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Distributism, also known as distributionism and distributivism, is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by such Roman Catholic thinkers as G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc to apply the principles of social justice articulated by the Roman Catholic Church, especially in Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum[1] and more expansively explained by Pope Pius XI's encyclical Quadragesimo Anno[2] According to distributism, the ownership of the means of production should be spread as widely as possible among the general populace, rather than being centralized under the control of a few state bureaucrats (some forms of socialism) or wealthy private individuals (capitalism). The Third Way is a term that has been used to describe a variety of political philosophies of governance that embracing a mix of market and interventionist philosophies Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936 was an influential English writer of the early 20th century Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (27 July 1870 &ndash 16 July 1953 was a French -born Writer who became a Naturalised British subject Social justice, sometimes called civil justice, refers to the concept of a Society in which Justice is achieved in every aspect of society rather than Pope Leo XIII ( March 2, 1810 – July 20, 1903) born Count Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the 256th Pope An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Christian church Rerum Novarum (Translation Of New Things) is an Encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 16 1891. Pope Pius XI ( Latin: Pius PP XI; Italian: Pio XI; May 31 1857 &ndash February 10 1939) born Quadragesimo Anno is an Encyclical by Pope Pius XI, issued 15 May 1931, 40 years after Rerum Novarum (thus the Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where A summary of distributism is found in Chesterton's statement: "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists. "[3]

Essentially, distributism distinguishes itself by its distribution of property. Distributism holds that, while socialism allows no individuals to own productive property (it all being under state, community, or workers' control), and capitalism allows only a few to own it, distributism itself seeks to ensure that most people will become owners of productive property. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where As Hilaire Belloc stated, the distributive state (that is, the state which has implemented distributism) contains "an agglomeration of families of varying wealth, but by far the greater number of owners of the means of production. Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (27 July 1870 &ndash 16 July 1953 was a French -born Writer who became a Naturalised British subject In the study of human settlements an agglomeration is an extended City or Town area comprising the built-up area of a central place ( usually a Municipality "[4] This broader distribution does not extend to all property, but only to productive property; that is, that property which produces wealth, namely, the things needed for man to survive. It includes land, tools, etc. [5]

Distributism has often been described as a third way of economic order between socialism and capitalism. However, some have seen it more as an aspiration, which has been successfully realised in the short term by commitment to the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity (these being built into financially independent local co-operatives). Subsidiarity is an Organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest lowest or least centralized competent authority

Contents

History

The articulation of Distributist ideas was based on 19th and 20th century Papal teachings, beginning with Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Pope Leo XIII ( March 2, 1810 – July 20, 1903) born Count Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the 256th Pope Rerum Novarum (Translation Of New Things) is an Encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 16 1891. In 1930s America, distributism was treated in numerous essays by Chesterton, Belloc and others in The American Review, published and edited by Seward Collins. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The American Review has served as the title of three distinct Magazines 19th century See also American Review A Whig Journal Seward Bishop Collins ( April 22, 1899 &ndash December 8, 1952) was an American New York socialite and Publisher. Pivotal among Chesterton's and Belloc's other works regarding distributism include The Servile State[6] and Outline of Sanity[7]

Distributist thought was later adopted by the Catholic Worker Movement, conjoining it with the thought of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin concerning localized and independent communities. The Catholic Worker Movement is a Catholic organization founded by the " Servant of God " Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933 Dorothy Day ( November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American Journalist turned anarchist, social activist Peter Maurin ( May 9, 1877 – May 15, 1949 born in Oultet, France) was a Catholic activist who co-founded It also influenced the thought behind the Antigonish Movement, which implemented co-operatives and other measures to aid the poor in the Canadian Maritimes. The Maritime provinces, called the Maritimes in local English (or the Canadian Maritimes by non-Canadians is a region of Eastern Canada Its practical implementation in the form of local co-operatives has recently been documented by Race Mathews in Jobs of Our Own. Race Mathews (born 27 March 1935) is a Co-operative economist, and former member of Victoria's State Parliament and Australia's Federal Parliament for the

Economic theory

Private property

Under such a system, most people would be able to earn a living without having to rely on the use of the property of others to do so. Examples of people earning a living in this way would be farmers who own their own land and related machinery, plumbers who own their own tools, software developers who own their own computer, etc. A farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials A plumber is a Tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking Water, sewage Drainage, or industrial The "co-operative" approach advances beyond this perspective to recognise that such property and equipment may be "co-owned" by local communities larger than a family, e. g. partners in a business.

