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Enhacing human rights in socialism

17/10/17

The nineteenth century industrial revolution and the growth of the labour movement opened the gates to previously marginalised individuals, who challenged the classical liberal economic conception of social justice. Yet, despite the important socialist contribution to the human rights discourse, the human rights legacy of the socialist – and especially the Marxist – tradition is today widely overlooked or dismissed. Bearing in mind the atrocities committed by communist regimes in the name of human rights, this article attempts to correct the historical record, by showing that the struggle for universal suffrage, social justice and worker's rights – principles endorsed in the major UN documents of human rights – were shaped by socialist ideals.
Though, socialism had modified the early human rights discourse. The socialist position also represented the first historical assertion that all humans, regardless of wealth, gender, race, or age, were entitled to both political and social rights. All the achievements included different acts, congresses, movements, socialist thinking, but especially the introduction of the universal human rights agenda. Socialism brought a fresh breath into the political system. 
It were not only the socialists who implemented universal human rights. As mentioned, liberalism had its share in the development of human rights. Capitalism, a form of economy introduced by liberalists, opened the doors for the industrialization after a period of monarchies. Out of this actually came the working class, so the one is the cause of the other. Secondly the 1848 revolutions had a quite liberal character in many European countries. However, the socialists have had the biggest share in the development of the universal human rights agenda in the Industrial Age.
Marxists have never been hostile to human rights doctrines per se.They have, however, criticized the fetishism of human rights and denied them unique status as the sole or central arbiter of morality and social justice. They have disputed their authority for all times and for all places.
Throughout the twentieth century, Marxists have couched many radical demands in the language of rights, from unionization campaigns to national self-determination. Communists have fought for the right to a fair trial for many victims of prejudice and injustice. They have been prominent among those who have advanced the cause of the civil rights of racially and nationally oppressed groups. And they have fought for their own rights to free association, speech, and the dissemination of ideas.
Most significantly, Communists have been decisive in enriching human rights declarations after the Second World War to include positive rights to employment, shelter, welfare, and the many other rights that are constitutive of economic justice. Certainly some New Deal liberals and European social democrats supported these social rights as well, but the Soviet Union and other socialist countries advocated for the most robust and complete social rights while representatives of capitalist countries sought to limit rights declarations to individual rights protective of actions, space, and property.
Socialist countries also took the lead in pressing the decolonization process through international agreement on the right of a nation or people to self-determination, a right not eagerly welcomed by colonial powers and their allies.
And since the end of the Cold War, the US and many of its allies have shed the pretense of bastions of human rights, a tacit admission of their service to Cold War goals. The creation of a “big brother” state by the Bush administration and its further development by the Obama administration in the US underscores official cynicism about human rights to privacy, speech, and association. And the quiescence of the major human rights organizations to this development reeks of hypocrisy. The claimed surveillance of civil society by the so-called “totalitarians” of the past pale in comparison with the technological means available to and in actual use by the US national security apparatus.
 Socialism has been poisoned by propaganda and false information.
Socialism is a system based on the idea that everyone should be taken care of. It is the very basis of the movement that everyone deserves human rights. Socialists do not always support the true idea of socialism and become corrupted, that is true. But the very idea of socialism/communism is built upon the idea that everyone deserves to be taken care of. And that is different than most any other political ideology which would focus on supremacy of people based on class, race, gender etc.
Socialism just advocates the equal distribution of goods, that's all. If someone tells you that we can't equally distribute the good otherwise we'll end up being in a dictatorship, he's either a billionaire or an ignorant. In the past socialism has always been defamed in a dishonest way by the media, specially in western countries.
Socialism is a way to insure that basic needs are equally distributed.
Socialism upholds basic human rights by insuring that everyone's basic needs are met through equal distribution of government controlled products. Unlike a capitalistic society, which focuses much more on what people want to attain, but don't necessarily need and in that way is a very individualistic, self preserving concept, a socialistic society keeps the focus on the well being and benefits of society as a whole by insuring that as many people as possible receive food, shelter, clothing, and the benefits of government social programs./.


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All comments [ 4 ]


Vietnam Love 21/10/17 15:32

I think socialism is more democratic than other capitalisms in the West, it brings more human rights for people.

For A Peace World 21/10/17 15:33

Capitalism has more violations of human rights than socialism, but they always cry out that socialism violates human rights or democracy. So ironic!

Voice of people 21/10/17 15:40

Vietnam has made many achievements in human rights despite of a developing economy and that shows advantages of socialism.

LawrenceSamuels 21/10/17 17:48

Even socialism has created definition of true human rights and democracy, not capitalism.

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