Can socialism be accepted in a democracy? It is a critical question that cannot and should not be avoided anymore. Some argue democratic socialism and social democracy are compatible with democracy. Others go further and believe that socialism is necessary for democracy to compensate for the defects of capitalism. Do we need socialism to that extent?
Democratic socialism pursues a socialist revolution through elections. The election is just a vehicle to achieve a revolution. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is gaining popularity in the United States, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). They believe that capitalism is incompatible with democratic values. Problems of capitalism can be solved only by replacing private ownership of the means of production with social ownership. Though it is beautifully phrased ‘democratic’, it is sharing the view that socialism is the only answer, just like Marx claimed. Democratic socialism criticizes Stalin’s dictatorship because it was not democratic. However, democratic socialism itself is not democratic at all. It is a paradox and history shows that a dictatorship is possible in the name of democracy using the majority vote through the election. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party, which is also called the Nazis, was a totalitarian government established through democratic elections.
For this reason, the democracy we support must be a liberal democracy that guarantees all individuals’ dignity and freedom from the tyranny of majority vote and mass dictatorship. An individual’s dignity and freedom are inherent and cannot be violated even by a majority vote. Protecting these values is the reason why a state exists. All attempts to deprive individuals of property and force social ownership of the means of production, albeit it has democratic legitimacy through a majority vote, are nothing more than dictatorships subtly disguised by democracy.
Social democracy abandons revolution and seeks to realize socialist values in a democracy. Some people praise European socialism that pursues a welfare state. However, social democracy of European countries is also problematic. First, European socialism proves that social democracy does not guarantee sustainable development. Sweden is often praised as a desirable social democratic country. However, Swedish people learned something different through their socialistic experiments in the 1970s and 80s. The economy collapsed as a result of high taxes and bloated social welfare system. They chose to reform to strengthen the free market system and reorganized tax system, including abolishing inheritance tax. They also reduced government spending and privatized state-owned enterprises and pension systems. The precious lesson was that state monopoly stifles innovation, which is led by free competition. However, a more fundamental problem lies in the nature of socialism. Some may argue social democracy has given up the revolution and is separated from Marxism. However, it cannot be free from the ghost of Marx as long as they long for socialism and pursue social ownership of the means of production in any form. Suppose a person agitates people by appealing to beautiful values such as equality, justice, fairness and democracy, and strategically use false information and ignore the truth to seize power. In that case, he/she is already possessed by the ghost of Marx. Besides, it is crucial to bear in mind that social democracy becomes an excellent hiding place for revolutionary socialists and a means for united front work, a socialists’ old sly strategy to ally with others and use them for their own purposes. It is easy to infiltrate into a democratic society if you disguise yourself by saying ‘I gave up the revolution’.
It is possible to fully address human rights, equality, concern for the poor and other social issues without Marx or socialism. Socialists are not the only ones concerned about social reform. Contrary to socialists’ criticism, the free market system, which is pejoratively called capitalism, is not designed to protect only few people’s interests. It is a system that reflects the philosophical view that allocating limited resources through a healthy market and ensuring individual autonomy can bring us closer to establishing a better world for every individual. The concentration of wealth and power has been more severe in countries that advocate socialism, such as the Soviet Union, China and North Korea. Simply blaming capitalism as the root of all social problems and presenting socialism as an alternative is an irresponsible approach that obscures the actual cause of the problem and ignores the historical truth. Numerous social experiments, economic collapses, massacres and frenzy resulting from the pursuit of socialist utopia cannot be separated from the concept of ‘socialism’. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, those who still hope for a socialist experiment that had never been successful in human history viewed European, Latin American and Chinese socialism as an alternative. It deserves to be called ‘socialist obsession syndrome’.
Socialism is a politics of anger. It is a strategy that uses public outrage to gain and maintain power. It is an art that makes dictatorship possible through equality, and it is a sweet scam that deceives the public. It makes one look righteous while robbing the pockets of owners and even future generations. If it is not what you intended and still pursue socialism, you are just repeating a reckless experiment that ignores human nature and lessons from history. No socialism has ever solved the problem of poverty nor has guaranteed sustainable development. Marx and Trotsky, Castro and Che Guevara, Mao and Kim Il-sung all sought socialist utopia. Unfortunately, socialists who sincerely praise them live among us in the diversity and tolerance of democracy, and enjoy the freedom of expression. It is the reality and the battlefield we are facing. How long can a democratic society, which grants freedom for revolutionaries, last? Democracy and socialism cannot exist together. If this simple truth keeps on being neglected, the free world, including South Korea and the US, will soon fall under Beijing’s control.
