Socialism
The seemingly swift rush of technological and industrial development throughout the 18th and 19th centuries led to success and advancement in the standard of living and abilities and comforts available to the public. This heightened life was not, however, available to all people equally. Instead, a reaction on the side of economic and social survival took over. The owners of large industrial giants started gaining the good life brought about by this time, while those who worked for them received little that their work reaped. This created a separation by class based on wealth and position in society. Not dissimilar to the class systems of old medieval society, these new classes, first seen in Britain and France, separated the workers, or proletarians, from the few, rich controllers of industry called the Bourgeoisie. This split in society called out for something to help the oppressed majority, to which ideas of Socialism and Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto responded. In this short, easy to understand pamphlet, Marx attempts to first, discredit and bring blame to the Bourgeoisie while pushing for an answer lying in an economic and political structure known as socialism and communism.
Either name can be used because there is little difference between the two styles or ideals as well as a common place next to each other as each develop themes throughout the history of the 19th and 20th century. Each system touched every populated continent in the world, usually beginning with socialist movements, then leading to communist radicals, and, in a few countries, lead to actual practices of these styles, particularly communism. Even with this uniting, a firm base of socialistic and communistic thought did not form in America. Worker's Unions and strikes, however, were present, but nothing as organized as found in Europe at this time. As America traveled into the 20th century, political parties, and more organized groups of socialist and communist followers emerged. Only about 100,000 people actually accepted this view and joined the wave. The curiousness of this situation is what makes America different from the rest of the world in its reaction to Socialism. Similar in timing to Great Britain, America experienced affects of the industrial revolution in the same way. In a different aspect, however, the American government seemed a little more prepared for such a jump in technology and advancement with the newly found democracy, as well as the old since of individual freedom and interest. There was a division between workers and industry owners, but nothing as severe as Britain. America, being young, did not have a basis in feudalism or class systems, which provided the problematic situations seen in Great Britain and Europe. This does not mean, however, that the socialist movement sweeping the world from early 19th to the 20th century did not affect it. The Communist Manifesto was the publication that really sent the shock waves worldwide. Although socialistic and communistic ideals formed in Western Europe, it took the writing of Karl Marx and Frederic Engels to unite socialists world wide as to the true advantages of their beliefs. The theme of socialism through history began with this reaction to the industrial revolution. The proletariats, or working lower class, searched for a way to rise above the stage they were at. Great Britain and France led the way in testing the waters of socialism as an alternative to the current situation of economic and social confusion. As Marx stated, laborers worked for the tycoons to "live only so long as the
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1614
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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