The equalizing principle of distribution was the basis for building a socialist society. It consists in equality between the strata of the population. The main goal is to prevent too poor and too rich. Is justice really possible? Are the principles of communism so ideal as it seems at first glance? This dilemma has led many scholars to argue and seek the truth over a decade.
Primeval system
Even in the Stone Age there was an equalizing principle of the distribution of material goods. Then everything became simpler: each member of the family received his share of food. For example, you can read the work of the great American anthropologist Servis called "The Hunters." In his work, he studies the tribes remaining on Earth at that time with the preserved primitive foundations. In addition to life and relationships within the tribe, he pays special attention to the process of food distribution.
One of Servis's memoirs concerns his journey to the North. Once, having lunch with the Eskimos, he said "thank you" for the piece provided, for which the owner was offended. It is not customary for tribal residents to thank for food, as it relies on its own. And the Eskimo replied: "We do not thank for food. This is the good that should be given to everyone."
Consider another side of the equalization principle of distribution. An example of the distribution of natural resources in a primitive society. None of the family were forbidden to use any natural goods, since they are no one's property. But over time, the world's population grew, the tops of power appeared and labor was divided. All this led to the emergence of new social and moral principles, and egalitarianism became a utopia, a dream of a carefree life.
Principles of Equality in Christianity
The religious ideology that arose at the beginning of our era has spread widely to the masses of people. In those days, most of the population was poor and was under the unlimited power of aristocrats. People needed faith in justice, faith in a cloudless future, where there would be no punishment, no poverty, no arrogant rulers. And such a reassurance was the Christian faith. The main moral - after death, everyone will go to the kingdom of God, and everyone will be equal - both rich and poor. And everyone will be given an equal amount of benefits.
Such ideas were attempted by the German leaders of the bourgeois-democratic revolution in the early 18th century. Huge crowds of desperate people gathered on the street in the name of the struggle for justice. Münzer was the leader, developing the idea of a communist principle of equalizing distribution. His work was not perfect, he did not develop it in detail and did not describe how exactly he was going to equalize people. This led to the fact that the revolution did not take place, and Germany took a different path of development.
History in Europe
The principle of land distribution on an equal footing basis existed in many countries. The development of labor productivity, industrialization, class inequality led to the fact that the ideology of justice periodically emerged in the form of mass protests of workers.
In the 17th century in England, the leader of the bourgeois revolution, Winstanley, in his manifesto "The Law of Freedom …" described that a new society can be built only by distributing all benefits equally. He was going to do it from stocks of public warehouses. His idea was supported by the French. The main socialist was Babeuf, who argued that productivity cannot be the cause of unequal distribution. It doesn’t matter if you work hard for the good of society or not, everyone will get the same way.
Example in china
In 1958, the People’s Republic of China tried to solve one of the goals of communism by introducing "people's communes." In a relatively short time, 700 thousand private lands were turned into 26 thousand cooperatives. Everything was transferred to the “People’s Communities”: cattle, poultry, household plots.
However, after a couple of years, the system was reaping its benefits. The equalization principle of distribution has led to the fact that all products are simply "eaten up." Nobody wanted and did not try to increase productivity, as a result of which the growth of agricultural production was completely inhibited. 5 years after the innovations, they had to be canceled.
The concept of the equalization principle
The main idea of communism is that all are equal and have the same rights. In this regard, we formulate a theoretical concept. The equalizing principle of distribution is such a form of distribution of any goods in which each member of the collective receives an equal share, regardless of contribution.
In practice, this leads to the following results. Let's say a team of harvest workers. The shift employs 10 people. Of these, one is on sick leave, the other plows for three, and the third is a lazy person and he spends most of the day in the shade. But in the end everyone will get the same salary. This approach may seem completely unfair to other team members. Another thing is when everyone is trying for the good of society with all his own strength. But a priori this is impossible due to the fact that people are completely different by nature.
Communism and the command and administrative economy
In communism, the principle of equalization prevails. What type of economy is characteristic of it? This is a command and administrative system. Its main principle is that all the goods produced by the population are collected in a single center, and then distributed by the administrative apparatus.
In Marx's theory, the principle of equalization distribution sounded somewhat different. He argued that a just society can only be built when a person is given out benefits in proportion to his contribution to the community. If a worker tries, works efficiently, shows the best results, then the reward will be appropriate.
Attempts to introduce the principle of equalizing the distribution of the command economy by the ideology of Marx in the USSR were. To do this, we need to recall the labor achievements of individual citizens, which the whole Union shouted about. "Citizen Sidorov exceeded the five-year plan for turning bolts!", "10 thousand tons of coal were mined by Ivanov alone!" Often, such indicators were deliberately false, but they greatly enhanced the spirit of workers and made them work more productively.
What prevented the Soviet Union from building an ideal society?
The concept of the equalization principle of distribution can be a really good and effective method for educating a fair society. And in general, the ideas of communism could help build a strong country with a developed economy. But in the entire history of communist society, not one country has succeeded in doing this.
Why?
According to the idea of Marx, benefits should be distributed proportionally, depending on how a person works. But here the first difficulty arises. What is the principle of differentiating distribution? The second point - and how to measure the quantity and quality of labor, if one produces machines, and the other - heals people? And the third - by what parameters to measure?
The solution to the problem №1
Marx and Engels interpreted this. If a person studies a lot, he spends money on higher education, but he will bring a greater contribution to society, so his salary must be higher in order to recoup the cost of training. But in Soviet society, education was free, which means that the benefits brought, albeit on a larger scale, are the merit of society, and not of the worker’s family. So, he can not claim any surcharges.
Solution to Problem 2
In any other society, the quantity and quality of labor is evaluated in monetary terms. But under communism there was no commodity-money relationship. And it was necessary to find such a common denominator with which any work could be compared. And scientists have found. This time. Marx and Engels argued that the more time a person spends on manufacturing a simple part, the lower his labor rates. And vice versa, the less time spent and the better the result, the more valuable the employee.
In reality, this led to enormous confusion. Human professions are so diverse that it turned out to be absolutely impossible to compare them by one indicator. In addition, the number of marriage has increased, because time, not quality, has become valuable.
Solution to Problem 3
There were still attempts to motivate people to work better. Many additional indications were introduced - tariff category, production rate, length of service, availability of a scientific degree, etc. But this only partially reflected the quality of the specialist’s work.
In fact, equating an engineer, a locksmith, and a highly qualified surgeon, the system cultivated an ideology, rather than striving to achieve economic success.
