The “-I.S.M” Trap

Add the three letters “i.s.m” to any ideology and it is destined to fail spectacularly.

“The main vice of capitalism is the uneven distribution of prosperity. The main vice of socialism is the even distribution of misery.”

Winston Churchill

History is a witness of various ideologies that have risen and fallen, shaping the fate of nations, economies, and cultures. Yet, one pattern that particularly stands out is: many of the grandest ideological failures—communism, fascism, feudalism, colonialism—share a common linguistic trait: they end in -ism. Is this a coincidence or could there be something inherently flawed in -ism ideologies?

Ideologies with the -ism trait have failed spectacularly for they were unable to adapt, evolve and unable to develop the societies and the systems with time. From communism to feudalism to colonialism, all failed miserably as neither there was room for development nor the adaptability to change with time. The suppression, the authoritarian, the “hand of steel”, nepotism and corruption became the basis of revolts and of overthrowing these ideologies that did not cater to the development of the society at large.

And yet, there are other ideologies such as capitalism, feminism continue to endure despite several ups and down over the decade. Thus, could it be that the linguistic suffix of -ism may or may not indicate ideological rigidity rather it might imply other factors that lead to demise of certain ideologies?

Ideology is defined as the set of beliefs or values, a system of ideas and ideals, that then becomes the foundation of economic, religious and political theory. The term “ideology” was coined by French philosopher Antione Destutt de Tracy in 1796. It was founded as the “science of ideas” to develop a rational system of ideas rather than to have an irrational system that has its basis on impulses of a certain group of people or society. The tradition dates back to Adam Smith, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, all philosophers who wrote about the individual and societal relations in the light of economic and political dynamics.

Ideology is not formed in isolation. It is the time, the economic, political, religious, cultural and societal conditions that pave the way for certain ideologies to be born. The main objectives behind an ideology is to bring a change in society or bring adherence to a set of rules and systems through a normative thought process. Because these objectives related to public matters, it makes the concept of ideology central to politics.

The -ISM Phenomenon : A Pattern of Collapse?

Many ideologies were born as a “counter” to the existing one. Such ideologies would argue that the existing structures are not beneficial because of the inherent nature of exploitation, manipulation and corruption that existed within them and not allowing equality for the majority. Yet, many failed. Let’s explore the three -ism ideologies.

Communism - the sociopolitical and economic ideology - it’s goal was to create a socioeconomic society where there would be common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange. The main objective was to allocate products to everyone in the society on the basis of need, thereby, eliminating the private property, social classes that in societies tend to become the dominant class. Communism was the answer to the capitalism. It was argued that in capitalism there is exploitation as it allows the formation of two major social classes: one which is bourgeoisie, a minority that derives profits from the employing the working class through private ownership of the means of production, the other is proletariat - the majority of the population who are employed and must sell their labor power to survive.

The socioeconomic thought was followed and implemented by countries such as Soviet Union and Maoist China. Yet, both countries witnessed the failure of communism for the systems developed under this ideology gave way to economic inefficiencies as resources were not allocated for developmental reasons and the building up of authoritarian control, thereby leading to an eventual collapse. History is witness to a number of revolutions that took place within these countries. In Soviet Union, the revolution of 1989, known as the Fall of Communism was a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that results in the collapse of the Marxist governments in many parts of the world.

Feudalism - was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs. Defined broadly, it is a way of structuring society around the relationship derived from the holding of the land in exchange of labor. Although, the system flourished in the medieval Europe and then collapsed, it still exists in many developing countries today. In Europe, the system created a rigid hierarchical system and the dissent grew over the authority and powers that were held by feudal lords and nobles. With diseases and wars, the system collapsed in Europe under economic and social pressures. In developing countries, the system flourishes due to government’s support and through the use of means of violence that keeps the labor in check.

Fascism - was an authoritarian and ultranationalist political ideology that rose to prominence in 20th century Europe notably in Germany and Italy. The ideology was characterized by a dictator leader, centralized autocracy, suppression of opposition, belief in social hierarchy and most importantly a belief of achieving national economic self sufficiency. Mussolini rise to power in Italy was due to the social and economic conditions after World War 1 where the participation in the way has been costly. The economic conditions worsened after the war such that many began turning to socialism as the answer. In Germany, the dire economic conditions after World War 1 led many to seek a leader that would restore the glory of Germany. Hitler embraced fascism more than any other country. In fascism, war was seen as a path to national rejuvenation. The resources were allocated heavily to military expansion and military infrastructure, opposition forcefully suppressed and countries ruled with an iron fist. World War 2 brought the end of fascism

Observing the three ideologies, there is a common pattern of failure. Firstly, ideologies that resist change with time do tend to fail. Second, it would seem that -ism ideologies relied heavily on central power structures which were prone to manipulation and used as means of suppression rather than progression. Thirdly, as time exposed the internal economic and social contradictions, the -ism ideologies were unable to address such contradictions thereby making their lives shorter. The combination of three factors set the path for revolutions and resistance that finally led to their collapse.

Survivors: Do any -ISM ideologies succeed?

Not all -ism ideologies have failed. Some have survived and continue to evolve with the ever-changing, although, the dissent is growing for some of these.

Some examples of enduring -isms are capitalism and feminism,

Capitalism - is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and operated with profits. It is chracterized by private property, capital accomulation, competitive markets with an emphasis on research and innovation that are the foundation of economic growth.

Seen as the rival to Communism, capitalism relies on the free market forces and the incentives which allow individuals and producers to create and drive the economic forces. And yet, capitalism itself has many flaws.

If capitalism allowed economic growth and development, it also brought with it income inequality, which continues to widen as the rich get richer and the poor become poorer. Crisis as such The Financial Crisis of 2008 have exposed the greed and exploitation of the system loop holes of sectors such as finance and the corporate world, which adversely affect the majority, and serve the minority. Yet, the system continues to evolve, adapt and remains dominant throughout the world.

Similarly, feminism continues to evolve in waves and continues to shape social thought and progress.

The survivors’ common traits are their ability to adapt to time and circumstances compare to being rigid, their openness to reform and address the matters rather than suppression and that it allows blended systems for e.g. social democracy to endure.

Thus, so if there are survivors alongside the failures, can it still be claimed that -ism suffix does contribute to failure?

An element of the -ism suffix is that it denotes that ideology in one way or another can go to extreme ends, even when it evolves with time. If communism was about the absence of profits to allow equality within society, capitalism with the presence of profits has led to inequality. Both systems are prone to exploitation and manipulation in their own unique way. The suffix -ism in itself is an indication either that the ideology and the systems would fail due to its reliance on rigidity and being absolute or it would survive with it own cycles of ups and downs, and would have its own costs and benefits. The ability of the -ism ideology to adapt to evolving times determines its longevity.

The -ism ideologies should not be discarded entirely because they often encapsulate valuable principles and aspirations that, when adapted with flexibility, they have the power to contribute to social progress, economic development, and philosophical understanding. The real challenge is adhering rigidly to ideological purity which gives way to authoritarian rule. What is required is that societies should focus on evolving and integrating ideas in ways that promote sustainability and real-world effectiveness.