Main features of Socialist State

Main features of Socialist State

1. Eliminates Capitalism

Socialist State wants to eliminate capitalism which led to unequal distribution of wealth. It divided the society into two classes - 'rich and poor', 'haves' and 'have-nots' and the 'exploiter and exploited' and created wide gulf between the two. Socialist state seeks to cure all the evils of the capitalism such as injustice, inequality, class war etc by abolishing it.

2. Opposes Competition

Socialist State tries to eliminate all forms of competition. It wants to have cooperation instead of competition between the employers and workers. It tries to substitute cooperation for competition.

3. Economic Equality for all

Socialist State tries to secure economic equality for all by abolishing the wide gaps between different sections of the society. It stands for the principle of economic equality. It opposes the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few people. It aims to bridge the gap between the rich and poor so that opportunities are enjoyed by all equally. It desires to have a society in which there is no inequality in the distribution of property. According to Laveleys: 'Socialist state is an equaliser and leveler'.

4. Opposes private property

Socialist State tries to abolish the institution of private property. It regards private property as theft and source of all evils in the society. It declares that land and capital should belong to all and not to a privileged few.

5. Social control of means of production

Socialist State stands for public control of the means of production. It wants to abolish private enterprise. It wants to nationalise all the factors of production. Factors of production should be used by the people for the people. In other words, it aims at introducing state enterprise in the field of production and distribution for common good. It wants the state to be the producer and distributor in order to do justice to the people.

6. Emphasis on society

Socialist State lays more emphasis on society than the individual welfare to social welfare. It gives importance to the larger interests of the society as against the narrow and selfish interests of the individual. Social welfare is the main consideration of production. It means, under socialist state only those things will be produced which are needed by the society.

7. Rewards the worker on the basis of needs

Socialist State believes in rewarding the worker in proportion to the value of his labour. Its slogan is: 'From each according to his ability to each according to his needs'.

8.  Methods

Socialist State believes in democratic and evolutionary methods. It tries to bring about the necessary changes in the present economic and political structure peacefully and gradually. It believes in constitutional and peaceful methods in reconstructing society.