Just about the only example of (moderately) successful socialism were the kibbutz communities of Israel. These were formed in the 1920’s and 30’s, and were communities where (theoretically) everybody was an equal. Most of them were farms, though a few were factory-based. Anyway, I now read that they were mostly economic disasters…no young people join them any more, and the successful ones are actually liquidating themselves, so as to be able to pay pensions to their survivors.
What does this experience say about the whole premise of socialism? If a socialist commune cannot exist (under the most favorable circumstances)…does this mean that socialism is fatally flawed? ;j
I have some frozen herbs (cubes of basil and cilantro equal to a teaspoon of fresh herbs) that come from Kibbutz Dorot. I tried to look into this place to see where it is. I couldn’t find a location, aside from some relative distances to other kibbutzim, but I did discover that Kibbutz Dorot manufactures herbs and valves. So that’s one kibbutz that’s still in operation.
Nope. Many Kibbutzes are alive and kicking. I’ve included a link to one such place, Beth Ashita, below. My aunt and several friends of mine have worked at Kibbutzes within the last fifteen years, and they’re still and active and widely known opportunities for Israeli teenagers and young adults. Juding by what’s on this website and what I’ve heard from various sources, it does seem that the driving idea behind the concept has changed. An early Kibbutz was intended as a life option, with people staying there for their entire careers. Now it seems that they are more geared towards people who want to spend a short time, ranging from a few months to a few years, and then move on. But they certainly still exist.
A bit of background: the classic kibbutz wasnt a socialist philosophy–it was a communist philosophy.Communism in its purest, most idealistic form.And it worked very well for one generation, pretty well for a second generation, not-so-well for the third generation, and pretty poorly for the fourth generation.
The purest kibbutzes were founded in the 1920-30’s by people who had suffered under starvation-level poverty in czarist Russia.They formed communal farms where they lived literally according to the bible of Karl Marx “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”
They had NO private property.Everything was shared by the community.And I mean EVERYTHING–including your underwear. All the clothing was kept in a common locker, and you got dressed with whatever was available.Everybody worked together, whatever money they made went into a common pot.
This was pure communism, and it worked well, for those who believed in it.
By the 1950’s, the kibbutz was a successful institution in the newly founded country of Israel.It was still based on communal life, but people had their own underwear, and their own little corner of privacy was respected within the commune. All profits went into the common pot, and a small allowance was given to each member,(of course, the amount of money was the same for each person, that’s what equality is all about.)But each person could decide for himself whether he wanted a new shirt , or to splurge and buy some ice cream in the kibbutz general store.
By the 1970’s, the kibbutz had changed.It was still based on pure egalitarianism, but it was also a pretty successful social institution, and started attracting people who wanted to live an easy life. A young couple who joined a kibbutz had all their problems solved, forever.No mortage or rent to pay, no bills to pay,no school expenses for the kids. You committed to living in the community, and to work for the good of the group, and in return you were assured of a good lifestyle .The old, pure communist ethos was wearing thin, but everyone tried to deny it. By this third generation, the main draw to the kibbutz was , ironically, the purely capitalistic, non-Marxist dream, of having a house with a green lawn, a good school system, and a nice neighborhood to live in. By owning nothing, (except your membership in the kibbutz), you got a free house, and a permanent job for life, with complete security.
By 1990, there had been a major economic bust in Israel (400% inflation for 2 years), and many kibbutzes were bankrupt financially.All of a sudden, for the first time in the country’s history, you could live the good life more easily in the city facing the urban rat-race, than on the kibbutz. And the whole world changed due to technology. When cell phones, cable TV and internet give an individual lots of choices in your private life, you sure dont want to share your underwear with your neighbors!
So , with the old Marxist philosophy dead, and the chance to live the easy life no longer available as a kibbutz member, most people prefer to build their future living the city life, not the kibbutz life.
To finally answer the OP: the vast majority of Israel’s 300 kibbutzes have decided to stop being a kibbutz, and to become regular businesses or farms. The kibbutz “members” become salaried employees of the newly defined business, and receive totally un-equal salaries–the senior management gets paid better than the simple workers.So people who may have lived side-by-side in equality for 20 years, sharing job duties, now face each other as boss/employee .The social strain is too difficult for a small community , so on many kibbutzes, over half the residents have left., and the children are not interested in maintaining their parent’s lifestyle (now ruined anyway), so they too leave at age 18 to build their lives elsewhere.
The few kibbutzes which are still functioning as actual communes are the ones whose factories are financially sucessful, and can afford to keep paying the members well enough to keep up the good lifestyle.
So in the end–to answer your question about “the premise of socialism”–it all boils down to human nature–i.e. “MONEY TALKS”
when you are fleeing starvation level poverty(1920’s),Marxism works, because by pooling your money,it gives you a higher quality of life.But when you ain’t got enough money to keep the farm running, people don’t like living in communes with no private property.