‘The Road to Serfdom’, Friedrich Hayek’s classic and influential book written during the second World War, lays out how socialism inevitably results in totalitarianism. Hayek argues that the abandonment of individualism and economic freedom, inherent in socialist ideology, leads to loss of civil liberties, destruction of democracy and the servitude of the individual to the cause of the state and those in power.
Looking at the history of socialist regimes, it ought to be hard to disagree. From the Soviet Union to Venezuela, the collectivisation of the economy has gone hand in hand with repression and tyranny, while those at the top of the political hegemony have enjoyed a lavish and extravagant lifestyle.
Unfortunately, Hayek’s insight is largely lost on admirers of socialism, who are quick to denounce the unsavoury aspects of past regimes as abnormalities, deviations and idiosyncrasies. In the UK, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell recently exonerated socialism for any blame for Venezuela’s recent problems: “I think it took a wrong turn when [Hugo] Chávez went and I think unfortunately since then, I don’t think they have been following the socialist policies that Chávez developed. And as a result of that they’re experiencing problems”. This wilful blindness is too often given a free pass.
But let’s indulge them for a moment. Let’s remove the firing squads, the gulags, the show trials, the routine repression of liberties and freedoms – the problem is, that hardly leaves you with a nirvana of equality and abundance. You are left with a centrally planned, dysfunctional economy marked by hardship and insufficiencies, in sharp contrast to economies who have embraced capitalism and free trade. Again, from the Soviet Union to Venezuela, breadlines and near starvation are hallmarks of socialist economies, which are deprived of innovation and dynamism. Inevitably, a privileged political elite indulge in a life of luxury while the populace is often mired in near-starvation. In Venezuela, Chavez’ daughter managed to amass a fortune that today totals more than $4 billion while gullible Hollywood liberals were busy praising the vision of equality championed by her father. Today, her countrymen are dining on their pets while democracy has been all but officially abandoned. Reality can be a harsh mistress. Why does the left get away with ignoring it?
The doctrine of centralized control of the economic sphere automatically spills over into restrictions on other individual liberties. Moreover, once the economic wellbeing of the country has been placed in the hands of those in power, and when their promises of affluent equality inevitable prove undeliverable, there is a need for scapegoats – otherwise the responsibility would end up where it rightfully belongs: in the lap of the socialist government. In the early years of the USSR, it was the Kulaks, the rich farmers, who were accused of undermining the successful collectivisation of the largely agrarian economies. Today, in Venezuela, it is malevolent interference by the imperialist USA and domestic capitalists. Those singled out to take the blame for the unavoidable economic backslide will soon find themselves persecuted.
The socialist ideals of equality of outcome elevates the collective over the individual. As proponents of individual freedom, we are opposed to those very ideals. But even disregarding the suppression of individual freedoms, socialism is an unappetizing proposition and those seeking power to rule over us should not have the luxury of separating the ideals from real-life consequences. We cannot evaluate ideologies on their intentions alone. It is time for socialists to be held to account.