The Solution to Poverty in India: Socialism Or Capitalism

Poverty is a truth of reality that has existed since the dawn of man, a constant and disappointing fact of life. In fact, the vast majority of people throughout the earth live in poverty, with only a select few ruling the world. Many in the past have blamed the existence of poverty on the capitalist economic system, and would prefer an alternative such as socialism/communism. However, Marxism has failed in every nation, without exception, where its disastrous ideologies have taken hold, and even the thought that implementing the disastrous ideology throughout the world even further would solve anything is both arrogant and childish. There is a clear way to improve the lives of the countless people suffering extreme poverty, both in India and abroad - the full and unadulterated implementation of free market capitalism, which in India could only come as the result of the complete crackdown of the persisting existence of the caste system, the reformation of the justice system, and the full eradication of corruption within government administrations.

World poverty, contrary to common claims, can be solved, and there is one simple solution. Complete, full, an unadulterated free market capitalism, not hindered by social or political hierarchies that are contrary to capitalism, and bind those attempting to rise up in society from doing so. One key factor still preventing India from eliminating poverty today is the persistence of the long outdated caste system, which has existed in India for centuries, and has hindered its ability to lift up the poor. The caste system almost always defines one’s economic place in society, and economic future. The caste system is officially illegal in India, however the law is not enforced properly enough, which has hurt the economy tremendously. However, in other nations it is not the caste system that restrains them, rather socialism. However, the case in India is distinct. Socialism has hindered the economies of countless nations; in India, the caste system.

In true capitalism, which can be seen in the US, all are given an equal chance, not an equal result. Capitalism allows for economic mobility, which is constrained by the existence of caste system within India, however still people continue to audaciously pin the economic failures of India on capitalism. In more recent times, India’s economy has actually been relatively prospering, as the result of more economically capitalist policies have been implemented, and the caste system has been cracked down upon. For example, those in India considered to be suffering from extreme poverty has shot down dramatically from 300,000,000+ to only about 70 million today. This shows how policies leaning further to capitalism are now being implemented, and how further policies like this could easily continue to aid the Indian economy, as well as economies throughout the world. However, not only is the caste system and a lack of true free market capitalism is hindering the economy. The restrained economy cannot prosper as long as the caste system continues to exist in India.

Another major problem that can be seen throughout the world, in many highly impoverished nations, the justice system is often times skewed. Not only does the justice system in these nations favor those in power and those with economic power, hindering the impoverished communities’ ability to rise up, yet they also often time turn a blind eye to other issues hurting the economy, such as rampant crime, and the flow of drugs, human and sex trafficking which continues to plague these nations today. For example, in the book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Abdul, the protagonist, is wrongly accused of setting his neighbor, Fatima’s house on fire, and he is prosecuted for it. This is just one of many examples of the incompetence and inability of the justice system in India, which can be similarly seen throughout poorer nations. The justice system in India, as well as in many poorer, impoverished countries, cannot function properly, and oftentimes is sadly unable to stop crime, while at the same time, many law officials take bribes from not only corrupt political officials, yet also at times from drug cartels, gangs, etc. However, the extent to which the justice system has failed depends on the nation.

The justice system in many so called ‘third world countries’ can often be compared to the economies of advanced nations, and it is clear that the justice systems of third world countries often times reflect the nations’ economies. The justice systems can be seen as oftentimes inadequate, and insufficient. This is a common trend throughout the world, especially in most economically impoverished nations. Incompetent justice systems can lead to more widespread corruption, more widespread drug trafficking, sex trafficking, robberies, thievery etc. Yet speaking of corruption, corruption is yet another major problem hindering the development of countless impoverished nations.

Also, another major problem plaguing many third world countries is blatant and rampant corruption. For example, as seen in Behind the Beautiful Forevers, government officials take bribes often, as seen with Asha, who uses her power as an official to influence the slum, and she has many affairs with those higher up to move up, when truly, moving up should be done by merit, and not through corruption and scandal. This is a very true reflection of what is actually occurring within India and many poor and impoverished nations.

Corruption is utterly rampant, and it elevates the wrong people, leading to bad leadership and a failing economy, while also restricting those who wish to rise up in terms of economics from rising up. Corruption, along with the caste system and an incompetent justice system, has been key in hindering India’s economy from progressing. It is fundamental to the progress and advancement of the nation of India, as well as all poor nations throughout the world, from El Salvador to Zimbabwe, that corruption be fully eliminated. Corruption is one of the greatest problems facing the world as of today, and it is essential that they be rid of corruption, and that the government crack down on corruption in general. Corruption is still rampant in and thriving in India today.

Corruption remains a major problem within India, greatly hindering its potential. According to forbes, India still remains one of the most corrupt nations on the face of the Earth, and is considered ‘highly corrupt’, scoring 43 on the corruption perception index, making it extremely corrupt (Desai, Rodak). This goes to show just how extremely corrupt India is, and it goes to show the reality and the gravity of the major problem that is corruption in India. It is necessary for India to clean itself of this corruption, if the nation ever seeks to advance. Corruption is the one of the strongest deterrents of economic wealth, as is socialism, which goes hand in hand with corruption, as seen in Venezuela and many other socialist nations throughout the world. If India is ever to progress, it must rid itself of the plague that is corruption. Many reformations – justice reform, a crackdown on corruption, an end to bribery – are necessary for India’s future,

A common counterclaim to the claim that only full, unadulterated capitalism, is that the true way to fix poverty throughout the world is the implementation of socialism. However, socialism has never functioned properly in any nation in history, and has only led to more misery, economic failure, imprisonment, repression, and eventual mass murders. For example, in Venezuela, where socialism was implemented just recently under Hugo Chavez, and is now being implemented under Nicolas Maduro, poverty is skyrocketing, malnourishment is skyrocketing, the currency has become worthless, now having reached 10,000,000% inflation, a shocking statistic, and the nation, once one of the richest on Earth, has descended to now being one of the poorest on Earth, as a clear result of the failures of socialism. The idea that socialism could possibly solve the crisis of poverty throughout the world is both haughty as well as foolish. Socialism has decimated the economies of countless nations; capitalism is the cure.

It is clear that the only true solution to India’s problem is free market capitalism, which can only come as the result of the abolition of the caste system, the reformation of the justice system, and the crack down upon poverty within the nation. India is one of the many nations on Earth that has suffered from extreme poverty. Poverty is a persistent problem in the world, however, poverty has, unlike what is commonly thought, has decreased, as seen in India in more recent years, as the result of more rightist, conservative, economically sound policies. As it was once said in the wise words of former President Ronald Reagan, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government in the problem”. The only solution to poverty in India is the elimination of government corruption, as well as the elimination of government regulation of goods as well as leftist economic policies, which have hindered India’s ability to strive forward as a nation.. The justice system, the caste system, the corruption, these are the greatest challenges India faces. If the economy of India is ever to prosper, this must be done.