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Contrast socialism, communism and capitalism
Contrast socialism, communism and capitalism
Contrast socialism, communism and capitalism
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Socialism versus Capitalism in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Even before the beginning of the twentieth century, the debate between socialists and capitalists has raged. In The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, he portrays capitalism as the cause of all evils in society. Sinclair shows the horrors of capitalism. In The Gospel of Wealth, by Andrew Carnegie, he portrays capitalism as a system of opportunity. However, both Carnegie and Sinclair had something to gain from their writings; both men had an agenda. Capitalism and socialism both have advantages and pitfalls; when capitalism is adopted using certain socialist ideals, a truly prosperous society exists. A major theme of The Jungle is socialism as a remedy for the evils of capitalism. Every
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The description of capitalism in The Jungle and "The Gospel of Wealth" are polar opposites. In The Jungle, the horrors of capitalism are exaggerated and its promise is non-existent. For example, Sinclair describes capitalism as a system that is " relentless, remorseless … and cruel" and if someone tried to get in its way, it would "cut his throat and watch him gasp for life" (Sinclair 41). A character like Andrew Carnegie does not exist. There is not one single character that was impoverished and made it in the capitalist system. However, in "The Gospel of Wealth a person like Jurgis is scoffed at. He implies that anyone can climb out of poverty. He makes it seem like there are no faults with the capitalist system and everything is wrong with the socialist system. With both authors exaggerating their claims, the truth lies somewhere in between. Thus, a society that accentuates both systems strengths and minimizes its failures will be a prosperous …show more content…
Our basic economic system is still capitalist, but there are some elements of socialism. It harder businesses blatantly exploit their workers, consumers or competitors in America, because of government regulation. Even though exploitation still exists, it is on a much smaller scale and not as extreme. Exploitation on the same scale as in The Jungle, now mainly exists overseas. Laws now allow collective bargaining, which gives unions and in turn workers power. Another element of socialism in American society is the minimum wage law, as well as overtime laws. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and Welfare are all socialist ideals that have infiltrated our capitalist society. Our uneven tax scale and universal healthcare for children are other examples. With this blend of capitalism with socialist ideals, the working class can be taken care of, but not at the expense of losing America's capitalist identity. In other countries socialism or communism has blended with capitalism. Capitalism has infiltrated China. Even though the politics of China are still Communist, its expansion of trade with the west as well as its open markets are capitalist ideals. This has enabled China to become a more prosperous nation. In Europe, almost every country has a government run national airline, a socialist principal. In Norway capitalism has been combined with socialism.
The difficult living situations for many people in the early 20th century were discussed in the novel The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair. The book describes an immigrant family’s struggle to survive after moving to America. The family experiences unsafe working conditions, dangerous child labor and poverty. Sinclair uses these images to shed light on some of America’s troubles, to disparage capitalism and to promote socialism.
Throughout the 19th century, capitalism seemed like an economic utopia for some, but on the other hand some saw it as a troublesome whirlpool that would lead to bigger problems. The development of capitalism in popular countries such as in England brought the idea that the supply and demand exchange systems could work in most trade based countries. Other countries such as Russia thought that the proletariats and bourgeoisie could not co-exist with demand for power and land, and eventually resorted to communism in the early 20th century. Although many different systems were available to the countries in need of economic change, a majority of them found the right system for their needs. And when capitalist societies began to take full swing, some classes did not benefit as well as others and this resulted in a vast amount of proletariats looking for work. Capitalists societies are for certain a win-loss system, and many people did not like the change from having there society changed to a government controlled money hungry system. On the other hand, the demand for labor brought the bourgeoisie large profits because they could pay out as much as they wanted for labor.
...ism at the end of The Jungle, he has no other options. He has been longing for someone or something to provide him with answers to what is wrong with the world. Although Jurgis does not pray, socialism is the answer to his prayers. Sinclair depicts a socialist community in which there is much love and care and support for those who need it, a direct representation for what Day saw in the people after the San Francisco earthquake.
...he strongest arguments against capitalism is the quote “It was a monster devouring with a thousand mouths, trampling with a thousand hoofs; it was the Great Butcher – it was the spirit of Capitalism made flesh.”(334), the description of monster depicts capitalism as barbaric instead of those under the influence of capitalism being barbaric. This quote lends itself to the idea that people must fight for what they believe in, the parallel between capitalism and trampling hoofs alludes to the idea that without fighting a man could simply be stomped out.
The minority of the economy during the early 1900’s was the wealthy Capitalist class while the majority of America’s population was the poor working class (Bakthawar 2). Socialism is a political movement with the goal of changing the Capitalist economy, so that it no longer exists. Socialists want a society where industries are regulated by the government (Merriam-Webster). Socialism works towards ending the misery of those in poverty by increasing wages, decreasing working hours, and improving working conditions. “[Jurgis] would no longer be the sport of circumstances, he would be a man, with a will and a purpose; he would have something to fight for, something to die for, if need be!
