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Is the Federation "Communist" or Socialist?
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this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
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You can look up the definition and see if it applies. I'd argue it isn't a classless society. Especially with all the military ranks and hierarchies. And socialism is kind of a broad term. I'm pretty sure you can apply it to this case without starting a debate.
Classless societies and justified hierarchy aren't mutually exclusive, however. That's the entire point of anarchist strains of political ideology, the only hierarchies that should exist are ones that can be justified for the good of everyone. The hierarchy of Starfleet is justified because it's still syndicalist in nature while requiring a person to ensure the survival of everyone on board.
Is that alright with communism? Strive for a classless society except for when we like to do classes anyways? I mean starfleet is kind of military and I don't know much about that in the context of communism. But there's also the separation between the worker class in a starship and then the officers who manage them and who get depicted in most of the TV series. I'm pretty sure that doesn't align well with communism. I'm not sure how many exceptions there are in a communist utopia. But I'd like to see some strong arguments when doing away with some of the core values of an ideology. And I'm not sure if there is a better way to organize a starship than 20 century military hierarchy style.
Well the show and the universe also have to be looked at separately in that context. The show was made for an American audience, which has a strong cultural belief in "great man" theory. The American audience wouldn't accept a show that doesn't follow high ranking officers being the paragon of bravery. It also had to keep an arm's length away from a specific socialist ideology to avoid being swept into the red scare.
Workplaces will still require management, even in communist and anarchist societies. It's all about who's doing the managing. The show doesn't get very detailed in this aspect of their society afaik, but by all means it seems that the rank and file are valued appropriately with their knowledge and input. Believe it or not, but this aligns quite nicely with most types of American brands of socialism. The show keeps it vague for a few good reasons
Communist states had/have large militaries so I guess that's not a problem
"Communist" states also aren't very communist.
Why not?
Read a history book. So far communism is a theoretical concept. Never has been achieved. And all the attempts didn't even get close.