About Socialism (1976)

From the August 1976 issue of the Socialist Standard

After trying to explain Socialism to friends I often find them suddenly asking, “But how much would a manual worker get?” or something equally startling. I suppose it must be partly my fault for advocating “production for use” and “common ownership and democratic control of the means of wealth production and distribution” etc., without always getting across even the major implications of such Socialist fundamentals. (It’s also partly the fault of Labour, Communist, Conservative and other political parties who intentionally propagate the idea that the nationalization in the UK and the capitalism in Russia have something to do with Socialism; and that wage-earners, money and armed forces etc. can or do exist in a Socialist society. Some of the members of these parties genuinely believe these ideas out of ignorance —others, better-read and “knowing the score” deliberately preserve the deception out of self-interest.)

And so, for the benefit of readers not long acquainted with the Socialist Standard or other Socialist literature, here are some of the physical implications of a Socialist society.

There will be no money. The necessities and good things of life will be produced by the community and owned by it, so no one will be in a position to sell anything to anybody. Each individual will take (literally) freely what he or she needs—no buying, no selling, no stealing—all impossible, and money superfluous. Each person will work because he or she is a human being to whom useful work is natural and each will eat, and enjoy leisure for the same reason. There will be no “If you don’t work you don’t eat” threats. The only “punishment” for consuming without producing will be the pity and possible “patronage” of one’s fellow beings. (Which is probably worse than it sounds!) Stealing having disappeared — so will prisons, policemen and armed forces. Likewise there will be no vested interests, power groups, nations or nationalism. The motive for war will cease to exist.

Because of the advanced state of material development the world has now reached, all this is within our reach, requiring but one more thing—the understanding of, and consequent desire for Socialism by a majority of the citizens of the world.

R. B. Gill