The Theory and Practice of Scientific Socialism

The Theory and Practice of Scientific Socialism

The Historical Conditions for the Emergence of Scientific Socialism

Amidst the increasingly evident contradictions during the formation and development of capitalism, socialist thought emerged and developed. As capitalism arrived, some progressive individuals recognized the shortcomings of capitalism, exposing and criticizing it while expressing their aspirations for an ideal future society, thereby forming utopian socialism. Utopian socialism is the ideological source of scientific socialism.

Utopian socialism is termed "utopian" because its proponents, starting from principles of reason and justice, merely exposed the shortcomings of capitalism and designed ideal blueprints for future societies. They advocated for class reconciliation, opposed class struggle, and failed to recognize the power of the masses, especially the proletariat. They did not identify the powerful force needed to dismantle capitalist society and establish a new society, nor did they find the correct path for social transformation.

In the 1830s and 1840s, the capitalist world witnessed the French Lyon workers' uprising, the British Chartist movement, and the Silesian weavers' uprising in Germany. Marked by these three major workers' movements, the working class began to step onto the historical stage as an independent political force, uniting to resist the bourgeoisie’s rule and directing their struggle against the entire bourgeoisie and the capitalist system.

The development of capitalism and the rise of the workers' movement were the historical prerequisites for the emergence of scientific socialism. The proletariat's struggle urgently needed the guidance of scientific theory, leading to the birth of scientific socialism.

The Founding of Scientific Socialism

Marx and Engels, through their study of social history, critically absorbed the rational elements of German classical philosophy and completely broke free from the influence of idealism, creating the materialist conception of history (historical materialism). Historical materialism revealed the general laws of human social development, the role of the masses as the main force in history, and the significant role of class struggle in the development of class society, establishing the pursuit of a better society on the basis of scientifically understanding the objective laws of social development.

Through analyzing capitalist society, Marx critically inherited the intellectual achievements of British classical political economy and created the theory of surplus value. The theory of surplus value, from an economic perspective, revealed the source of surplus value, the secret of how capitalists exploit workers and appropriate workers' surplus labor, and the fundamental opposition between the interests of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, thereby identifying the steadfast force for transforming capitalist society and pointing the way forward for the proletariat's struggle.

Historical materialism and the theory of surplus value revealed the general laws of human social development and the specific laws of capitalist operation, laying the theoretical foundation for scientific socialism and achieving a great leap from utopia to science in socialism.

In February 1848, the Communist Manifesto was published, marking the birth of scientific socialism.

The Communist Manifesto analyzed the inherent contradictions of the capitalist mode of production and the laws of human social development, scientifically demonstrating the historical inevitability of the eventual collapse of capitalism and the inevitable victory of socialism. The Communist Manifesto proclaimed that the demise of the bourgeoisie and the victory of the proletariat were equally inevitable.

The Communist Manifesto summarized the experiences and lessons of the workers' movement and, for the first time, systematically discussed the nature, characteristics, tasks, and strategic principles of the proletarian party, clarifying the necessity of establishing a proletarian party. The Communist Party is the party representing the proletariat, the most conscious, most combative vanguard of the proletariat. The Communist Party has no special interests apart from representing the fundamental interests of the entire proletariat. Only under the leadership of the Communist Party can the proletariat organize its struggle, unite the vast majority of people, overthrow the rule of the bourgeoisie, establish proletarian power, continue to develop social productive forces, and create the necessary conditions for establishing a new communist society.

The Communist Manifesto outlined the ideal goals of a future communist society. It stated: "The old bourgeois society, with its classes and class antagonisms, will be replaced by an association in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all." It is this powerful driving force embodied in the ideal goal that inspires people to continue striving for the realization of communism.

The Practice of Socialism from One Country to Multiple Countries

In 1917, the October Revolution broke out in Russia. Under the leadership of the Bolshevik Party, led by Lenin, the Russian proletariat, through revolutionary struggle, overthrew the bourgeoisie's rule, established proletarian power, and established socialist production relations. The characteristics of socialist production relations are: workers collectively own the means of production; the system of human exploitation by humans is abolished; and people establish mutual assistance and cooperative relationships in the production process. Personal consumption goods are distributed according to labor.

The October Revolution established the world's first socialist state, achieving a great leap from theory and movement to practice and institution, and opening a new era in human history.

After World War II, socialism experienced significant development on a global scale, achieving a historic leap from the practice of socialism in one country to multiple countries.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, the development of the world socialist movement faced severe setbacks. However, from the perspective of human social development, socialism will inevitably replace capitalism; from the perspective of the trend of human social development, the belief that communism will be achieved is unshakable. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the practice and development of scientific socialism in China. In the face of the ever-changing contemporary world, one only needs to look at the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics to see the immense vitality of scientific socialism in the 21st century.