GOALS OF SOCIALISM
Revell, Aldric
Goals of Socialism DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM, by Roger Payne and George W. Hartmann. Three Arrows Press. 128 pp. 50 cents paper; $1.50 cloth. THE ROAD AHEAD, by Harry W. Laidler. Three Arrows Press. 87...
...And it has pictures...
...After rereading these two books, I am reminded of De Man's remark, "Socialism is an attack on capitalism in the name of Christianity...
...Some present day Socialists, both American and British, might question certain of the conclusions and the yardsticks used by the authors, but none can deny that their projection into the future is logical...
...But Democratic Socialism was not intended as a blueprint of a Socialist state and those who want to know how such a society will work practically can read Lange and Taylor's On the Economic Theory of Socialism and Lemer's The Economy of Control...
...Its major flaw is that the authors completely ignore the basic economics of a socialist society —that is, how to determine what is to be produced, how to get it where it is needed, and what to do about transplanting workers...
...It unfortunately devotes more space to the day when Socialism achieves its fullest bloom than to the period of transition through which most of the democratic nations of the world are passing today...
...Reviewed by Aldric Revell THESE two treatises on Socialism should be must reading for Republicans, who, more than any other Americans today, are bandying the word about...
...The authors also are too optimistic about human beings...
...Democratic Socialism, first published in 1948 and now revised, is a thorough, if idealistic, description of the ultimate goal of Socialism...
...Laidler's book is a reprint, newly illustrated...
...1 cloth...
...87 pp...
...The value of Democratic Socialism today is the fact that in a short, easily read book, people who have been hearing about socialism via the Republican Party may be able to view its past, present, and future through the eyes of two learned individuals who have given much thought and research to the subject...
...It carries the same title as Flynn's opus, which should really have been called The Precipice Behind...
...It is simply and movingly written but won't be used in the public schools because the children might ask too many questions...
...Since their slogan is "Liberty versus Socialism," it might help if they knew what Socialism is...
...This book should prove more popular with Republicans in high office than the one by Payne and Hartmann because it was especially written for boys and girls from the 7th to the 10th grades...
...What Payne and Hartmann do is set forth the ideal socialist state and pray that the ethical re-orientation which must precede such a Utopia on earth will come about...
Vol. 14 • August 1950 • No. 8
