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Charles C. Milliken| The Daily Telegram

Last time, I listed five characteristics which all socialist systems share, if they are to be truly socialist. There are, obviously, systems which share one or more of these characteristics, but all must be present to represent Socialism with a capital S.In summary, they were 1. Communitarian, 2. Based on class distinctions, with oppressed being liberated from their oppressors, 3. Universally compulsory, 4. Leveling, and, 5. Hierarchical.

Contemporary advocates of Socialism are faced with the intractable fact that every Socialist attempt in the past few centuries has been a dismal, impoverishingand deadly failure. From the French Revolution (before the term was invented), through Russia, China, Germany, North Korea and every People'sRepublic littering the ash heap of human suffering, right down to Venezuela today, Socialism has never delivered on its utopian dream of a selfless society where everyone happily works to the best of their ability, and in turn are supplied with their needs.This notion, a Christian heresy of bringing an imaginary heaven down to a real earth, undoubtedly springs from Christian monastic practice. For nearly two millennia monks and nuns have labored selflessly in their convents and monasteries living the socialist dream, although they would hardly put it like that. Sowhy and I have personally been asked this question couldnt all of society function the same way?

Here is where the dreamworld of Socialist utopia hits the real world of human nature. Although religious orders have been around for a very long time, they are a pale shadow of what they once were. For all their success in living a selfless life, this life was always based on orthodox faith in Christ and in His Church, not on some theory of class struggle. The 16th century saw the destruction of Catholic universalism, the 19th the destruction of the rest of Christianity, at least in the West. We now live in the rubble of that beautiful edifice for all its flaws and have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. Religious vocations are a vanishingly small number.

Utopian communities were tried in the U.S. in the 19th century. All failed. Hippie communes tried the same lifestyle in the 60s, with the addition of drugs and free sex, but also all failed.

In the face of this miserable track record, why do todays advocates for Socialism think it will work this time? The reason Ive heard the most is Socialism has failed because of poor leadership. They say, in essence and sometimes in fact, If I had been running Russia instead of Lenin or Stalin,all would have been well. They do not deny that Socialism requires leadership, it's just that, for whatever reason, circumstances have just tossed up bad leaders, without acknowledging that Socialism absolutely requires bad leaders. The lovely world of the monastery is compulsory on its members, but a member is free to joinand free to leave. In short, people self-select. Nothing like that is possible in a Socialist polity membership is compulsory and all must obey. Obedience requires discipline. Monks and nuns self discipline. General members of any society mostly dont, and therefore coercion is required of varying severity.

The Bolsheviks in Russia tried a workaround by asserting that severe discipline was only temporaryand the New Soviet Man would emerge, who would selflessly and unstintingly work for the common good. Meanwhile Revolutionary Justice would weed out the intractable. Despite millions thus being eliminated, the whole thing lasted 75 yearsand then collapsed with a whimper. Human nature is a very intractable thing, and running an entire society on the basis of volunteerism simply does not, and cannot, work. Incentives, alas, matter. Variable paychecks are much more efficient incentives than firing squads.

The concept of equity, of everyone getting about the same income, is much beloved by our vice president, at least based on her campaign ads. The average wage in the U.S. is about $60,000. Some would be ecstatic. Would you?

Charles Milliken is a professor emeritus after 22 years of teaching economics and related subjects at Siena Heights University. He can be reached at milliken.charles@gmail.com.

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The inevitable failure of socialism - The Daily Telegram