Powerful lessons on socialism from someone who lived under it

Last updated on: March 15, 2016 at 10:11 am by Gerald McDermott

Powerful lessons on socialism from someone who lived under it 2016-03-15T10:11:31-04:00 Gerald McDermott

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Garry Kasparov, the great chess master, lived under absolute socialism in the Soviet Union, and has important comments on the “democratic socialisms” of western Europe.

There is perhaps no more incisive critique of socialism than in this fascinating article by Kasparov.

Here are a few excerpts:

“My goal was to remind people that Americans talking about socialism in the 21st century was a luxury paid for by the successes of capitalism in the 20th. And that while inequality is a huge problem, the best way to increase everyone’s share of pie is to make the pie bigger, not to dismantle the bakery.”

“The idea that the solution [to inequality] is more government, more regulation, more debt, and less risk is dangerously absurd.”

“A society that relies too heavily on redistributing wealth eventually runs out of wealth to redistribute. The historical record is clear. It’s capitalism that brought billions of people out of poverty in the 20th century. It’s socialism that enslaved them and impoverished them.”

“A popular rebuttal is to invoke the socialist leanings of several European countries with high living standards, especially in Scandinavia. Why can’t America be more like happy Denmark, with its high taxes and giant public sector, or at least more like France? Even the more pro-free-market United Kingdom has national health care, after all. First off, comparing relatively small, homogeneous populations to the churning, ocean-spanning American giant is rarely useful. And even the most socialist of the European countries only became wealthy enough to embrace redistribution after free-market success made them rich.”

“Still, why cannot America follow this path if that is what the people want? What is the problem if American voters are willing to accept higher taxes in exchange for greater security in the embrace of the government?”

“The answer takes us back to all those inventions America has produced decade after decade. As long as Europe had America taking risks, investing ambitiously, attracting the world’s dreamers and entrepreneurs, and yes, being unequal, it could benefit from the results without making the same sacrifices. Add to that the incalculable windfall of not having to spend on national defense thanks to America’s massive investment in a global security umbrella. America doesn’t have the same luxury of coasting on the ambition and sacrifice of another country.”

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