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5.0 out of 5 stars
The Servile State Versus The Distributivist Society., Oct 9 2002
In this liberty classic, the Catholic intellectual Hilaire Belloc writes that the present system of capitalism is likely to give rise to something new, the servile state, because of inherent instabilities within it. Belloc defines this state as, "That arrangement of society in which so considerable a number of the families and individuals are constrained by positive law to labor for the advantage of other families and individuals as to stamp the whole community with the mark of such labor we call the servile state." This servile state is a return to the form of pagan slavery that existed in Europe before the advent of Christianity abolished it. Belloc contends that from the original pagan form of slavery, Christianity brought about a new system of society, the distributivist society. In this system, every individual was an owner of property and belonged to guilds which allowed for him to own the means of production. However, the distributivist system failed with the breakdown of the Christian faith. For example, the Reformation allowed for the Crown to confiscate monastic lands. Thus, a small group of indiviudals, the capitalists, came to own the means of production and the property. Belloc does not blame the existence of capitalism on the Industrial Revolution like most other thinkers have. Rather, he sees the problem in society as existing before the Industrial Revolution. Belloc contends that had distributivism not broken down, the Industrial Revolution would have been beneficial to all concerned. The current system of the capitalist state is unstable however, and may give rise to one of two separate things. Reformers have tried to create from the capitalist system a collectivist (or socialist) state. In the collectivist state, private property would be abolished and a group of managers would control all property for the proletariat in trust. Belloc contends that this form of collectivism is likely to give rise to a third thing, the servile state. One way reformers have tried to accomplish this goal is through "buying out" capitalism. Since the state is an older institution than the capitalist owners, it has been considered possible that the state can "buy out" the capitalists. Belloc finds such an idea problematic and shows how this is not possible to occur. Alternatively, the other possibility is for society to return to a distributivist system in which all individuals own property and the means of production. Belloc finds this alternative to be the best, however, he notes that it is unlikely to happen given the current direction in which society is taking and amounts to "swimming upstream". So, while the socialist alternative works within the capitalist system, it will ultimately lead to servitude. Belloc points out examples of how legislation designed to benefit the proletariat has actually increased the development of the servile state. Examples of this include regulation such as employee compensation and minimum wage laws, which were in the initial stages of being enacted in Belloc's England. The future for freedom looks grim because the proletariat is willing to give up its political freedom in exchange for security and guarantee of subsistence standards. For example, Belloc points out that minimum wage laws actually benefit capitalists because they guarantee that there will not be unruliness among the workers. Also, such laws and regulations involve the creation of a class distinction between proletariat and employer. Given the direction the welfare state has taken contrary to liberty and towards further regulation, these cogent writings of Belloc from near the beginning of this last century serve as an important warning and prophecy for the future. We have indeed headed in the direction of servitude, and Belloc's distributivist ideal seems less and less likely.For an interesting alternative understanding of the modern world and its condition see Julius Evola's _Revolt Against the Modern World_.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Evolution of our economies, Aug 20 2009
This is economic history as it is not understood by modern economic historians. The thesis describes the "ecopolinomic" (economic+political) development for European & English societies in light of religious developments (- something which modern economic historians ignore) from ancient times to 1912. The descriptions are nonetheless pertinent to modern times because mankind is still inclined to go round in circles with its "foot" nailed to the Earth with Greed.
A list of its sectional synopses is -
(i) Definitions on words such as Wealth, Capital, Proletariat (prolific working class), Means of Production, etc.
(ii) Our civilisation was originally Servile. Pagan society and the Christian church.
(iii) How the Servile institution was for a time dissolved. Slavery, serfdom, and peasantry are described. Christendom and the erection of the Distributive state before the Middle Ages.
(iv) How the Distributive state failed. Decline from Distributive property to Capitalism by the 16th century. Confiscation of monastic land by Oligarchy (Oligarchy = government by a small group of people). England is Capitalist before the industrial revolution that began late 18th and early 19th centuries.
(v) The Capitalist state in proportion (As this state grows "perfect" it grows unstable). Capitalism is described as a transitory state.
(vi) The solutions of Distributism, Collectivism, and Servility to unstable Capitalism.
(vii) Socialism is the easiest apparent solution for the capitalist crux (crux = the vital part of a problem)
(viii) The reformers and the reformed are both making for the Servile state.
(ix) The Servile state has begun (again, by the 20th century).
Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) wrote three excellent books setting forth his theory of economics, Distributism. His first, in order of publication, was "The Servile State". In this book, published in 1912, Belloc argued that the distributive state, characterized by widespread ownership of property was the natural and proper political economy for man. But he argued that capitalism would tend toward a return to the Servile state, a state based on servitude. And, in the decades following 1912, this certainly took place throughout the world. If analysed carefully, it could be seen that the private banking plutocracy (Rothschilds, et al.) have contributed to this consequence over the last three centuries; this is the missing link in understanding the current downward evolution of worldwide economies to its current "neoliberal" state.
However, Belloc realized that there was a terrible lack of comprehension of economic issues in the reading public, so he wrote "Economics for Helen" as a needed corrective. Again however, subject to criticisms of impracticality, his next book addressed a practical program in "An Essay on the Restoration of Property".
Belloc sees three different ways in which human society can be constituted economically, depending on how control is exercised over the three factors of production, namely land labour and capital. He defines the 3 ways as -
1. The Servile State (As described in this book)
2. The Capitalist State (With which we are already familiar in its current outcome)
3. The Distributist State (As envisaged and explained by Belloc in his economic writings)
It strikes me as odd that such an enlightened thinker as Belloc is not better known; I suspect it is the usual problem with mainstream academia ignoring non-academic "outside-the-box" thinkers ("Oh, how could a non-academic know any better without formal training!"). A current British economic thinker, Michael Rowbotham ("Grip of Death") is another example of an ostracized genius. Arrogance has its victims, and nations may suffer for it. Another living mastermind is the founder of the best solution for our centuries-old economic greed, to be found at the website for the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation ([...])
I would say the uninitiated readers of economics should read this book before they delve into the "-isms" of modern accounts of economic history and theories.
A 25-page biography of Belloc has been published in "Hilaire Belloc, 1870-1953" - ISBN: 0953507734.
The economist John Maynard Keynes (1883 - 1946) once said: "The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else". What kinds of economic advisors are currently advising our governments on their economic and business policies?
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by Adam Smith
by LUDWIG VON MISES
by F. A. Hayek
by Russell Kirk
