Why is Socialism Incompatible with Democracy?
Socialism is incompatible with Democracy for several reasons the first of which stems from the pure definitions of democracy and socialism. Democracy by definition implies that every person has one vote and is equal in society. Democratic societies get to elect their leaders or representatives to make decisions. A socialist society is a political theory that advocates collective government ownership and administration of production and distribution of goods. The centralized government controls all aspects of the economy. Despite the socialist emphasis on economics and a democratic emphasis on political aspects, the two ideas are incompatible because the socialist government plays a role in politics and the rights of the people. When industries are owned by the state, the state controls how much everyone gets paid, what hours they work and what jobs they are best suited for.
In planning the state run industries, it conflicts with politics. As economist and writer Arnold Heertje states, “there is a view of the large tensions, sometimes overt but often wholly suppressed and latent, between those who govern and those who are governed under centralized socialism” (Heerje 51). In a socialist society a small group of people control the government and 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. As sociologist Joseph Schumpeter writers, “If socialism and democracy were to be put together, the sphere of democracy, especially as it regards production, must be suitably restricted” (Heertje 104). If a true democratic government were to exist, then it could never allow the restriction of rights placed upon the nation’s citizens as a result of socialist central planning of industry.
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.
