What benefits has Socialism given us over history?

[Tovarisch]

What benefits that we enjoy today have been given to us by socialism or socialists?

I know a couple. Until 1906, when you ate meat, you could have been consuming anything from rat crap to human fingers. But thanks to a Socialist named Upton Sinclair, our meat is pretty safe to eat today. Also due to Sinclair's efforts, we know most of the ingredients that will go into our food.

Another big one is that thanks to socialists, working hours have been limited to the point where we can actually come home to our families and spend an hour or two with them. Before working hour laws, most people would rarely see their families and would not know life outside a steamy factory room

[Klaatu]

Socialists ended child labor.

[Comrade Samuel]

One day we will say socialists ended capitalism

[GoddessCleoLover]

Many things such as labor unions, restrictions on child labor, minimum wage rates, compensation for injured workers, insurance for disability and old age, and most other social programs have their origins in socialism. Indirectly, we can thank socialists for the concept of the weekend, since prior to the union movement workers generally had to work at least six days per week.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

The first concentrated efforts at space exploration/travel :cool:

If I remember correctly Tetris was invented in the USSR.:p

[Rafiq]

The worker's movement inevitably, in the process of fighting it's enemy, paves way for better standards of living for the majority of people (workers).

I don't see the point in this thread.

[CommunityBeliever]

Socialists saved the world from the Nazi menace:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Reichstag_flag_original.jpg

[artanis17]

City planning (East Europe)

[Os Cangaceiros]

re: Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"

Upton Sinclair himself downplayed the impact of his work. The inspection of meat had been championed by corporations involved in meat packing for decades prior (they were getting hurt in export markets in Europe because of tainted meat).

http://www.revleft.com/vb/upton-sinclair-impact-t158961/index.html?t=158961

[Tavarisch_Mike]

Let me put it like this.

In Marx and Engels early descriptions of the growng proletariat, they reported living conditions that was something like; You start to work at the age of 6 and you will probably get some of youre body parts deformed thanks to heavy and monotomous tasks. If not handicaped or even loose youre life, by falling of something, or get cought in a machine (in school they thought us that the average life expectency for a factory worker in Manchester 1830 was 17 years). You will work for around 14 hours for a salary that actually isnt enough to survive. You have no rights socialy or politicaly, no right to vote, no right to express your opinion, no kind of wellfare and god forbid that you form a union. If youre a female you will likely become even more exploited by lower salary, and a great amount of harrasment from your supervisor, even to the extent that you will start to prostitute youreself since theres more money in that 'industry' and you risks are about the same as in a garment factory. The so called free time you have you will live in a room togheter with a bunch of other people. Youre home is dirty and cold, the best way of using time is by search for extra fuel and, ofcourse to raise pigs or goats in the room, just for that extra protein. Oh yeah and ofcourse to get drunk as many times as possible to forget youre missery, and hopefully fall asleep in the fillf aside of a rats and pigs.



If you find some changes since then towards today... well thatnks socialism for that.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Although there are probably more people working under those kinds of conditions in one district of India today than in all of England during Marx's lifetime...

[Pretty Flaco]

don't thank socialists, thank the working people that stood up for themselves.

[Tavarisch_Mike]

Although there are probably more people working under those kinds of conditions in one district of India today than in all of England during Marx's lifetime...

True!

I might got a little bit of to much erocentrism in that post. But then... many places in the third world today are industrializing right now, and going trough all the aspect that the west went through before.

[Tavarisch_Mike]

don't thank socialists, thank the working people that stood up for themselves.


Just to clearify. At least when I talk about the gains of socialism, thats what im refering to. The people. Since i have a very hard time to se any books that will organize a strike by themselves ;)

[Pretty Flaco]

Just to clearify. At least when I talk about the gains of socialism, thats what im refering to. The people. Since i have a very hard time to se any books that will organize a strike by themselves ;)

Well I'm just clarifying the difference between politicians and working people.

[Imposter Marxist]

Socialism has never existed for more than a few years

[ckaihatsu]

Socialism has never existed for more than a few years


This is interesting, in that it points to the dialectic that exists between socialism-as-a-process (workers standing up for themselves) and socialism-as-a-destination (the final, decisive overthrow of the exploiting class).

Some revolutionaries interpret the struggle for socialism as being more in-the-moment -- like the journey part of traveling -- while others tend to interpret the struggle for socialism as being about the "destination", or what kind of political consciousness should be at the forefront of everyone's mind.