Why Do Socialist Societies Fail?

In a socialist society the small group of people who control the government have the power to limit the rights of its citizens in order to benefit the state run industries. Democracy gives people a say in government and decisions are made with the consent of the people. Socialist economies do not listen to the voice of the people in making decisions concerning the economy. It is only a small group of people that make decisions that affect the economy.

Another difference is that the freedom that democracy gives its citizens allows the people to set up their own stores and own businesses to earn a living. Under socialism, the state runs all the businesses and industries and tells the people what job they must have to best help the economy.

My final point is the morality concerning a socialist government. In a socialist society the people must be coerced into accepting the position that the government controls all economic activity. This coercion, as political scientist Friedrich August von Hayek states, “To make and enforce decisions, the government must be run by the most amoral and ruthless” (Hayek 1).

In a socialist society, the people must be convinced that their own self interests and livelihood rest with the centralized government. The examples of socialism in the Soviet Union and Germany can be used to demonstrate how socialism and control of industries by the government led to total control of the people’s lives. In Stalin’s Five Year Plans, people were forced to work long, hard hours and jobs to support to the state industries. When power is so highly concentrated by the government, it breeds distrust by people in a democracy who want to have a say in their government. Lastly, there is always the danger that socialism results in a totalitarian government in which the government has total control over the peoples lives.