The Gap between Rich and Poor Nations from the Socialist Viewpoint

Abstract

Socialism is not about nations; it is about individuals. That is why the original title of the paper I was invited to present — ‘The Gap from the Socialist Countries’ Perspective’ — was somewhat misleading. Even the present modified title is not altogether satisfying: it stops at the international level and neglects the intra-national analysis. We are all citizens of one single world. If some of us happen to be born into rich nations while others belong to poor nations that simply means that some of us are privileged while others are underprivileged citizens of that same single world. The privilege of the man in a rich country is not earned; it is as arbitrary as the privilege connected with inherited property or the one that was associated with inherited feudal titles. The history books tell us about class polarisation within particular countries. The contemporary world has produced a similar, yet new, form of social polarisation: the one between rich and poor nations. In our world human beings are clearly not born equal.