What is Socialism?

What is Socialism?
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What are the facts? What are the distortions?
Here's what the Socialist Labor Party says.

Who owns what

Socialism is the collective ownership by all the people of the factories, mills, mines, railroads, land and all other instruments of production.

Who benefits

Socialism means production to satisfy human needs, not as under capitalism, for sale and profit.

Who runs things

Socialism means direct control and management of the industries and social services by the workers through a democratic government based on their nationwide economic organization.

Under socialism, all authority will originate from the workers, integrally united in socialist industrial unions. In each workplace, the rank and file will elect whatever committees or representatives are needed to facilitate production. Within each shop or office division of a plant, the rank and file will participate directly in formulating and implementing all plans necessary for efficient operations.

Local & national gov't.

Besides electing all necessary shop officers, the workers will also elect representatives to a local and national council of their industry or service -- and to a central congress representing all the industries and services. This all-industrial congress will plan and coordinate production in all areas of the economy.

Democratic control

All persons elected to any post in the socialist government, from the lowest to the highest level, will be directly accountable to the rank and file. They will be subject to removal at any time that a majority of those who elected them decide it is necessary. Such a system would make possible the fullest democracy and freedom. It would be a society based on the most primary freedom-economic freedom.

Individual rights

For individuals, socialism means an end to economic insecurity and exploitation. It means workers cease to be commodities bought and sold on the labor market, and forced to work as appendages to tools owned by someone else. It means a chance to develop all individual capacities and potentials within a free community of free individuals. It means a classless society that guarantees full democratic rights for aii workers.

What socialism is not

* Socialism does not mean government or state ownership.

* It does not mean a state bureaucracy as in the U.S.S.R., with the working class oppressed by a new bureaucratic class.

* It does not mean a closed party-run system without democratic rights.

* It does not mean "nationalization," or "labor-management boards," or state capitalism of any kind.

* It means a complete end to all capitalist social relations.

How we can get socialism

To win the struggle for socialist freedom requires enormous efforts of organizational and educational work. It requires building a political party of socialism to contest the power of the capitalist class on the political field, and to educate the majority of workers about the need for socialism. It requires building socialist industrial union organizations to unite all workers in a class-conscious industrial force, and to prepare them to take, hold, and operate the tools of production. You are needed in the ranks of socialists fighting for a better

world, to end poverty, racism, environmental disaster and to avert a catastrophic nuclear war. Find out more about the program and work of the Socialist Labor Party and join us to help make the promise of socialism a reality.

What can you do?

1. Learn more

The SLP publishes a wide range of literature on various aspects of the socialist movement. Its official journal, the Weekly People, offers a clear analysis of the news each week from the workers' point of view. Send for free copies.

2. Get involved

Contact the SLP subdivision in your area and find out about local activities like lectures, leafleting and classes in Marxism.

3. Join us

The SLP is open to all who agree with its program of political and economic organization to replace capitalism with a new socialist society. Learn more about the SLP's ideas and program. It you agree, you belong in the SLP.