Industrial Revolution. The relationship of the Revolution to socialism was that of a problem to a solution, respectively. If not for the Industrial Revolution, the problems between the classes would never have grown so apparent. Then again, without the Industrial Revolution the world would be stuck in the past.
the French revolution began in 1789 and ended in 1799. Louis XVI was King of France in 1789. Louis was a kind man, but he was raised to be a king and had little knowledge of common people. There was a story in France that when Louis' wife, Marie Antoinette, heard that the people had no bread, she said, "Let them eat cake." Marie Antoinette never said that, but it shows how little she knew (and some say cared) about life for the common people of France.
Socialism along with many other ideologies has a vast number of different strands and with a couple of different roads to achieving what is fundamentally socialism. Socialism being the ideology that utilises collectivisation to bring people together and to unite people by their common humanity. The two most obvious roads of socialism would be that of revolutionary socialism and also that of evolutionary socialism. This are taken on by two different types of socialists, revisionist socialists and fundamentalist socialists. Revolutionary socialism is the belief that capitalism can only be overthrown by revolution against the current political system. To them
In the article, "Moral Criticism of the Market", author Ken S. Ewert lays out a formidable rebuttal of the Christian Left's criticism of the free market economic system. This view has taken a stronger rise in the past couple years, along with the rise in popularity among many around socialism. Since I have the luxury of having lived long enough to see several attempts at socialism/communism rise and fall, I found its resurgence in popularity during the last election somewhat surprising.
Throughout Europe, people of all different classes and moralities had different views of socialism and how it should be achieved/expressed throughout time in that area. An economic and political system based on collective or state ownership of the means of production and distribution is known as socialism. Socialism branched from Republicanism in the early 19th century, because people came to disapprove unequal distribution of wealth and goods. Socialists wanted equal rights for all, but they were opposed to upper class people who received more income for less work with little impact on society. A socialist economic system is the representation of attempting to eliminate economic inequalities and exploitation. Goals of this would be ending
The redistribution of wealth is to create a society where there are no millionaires while poverty stricken families go hungry in the street. Along the same lines, higher minimum wages and strong employee unions help to create a more equal nation, where even lower income workers make a living wage. Although the idea of a society where everyone lives in an equal brotherhood has been around for a very long time (Fourier, Owen, Simon) the birth of socialism has been accredited to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848. It is important to note that socialism and communism are two different things, but Marx and Engels used the two terms interchangeably.
The French Revolution was also a result of the discontentment of the social structure in France. King Louis and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were very unpopular among the French because they did not care about their subjects.
The American Revolution of the 1770’s was fueled by the ideas of social equality and political liberty as well as the desire for justice and the creation of democratic institutions. This movement as well as the writings of authors, such as Rousseau and Voltaire, speaking human rights, led way to the French Revolution. With King Louis XVI reign there was much careless spending and overindulgence leaving France in a very poor financial state when he passed away. His rule had caused the majority of French people to have distinct and feelings of resentment towards the monarchy when Louis XVI came into rule. At the time, France had three basic social classes. At the top were the royals’
The French Revolution was caused by social inequality, economic depression,mistreatment from the monarchy, and the new idea of the Enlightenment Era.
Socialism is the underlying motivation behind communist movements in history. Socialists believe that it is unjust for a small amount of people to own the biggest portion of the wealth in society. This idea lead to the concept of a communist society, in which the existence of private property is eliminated in favor of government-owned property being shared among all it’s people. The government would provide jobs and care for all people equally. The idea was that through communism, there would be no social classes, thus eliminating alienation for any of the people in the society.
With government involvement in business, fairer treatment for all was feasible. Most countries today have socialist parties, many have socialist governments, and others who are in between have adopted socialist ideas. Communism and socialism are
Marx and Engels’ The Communist Manifesto states, “The first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle of democracy” (1888:32). Marx predicted that once proletariats had seized power, the state would abolish capitalism through collective ownership, taking economic control away from the free market and subsequently liberating society from alienation and oppression. This would give rise to a socialist society of equality, ultimately leading to communism. This essay discusses the strengths and limitations of democratic socialism in achieving Marxist socialism. In the UK democratic socialism has bought about