Discuss the key features of pre Marxist socialist theory. (UPSC CSE Mains 2015- Political Science and International Relations, Paper 1)
Socialism is considered to be an ideology of the poor and is considered to be a hat that has lost its shape due to the numerous types of socialism. The origin of socialist ideas is in French revolution, which called for equality and fraternity. There were socialists during the time of French revolution calling for revolutionary activities like Louis Blanc, Blanqui. Blanc called for workers controlled economic system and Blanqui advised conquest of state by force. However revolutionaries failed to bring socialism.
Later on another form of peaceful, evolutionary form of socialism emerged in various parts of Europe. Prominent early socialists include saint Simon, Charles Fourier, Robert Owen. They were called as Utopian Socialists. They regarded poverty as the principal source of ills of society and private property as the chief cause of poverty. They stood for renovation of society and the amelioration of the existing inequalities. They believed that changes they desired could be achieved through appeals to the reason and sense of justice of influential members of the community. They did not look at all to revolutionary action, nor primarily to political action, for bringing about the changes.
Utopian socialism is a type of ethical socialism which requires a certain ethics of those living in the community. Utopian socialism is a challenge to the conventional economic model of rational choice – the idea that individuals seek to maximise their individual utility. Under utopian socialism, it assumes that individuals will be able to put selfish ends to one side to consider the common good. Some aspects of Utopian-socialism are (a) No state ownership of means of production (b) Advocates co-operation between owners and workers – rather than adversarial workers vs capitalist /trade unions (c) Local decentralisation of decision-making process and (d) Market forces harnessed but emphasis on considering common good rather than selfish ends.
However efforts of early socialists failed to make an impact. Such ideas were criticized by Marx for being utopian and not scientific. Marx considered such early socialists as idealists and lacking in true understanding of capitalism.
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