Socialism

Socialism Today

Despite the fact that North Korea and Sweden both have socialist governments, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their political applications of socialism. In North Korea, a socialist country since 1948, all means of production are state owned. Furthermore, it essentially is a totalitarian dictatorship, where the single ruling party quells all forms of dissent, thus alienating the regime from democratic world powers. North Korea's socialist state has also been plagued with difficulties. It has experienced widespread poverty and famine since the end of Russian subsidies in the 1990s.

Socialism in Sweden, however, is characterized by relative prosperity within a multiparty, democratic state and a mixed economy. Sweden, a socialist country since World War II, differs from North Korea in that most business enterprises are privately owned. Socialism in Sweden focuses more on providing social welfare services than on communal ownership and control of the means of production. Northern European socialist movements are often called “social democratic” to indicate their gradualist social welfare agenda and compatibility with democratic values and institutions. To better understand the variations between countries such as Sweden and North Korea, it is necessary to have some historical background on the socialist movement.

Response to European Industrial Revolution

Socialism emerged in Europe in the early 1800s, largely in response to the failings, or perceived failings, of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain. Technological innovations, such as the creation of the steam engine in the 1780s, were applied to both manufacturing processes and to new means of transportation. The factory system, coupled with the development of large and complex railroad networks by the 1840s, dramatically enhanced Britain's productive and distributive capacity. Britain's competitive advantage was expressed in the rapid expansion of its international trade, both inside and beyond its colonial empire.

While Great Britain advanced into the industrial age, the rest of mainland Europe lagged behind. The French Revolution and subsequent Napoleonic Era (from the 1790s to 1815) fostered political, social, and economic instability, thus impeding industrial development on the continent. The working class, and its defenders, grew increasingly frustrated with the industrialized society that gradually enveloped them. It was in this context of rising discontent with unfettered capitalism that socialism gained popularity.

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