"It must be the first duty of each citizen of the State to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but must proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good"

To what extent should we embrace collectivism?

Assignment #2 –Essay- (30-1)

Canada consists of many peoples that have different ideological standings.  We co-exist and blend to make Canada a completely unified nation. One of the fundamental ways in which Canadians are willing to give up their individual rights and freedoms is to solidify the unity of our social programs, like health care.  Through our collectivist efforts, every Canadian has the right to government subsidised health care, regardless of his or her social or economic position within our society.

Collectivism is a political, sociological, and economic conglomeration that advocates that peoples should live and work interdependently without private ownership, focusing on societal instead of individual needs, as mentioned in the source as our first duty.  Collectivism considers society as a whole, as one, where group goals are solely considered. Collectivism is not a new idea or concept. The ideas of collectivism inspired 19th century philosophers and writers like Karl Marx, influencing the defining of the economic system theories known as Socialism and Communism.  Webster's Dictionary defines collectivism as "a term embracing all systems on the Socialistic doctrine of the state, municipal, cooperative, etc. control of the economic life of the country." Collectivism has been used in many nations like China, the Soviet Socialist Republic andthe German Democratic Republic of East Germany.

In Economics, collectivism is the centrally planned and directed economy where there are limits to private ownership, including private property. The good of the collective state is primary concern.  An economy under the influence of collectivism would be subject to control by those employing the economic controls of Socialism and Communism.  Such collective efforts have led the Soviet Union to victory when it defeated the Germany in WW2.  Working tirelessly, the Soviet people out performed their fascist enemy on both the battlefield and in the production of war materials.   One of the benefits of a centrally planned economy is that the companys operating within that economy have the benefit of governmental support , oversight and direction.  A collective society is the hallmark of most co-operative  regimes like the Soviet Union and the East German democratic republic.  The collective society of North Korea is a modern example of a state planned economy, where millions have worked together in a unified effort so their leaders can develope sophisticated defensive weaponry to protect them from American Imperialism. Another example is Communist China, it is a Communist country where the society is well regulated and the economic policy is state supported capitalism. The Chinese government promoted the opperation of its companies and commits significant financial help to it's business sector.  Such actions make the Chinese economy the world leader in economic growth.  In China, the average citizen is expected to put the benefit of the nation ahead of their own personal ambitions.   

                In Canadian society, there has begun to see a shift towards the adoption  of collectivism.   The blocking by the government of the sale of Potash corp. in Saskatchewan to Chinese interests is just one sign of the benefits of governmental oversight that the people of Canada have benefited from.  The good of the people and the security of Canadian business is more important than short term company profits. Another example is the removal of property owners right to protest the construction of the large electrical transmission lines on the proposed north/south corridore.  The value of the project to the Canadian people as a whole outweighs the needs of the few landowners that the project will effect. 

                In conclusion, Canada as a nation has and can continue to benefit from collectivism. The struggle for the future direction of Canadian society will be decided by the generations of our youth that have grown up with respect for each other and a belief that the good of our society is more important that the selfish individualism of the individual.  There are no benefits to be had from a nation of individualists, to succeed in a future of diminishing energy sources, Canadians must become a nation that faces the future as a united people who seek their betterment together.

-          Shealyn Dahl

You have some very insightful points here. I do have some comments and suggestions though.

I do not recommend having a paragraph full of questions in an essay. I typically do not like questions in essays at all but that is a personal style issue. I know Questions in an essay are acceptable for rhetorical effect but these questions should lead into your thesis and the rest of your essay by being answered. I was also concerned that your thesis does not contain a road-map to where your essay is going however it is a bold statement about Canada and got my attention.

You may want to clarify what you mean by “Collectivism has been used in fascist regimes like Nazi Germany as well as in totalitarian…” Remember that fascism is not all collectivist. Politically they believe in totalitarian control, economically they believe in individualism, competition, and class inequality (as long as it promotes the state in the end). I also think that the statement perhaps should read “…as well as in other totalitarian…” since Fascism is the epitome of totalitarianism. In Nazi Germany people were encouraged to be individualist and competitive. When someone came up with an ingenious idea, or worked harder to accomplish a goal it was rewarded by the state. Through this method economic individualism was harnessed to promote the political goals of the collective.

I am curious what you read in your spare time. You always seem to bring up concepts that are not key topics in our class such as social entropy, pirate capitalism as well as Abe Lincoln’s socialist tendencies in the last essay. In your second paragraph where you talk about pirate capitalism you make a lot of bold statements that I feel in a longer essay would warrant further development and explanation of your position. I understand that this is not meant to be a huge essay assignment, but you may want to consider expounding on a statement or two from this paragraph. As an example your last statement from this paragraph regarding a “bullet to the back of the head”, is a very graphic yet generalizing statement that implies that execution is regular procedure. Is this really the case?

In your third paragraph I do not see the correlation between collectivism and military acquisitions from the USA. In fact this process could be seen by some as more of an individualist action in the concept of protection of individualist ideologies from foreign collectivist regimes. The purchasing of military equipment does not necessarily lean to the left or to the right.

As I stated earlier in this comment, the Fascist state is not purely collectivist. Be careful in making them sound this way. In pure (economic and political) collectivism everyone would benefit, in some way at least, from sharing. In fascism though, there are people who do not benefit at all while others benefit a great deal.

I think your concluding statement has some fallacies in it. Collectivism being broadcast by the “Hollywood propaganda machine”? United states is far more individualist than we are. Our health care system has been a collectivist project since the 18th century when hospitals were run as a non-profit system for the poor. The concept of universal health care in Canada was developed at the end of WW2, right as the Americans were beginning their aggressive ideological battle with collectivism in the cold war. We never looked at the communist state of Cuba as an enemy even though America asked us too. It is a far stretch to think we are getting our collectivist ideas from the States.

You should refer directly at some point to the source itself. If you notice at the end of the statement it says “…and should be for the general good”. This is where the speaker differs completely from fascism. Fascism is not for the general good nor does it claim to be. It is for the elite. This is why the system needs a scapegoat. In order to get the masses rallied behind them, the nazi’s needed the Jewish people to drop to the bottom of the class system in order to elevate even the most base of society to a position where they felt elite. Fascism is totalitarian but it is not collectivism in general.

-Mr. McClung