Exercises on Liberalism and Socialism

(ENEM, 2000) The text below, by John Locke (1632-1704), reveals some characteristics of a certain current of thought:

If man in the state of nature is so free, as we said, if he is absolute master of his own person and possessions, equal to the greatest and subject to no one, why should he give up this freedom, why will he abandon his empire and submit himself to the dominion and control of any other power? To which it is obvious to reply that, although in the state of nature he has such a right, the use of it is very uncertain and is constantly exposed to the invasion of third parties because, being all masters as much as he is, every man is equal to him and, in the most On the other hand, little observant of equity and justice, the enjoyment of the property which he possesses in this state is very insecure and very risky. These circumstances oblige him to abandon a condition which, though free, is full of constant fears and dangers; and it is not without reason that he willingly seeks to join in society with others who are already united, or intend to unite, for the mutual preservation of life, liberty, and the goods which I call property. (Os Pensadores. São Paulo:Nova Cultural, 1991.)

From a political point of view, we can consider the text as an attempt to justify:

a) The existence of government as a power derived from nature.

b) The origin of government as a property of the king.

c) Monarchical absolutism as an imposition of human nature.

d) The origin of government as a protection for life, property and rights.

e) The power of rulers, placing individual liberty above property.

Read the following text:

All socialist systems, including that of Karl Marx and his orthodox supporters, start from the assumption that, in a socialist society, a conflict between the interests of the individual and the collective can never arise. . Everyone will act with full interest in giving their best, as he participates in the production of all economic activity. The obvious objection that the individual is too little concerned with determining whether he himself is diligent and enthusiastic, and that it is of the greatest importance to him that all others are so, is something they completely ignore. At best, it is insufficiently addressed. They believe they can build a socialist economy on the basis of the Categorical Imperative alone. How bland their intention is to proceed in this way is well spelled out by Kautsky when he says, “If socialism is a social necessity, then it is human nature, not socialism, that must readjust to the needs if the two come. to collide.” This is nothing more than an absolute chimera. (Von MISES, Ludwig. Economic calculus under socialism . São Paulo:Instituto Ludwig Von Mises Brazil, 2012. p. 43.)

About L. Von Mises' critique of socialism, it can be said:

a) starts from an agreement with Marx, but ends up criticizing his disciples.

b) is anchored in the argument that one of the mistakes of socialism is to ignore the latent confrontation between individual and collectivity.

c) enumerates arguments that do not concern economics.

d) defends collectivism over the individual.

e) has nothing to do with the classical liberalism of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the socialist perspective, the class struggle is the engine of history. From this perspective, in modern society, the class that benefits from the capitalist system and uses liberal ideology is:

a) the peasants.

b) the aristocracy.

c) the proletariat.

d) the bourgeoisie.

e) the artisans.

One ​​of the liberal arguments against socialism argues that this system has always ended up demonstrating economic inefficiency and political totalitarianism. This argument has implicit the defense of the central value of liberalism, which is:

a) the socialized property (soviet ).

b) individual freedom.

c) social justice.

d) the expropriation of private property

e) the disarmament of the civilian population.

Letter D

In the text above, Locke exults in the main liberal arguments:the primacy of individual liberty, private property, the action of free enterprise in the social fabric, etc. John Locke is one of the leading representatives of English-speaking liberalism.

Letter B

Ludwig Von Mises is one of the main representatives of the Austrian School of Economics, heir to the doctrines of classical liberalism. Mises's criticisms of socialism are varied, but, if we stick to the text above, we see that his main argument refers to the question of the vision that socialism has of the individual. Ignoring the individual's potential for freedom and free enterprise and eventually forcing him (through the state apparatus) to conform to collectivist rules is, for Mises, one of the main problems of the socialist interpretation and something that can result in totalitarian regimes.

Letter D

From the 18th century onwards, the bourgeoisie, which began to form in the Middle Ages, became the main social group in Europe and began to promote major political and social transformations as a way of seek political legitimacy. Socialist thought sees the bourgeoisie as the great beneficiary of the capitalist system, which has always accompanied it, to the detriment of the working class, which sells its labor power to the bourgeois.

Letter B

At the heart of liberal ideology is the freedom of the individual. Liberalism, from its origins, is categorically opposed to collectivism and ideologies that preach the socialization of the means of production and private property, such as socialism. It is also contrary to the perspective that the individual needs to adjust to a pattern of collective behavior, to the detriment of his free initiative.