In this article I do not mean Social Democracy that is practiced in Scandinavia and generally across the Europe. Neither do I mean new left like Podemos or Syriza. They do have a future. New ideas such as Social Liberalism and Social Libertarianism together with UBI have future as well.
However actual orthodox Marxist Socialism that wants to cease means of production is fully and truly dead. Nationalising means of production did not work then and has even less chances of succeeding now.
The reason why Socialism is dead is the fact that nationalizing means of production does not solve the inherent problems of capitalist system. It just replaces one ruling class with another one, who are no less cruel and condescending towards working people than those capitalists they replace.
George Orwell illustrated it well in his Animal Farm book. The pigs who led the revolution gradually became even more spoiled and exploitative than the farmer they expelled. Real life communists went the same way. They wear blue collar worker's uniform to look like one of the masses, but in reality, lead a more spoiled life than kings they replaced. Look and Kim Jong Un or Fidel Castro and see if for yourself.
Even when first socialist congress was convened in the middle of 19th century, many cautioned against this very outcome. What was the reaction of the congress: to expel the critics, labelling them naysayers and press on.
Several splits on, the more radical socialists managed to seize power in dysfunctional and backward Russian Empire. They finally got their go and what did it showed. The fact that critics were right. The new ruling class replaced capitalists and now exploiting workers like never before. Even some very fervent supporters of revolution like Trotsky and Mayakovski were pointing that out. What did communist party did about, it? Once again expelled the naysayers and pretended that there is no problem.
What happened in USSR afterwards? Did they tried to address the issues and fix the system. No, far from it. Instead, they doubled down on repression.
Anyone critical of the system in any way was silenced and repressed. Zealotry and unwavering faith in the system became the modus operandi of the party. Competence, ability, science, skills and other useful abilities that could actually move country forward were ignored and sidelined in favor of blind faith that Lenin and the party know what they are doing and unflagging desire to carry their will forward.
Even leaders who wanted to improve life of common people were removed in favor of brain-dead dogmatic zealots. Khruschev fell because he had ideas and wanted to make things better. He was replaced with Brezhnev who just parroted the slogans and pretended that everything is sunshine when it clearly was not.
How was life for an ordinary worker. Much worse than in "exploitative, rotten capitalism." Leaders' desire to stick it to Americans and the West bled the country dry. USSR had half of GDP of the United States, yet leaders wanted an army bigger than American one and be first in space as well. They also spend lavishly on various communist guerrillas across the globe to win the Cold War.
Average worker had to foot the bill. Every rouble spends to help Africa is rouble not spend on quality of life. Average Soviet and Eastern Block citizen had much less wealth than average Westerner NATO member. Apartments were small, cars where exotic luxury and so were electronics. Even food and clothes were scarce, the planners of planned economy somehow calculated that person needs only a pair of socks and pair of trousers a year and produced no more. putting all surplus money in tanks, rockets and African dictators like Mugabe.
Meanwhile across the iron curtain Americans and Europeans learned from their mistakes and fixed the issues that their system had. They started spending to improve quality of life of common man. FDR introduced New Deal policy, Social Democracy was implementing welfare state across Europe. Post WWII era became time of unprecedented prosperity and comfort for average joe.
What USSR did to match that? Nothing. Instead, it double down on propaganda and tried to claim moral high ground. They had no quality of life, so instead they pushed ethics, claiming that spending of Africa and space is more moral than on yachts and mansions. Did average worker who had to work more and eat less to make it happened cared for Africa. Not at all. However self-righteous party bosses decided for him anyway. They chose to beat America, matching American achievements move by move.
Gradually USSR mirrored everything Americans had. Americans flew a man into space; USSR has to to. US build 5000 nukes; USSR has to build 6000 to top that. Americans won 40 Olympic medals; USSR has to win 50 and so on. Even organisations such as Boy Scouts and YMCA were copied. Society scouts were called Young Pioneers and instead of Young Christian Men Association there was Committee of Lenin's Youth (ComSoMol). Even that scarf around neck was the same, just of different colour. The church was of course the party itself, huge sprawling juggernaut that controlled it all.
Eventually conflict started too like Cola Wars between Coke and Pepsi, labels are different, but content is largely the same, just of different colour. Joke that capitalism is exploitation of a man by a man and socialism is the other way around very aptly described it.
Final nail in the coffin was delivered by crazy dictators such as Pol Pot and Kim Jong Un. No matter how much socialists will claim "it was not real socialism" the public will forever associate socialism with Pol Pot's brutality, North Korea Craziness and Cuba's poverty. There is just no way to whitewash any of that.
It all ended in late 80s when people grew so tired of sacrificing their wellbeing for the ego of party bosses, they just rebelled against the system, and it was no more.
Almost 40 years have passed since then. Did communists learn something from all that? Nothing at all. All communists and orthodox socialists do is wallow in nostalgia, tout few achievements and fervently deny all shortcomings no matter how small.
Capitalism won because it could learn from its own mistakes, identify its shortcomings and offer solutions that work. Communism lost because it cannot do the same critical analysis of its own system shortcomings.
That does not mean that left in general is dead. New left, born in the current system and offering solutions to the current problems still able to be popular. Podemos and Syriza win elections and form governments. Broadly left Pirate Parties do the same.
New left has future, but its bogged down by the old left. Old communists eventually made their way into Podemos ranks and destroyed the party from within. Now people no longer trust Podemos, and it could not win anything. Syriza and Pirates are smarter because they refuse to do the same and keep communists at arm length.
Pirates can win election, Syriza can win elections, but old orthodox Marxist Socialist cannot. So, it's long overdue Marxists finally get down from their high horse, admit critics were right, put their red flag into museum and rally behind the black and/or purple one instead. Then under leadership of sceptics and critics we can actually create a better world for us all.
Communism and Socialism is dead, and the sooner left realised it the better. Then we can finally work on a new and better system that will actually solve the problems.
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