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The disadvantages of socialism


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THE DISADVANTAGES OF SOCIALISM

Definition
Socialism is a political and economic system. Unlike capitalism, the means of production and distribution of goods and services are controlled by the people through representatives. The proceeds from the management of the economy is shared among the people on the basis of equality. This type of polico-economic system is practiced in Russia, China and North Korea, to mention but a few.

THE MAIN DISADVANTAGES OF SOCIALISM

May develop into a dictatorship
One of the arguments against socialism is that it can easily degenerate into a dictatorship. This is so because socialism is mostly associated with a one-party political arrangement either by law or by the dominance of one party. Since this system does not recognize any official opposition, it can create the opportunity for dictators to emerge.

Absence of alternative political choices
As alluded to in the previous point, socialist systems operate with only one political party at the helm of affairs. The absence of other political parties therefore robs the citizens of the luxury of choosing from a plethora of other parties during the election of representatives into political office.

No room for innovation
Socialism has also been condemned on the basis of the fact that since it is expected to cater for the needs of every citizens, the citizens do not strive to do anything other than what the system expects them to do. This way, there is no urge to try anything and even excel in it. There is no drive for competition among the people so initiative is driven underground.

There is inefficiency
In a socialist system, there is no competition among the state producers so there is no urge to improve upon systems or processes. Critics argue therefore that this creates inefficiency in the operations of the state enterprises, some of which are compelled to function below the installed capacity of their machinery.

Loss of consumer sovereignty
Under a socialist system, the consumer does not have any preferences other that what has been offered by the state enterprise. If a citizen does not like a particular product on the market, he or she does not have any alternatives to turn to. That right of the consumer to choose what he or likes is therefore lost. This is unlike the capitalist system where the consumer has several alternatives to choose from even in the same product range.

SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. a. What is socialism?
    b. Highlight five disadvantages of socialism.
2. Highlight six arguments against socialism.

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