Huberman and Sweezy’s Reading response

Responding to questions 2 and 5 from Huberman and Sweezy’s Reading

Huberman and Sweezy’s reading shows key differences between socialism and capitalism. One of these contrasts is in the ownership of means of production. In a capitalist society, private owners hold power to control how these means of production are run and are the ones who take the bigger share of profits in comparison to the laborers and workers in these production lines. Socialism, however, advocates for common ownership of these means of production resultantly ensuring an equal distribution of the profits made from producing goods. Another difference between capitalism and socialism is seen in the establishment and divisions of social classes. A capitalist society enhances the divide between the wealthy class and the poor class.

With its advocacy for private ownership of property, capitalism seeks to benefit only a few elites who own the means of production, increasing the gap between the rich and poor. Socialism, on the other hand, bridges the gap between the less privileged and the rich as its collective element on owning property seeks to neutralize all social classes. A new classless order can be realized by implementing socialism (Sweezy). Another contrast between the two is how each is run. In a society that encourages socialism, the working class is the main driver of policies and is dependent on their organization and consciousness to bring in change. A capitalist society, on the other hand, is governed by the upper wealth class, which is more of a top-down approach in implementing policies and making decisions.

Socialism refers to a revolutionary change that will see societies’ being reconstructed differently, resulting in combined efforts that seek collective gains. It seeks to measure the success of men’s performance on the basis of their cooperation with fellow men hence advocating for the golden rule. In a socialist state, the country is owned by the people who manage it for the collective benefit of all. Centralized planning is key to the success of socialism, and without a common strategy, a socialist society is doomed to fail.  Socialism diminishes the power that man has over another man but enhances man’s power over nature (Sweezy). In a socialist society, production is regulated not for the purpose of profit-making, but for providing enough for all with utmost keen on the public good. Through socialism, ownership of means of production will change from private to public, minimizing poverty, war as well as insecurity, all of which stem from capitalism.

 

 

Works Cited

Sweezy, Leo Huberman, and Paul. “The Utopian Socialists.” Sweezy, Leo Huberman, and Paul. Introduction to Socialism. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2010. 50-144.