In the early twentieth century, one after the other, steamboats rolled into the new land shore hauling immigrants by the two thousand, each optimistic about their plans to forge the American Dream. Well into the Industrial Revolution, it was a promising time for production and business, however, only for those in power. The hopeful and tireless could not climb the ladder of opportunity without stepping on top of others to get ahead. Jurgis, the main character of The Jungle, represents this idea as he battles capitalism first failing with hard work and later with corruption. Upton Sinclair, the author, develops the idea that rising up social classes is restricted by individual traits that limit people from changing between the classes. These same defining qualities can be found in our social classes today. Because of these barriers, there
“If any one of these onlookers came sufficiently close, or looked sufficiently hungry, a chair was offered him, and he was invited to the feast.” (Sinclair, 2) This was one of the interesting laws about the wedding feast in the forests of Lithuania where Ona Lukoszaite, Jurgis Rudkus, and their family lived before immigrating to Chicago. In Lithuania, Ona's family troubled by debt, since her father died. Heard about America was a free country, they decided to leave their homeland. Jurgis loved Ona and wanted to marry her. Therefore, he decided to go with her family. After six months immigrated to Chicago, this young couple celebrated their veselija in Packingtown that was Chicago's Meatpacking District in the early 1900s. Their wedding was
To understand the ways in which political systems are important to this novel, it is necessary to define both capitalism and socialism as they are relevant to The Jungle. Capitalism, and more specifically, laissez-faire capitalism, is the economic system in America. It basically means that producers and consumers have the right to accumulate and spend their money through any legal means they choose. It is the economic system most fitting with the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream portr...
In 1906, Upton Sinclair's Book The Jungle was published in book form; it had previously been published as a newspaper serial in 1905. Few works of literature have changed history in the United States so much as The Jungle did when it was published. It has been said that the book led to the direct passage of the "Pure Food and Drug Act" of 1906 (Dickstein) and that it lead to a decades long decline in meat consumption is the United States.
How The Jungle Influenced Social Reform and Socialism Beginning in the late 19th century, many people became concerned with many social problems resulting from the industrialization period of the United States. People began to demand reform. The writing of the book The Jungleby Upton Sinclair was one of the most influential tools used to reform many American industries. In this book, Sinclair focuses on the unsanitary conditions and corruption that was involved in the Chicago meat packing industry.
E. H. Car and Moshe Lewis. Political undercurrents in Soviet economic debates: from Bukharin to
The Communist Manifesto described and foretold the negative outcomes that come about through the effects of capitalism. Capitalism creates a social struggle for society between the wealthy and the poor, as described in this “condemnation.” More accurately, it states that “it concentrates wealth in the hands of the few…” In a basic assumption, the Manifesto believed that Communist revolutions would occur in low industrialized countries and capitalism was the main source of economic distraught and class struggle. These views came to light, as countries like Russia and China turned to communism. However, some countries did not succeed completely with this transformation as did the Soviet Union. The attempt to increase the overall economy for the
Capitalism dominates the world today. Known as a system to create wealth, capitalism’s main purpose is to increase profits through land, labor and free market. It is a replacement of feudalism and slavery. It promises to provide equality and increases living standards through equal exchanges, technological innovations and mass productions. However, taking a look at the global economy today, one can clearly see the disparity between developed and developing countries, and the persistence of poverty throughout the world despite the existence of abundant wealth. This modern issue was predicted and explained a hundred and fifty years ago in Karl Marx’s Capital.
If one looks at liberty and individual freedom, it is evident that command economies tend to oppress their citizens. Therefore, socialism, which allows for basic needs to be met and personal freedoms to be upheld, is the best economic system for all of a country’s citizens. Market economies, as a whole, inherently and inevitably lead to poverty and a large class disparity. In a capitalist society, the ones who supply labor, the ones who work the hardest, are the ones who are paid the least. The owners, who are already rich, receive most of the profit and accumulate large masses of wealth.
... do not co-operate with each other, they become dysfunctional for society and can cause different social problems that led the society toward destruction. Capitalism is a modern economic system, which leave the world upset. The imperative factor of capitalist society is accumulation of wealth that results in converting money into the divine force and diminishes the value of human, morals, and values that distinguish us from animals. The drive for capital cause necessities to turn into commodities, so that, capitalists can make more capital to invest. Thus, the contribution of capitalism can be positive for those who only concern profit but not for the society because it only enhance the materialistic life and weaken the soul that teaches us ethics and morality.