I got into a discussion a couple days ago with someone who firmly and sincerely believes that a Carrington Event level EMP (or something else that collapses our current civilization) will finally usher in the advent of PERMANENT, TRUE, AUTHENTIC Socialism among the survivors.
I has to disagree with him but he remains fixed in his belief. I freely admit that within a Nuclear Family there is often a sort of Socialism as there is among some small tribes and other small groups.
Most American “Communes” from the 60s eventually transformed into Corporations if they developed a marketable product or service. They ones that didn’t almost all ultimately failed.
Israel’s Kibbutzim often practiced a sort of “Socialism/Communism” and some maintained that system for a long, long time. However… most abandoned it as it became clear that the standard of living they produced came no where near what those outside enjoyed. They also had the special advantage of being able to expel anyone who failed to contribute sufficiently and members could choose to leave that any time. Both benefited from there being an “outside” to which members could move or to which members could be expelled.
The Kibbutzim model of “Socialism/Communism” just like the Amish model of simplicity and disengagement from modern Society is only possible in the context of a larger industrial society which provides the infrastructure and services upon which both depend.
The ultimate flaw inherent in Socialism is quite clear and obvious… Human Nature. At the Family Level the main Provider (I’ll say HE… feel free to substitute HER if you like) quickly discovers that no matter how hard he works he cannot better his family’s standard of living. His priority will ALWAYS be the wellbeing of his Family and not the “Common Good”. Few Fathers or Mothers will sacrifice the wellbeing of their children for the good of others. That fact of Human Nature has not changed in millennia.
Every individual discovers that doing the minimum amount of work required produces the same results as working hard. In most larger Socialist Societies like the Asian and European Countries mired in it during the 20th Century workers indeed discovered that they could and WOULD usually be punished by co-workers if they worked harder than necessary as it often resulted in everyone being expected to work harder.
The biggest flaw of all was when the concept of “according to one’s Needs” was interpreted by those with the power to manage what people receive… they ALWAYS determined that those with that power deserved more.
So yea… Socialism DOES work… in small groups where the goal is simple survival and no one actually expects to receive more than minimal subsistence. Once a society grows beyond that simple subsistence level it begins to fail… and usually brutally and violently.
After a collapse I suspect most of the people who survive will be nuclear Families as they have the best chance. If not Nuclear Families by blood then small Tribal groups that trust and support one another. Once a number of those small groups begin to coalesce into villages and towns Capitalism and Self Interest will reemerge as the driving economic model…. again… HUMAN NATURE.
Feel free to disagree with me but study History before you do.
The Librarian