Guild system

The kind of economic order envisioned by the early distributist thinkers would involve the return to some sort of guild system. A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers The present existence of labor unions does not constitute a realization of this facet of distributist economic order, as labour unions are organized along class lines to promote class interests, whereas Guilds are mixed class syndicates composed of both employers and employees cooperating for mutual benefit. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures.

Banks

Distributism favors the elimination of the current private bank system, or in any case, its profit-making basis. Private banks are Banks that are not incorporated. A non-incorporated bank is owned by either an individual or a general partner(s with limited partner(s This does not necessarily entail nationalization, but would probably require government involvement of some sort. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government

Social theory

The human family

Distributism sees the trinitarian human family of one male, one female, and their children as the central and primary social unit of human ordering and the principal unit of a functioning distributist society and civilization. Family denotes a group of People affiliated by consanguinity affinity or co-residence Male (♂ refers to the sex of an organism or part of an organism which produces small mobile Gametes called spermatozoa. Female (♀ is the Sex of an Organism, or a part of an organism which produces ova (egg cells CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder This unit is also the basis of a multi-generational extended family, which is embedded in socially as well as genetically inter-related communities, nations, etc. , and ultimately in the whole human family past, present and future. The economic system of a society should therefore be focussed primarily on the flourishing of the family unit, but not in isolation: at the appropriate level of family context, as is intended in the principle of subsidiarity. Distributism reflects this doctrine most evidently by promoting the family, rather than the individual, as the basic type of owner; that is, distributism seeks to ensure that most families, rather than most individuals, will be owners of productive property. The family is, then, vitally important to the very core of distributist thought.

Subsidiarity

Distributism puts great emphasis on the principle of subsidiarity. This principle holds that no larger unit (whether social, economic, or political) should perform a function which can be performed by a smaller unit. Pope Pius XI, in Quadragesimo Anno, provided the classical statement of the principle: "[J]ust as it is wrong to withdraw from the individual and commit to the community at large what private enterprise and industry can accomplish, so, too, it is an injustice, a grave evil and a disturbance of right order for a larger and higher organization to arrogate to itself functions which can be performed efficiently by smaller and lower bodies. Pope Pius XI ( Latin: Pius PP XI; Italian: Pio XI; May 31 1857 &ndash February 10 1939) born Quadragesimo Anno is an Encyclical by Pope Pius XI, issued 15 May 1931, 40 years after Rerum Novarum (thus the "[2] Thus, any activity of production (which distributism holds to be the most important part of any economy) ought to be performed by the smallest possible unit. This helps support distributism's argument that smaller units, families if possible, ought to be in control of the means of production, rather than the large units typical of modern economies.

Pope Pius XI further stated, again in Quadragesimo Anno, "every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, and never destroy and absorb them. Pope Pius XI ( Latin: Pius PP XI; Italian: Pio XI; May 31 1857 &ndash February 10 1939) born Quadragesimo Anno is an Encyclical by Pope Pius XI, issued 15 May 1931, 40 years after Rerum Novarum (thus the "[5] To prevent large private organizations from thus dominating the body politic, distributism applies this principle of subsidiarity to economic as well as to social and political action.

Society of artisans

Distributism promotes a society of artisans and culture. An artisan, also called a Craftsman, is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative including furniture clothing This is influenced by an emphasis on small business, promotion of local culture, and favoring of small production over capitalistic mass production. Mass production (also called flow production, repetitive flow production, series production, or serial production) is the production of A society of artisans promotes the distributist ideal of the unification of capital, ownership, and production rather than what distributism sees as an alienation of man from work.

Social security

Distributism favors the elimination of social security on the basis that it further alienates man by making him more dependent on the Servile State. Social security primarily refers to a Social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions including poverty old Distributists such as Dorothy Day did not favor social security when it was introduced by the United States government. This rejection of this new program was due to the direct influence of the ideas of Hilaire Belloc over American distributists.

Geopolitical theory

Political order

Distributism does not favor one set of political order over another, from democracy to monarchism. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment preservation or restoration of a Monarchy as a Form of government in a nation Distributism does not necessarily support anarchism, but some distributists, such as Dorothy Day, were also anarchists. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Dorothy Day ( November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American Journalist turned anarchist, social activist Distributism does not support political orders that go towards extremes of individualism or statism. Statism (or Etatism) is a very loose and often Derogatory term that is used to describe Specific instances of state intervention in personal social

Political parties

Distributism does not attach itself to one national political party or another in any part of the world. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral There are some modern political parties in the UK which espouse distributist views.

War

Distributists usually use Just War Theory in determining whether a war should be fought or not. Just War theory is a Doctrine of military ethics of Roman philosophical and Catholic origin studied by moral Theologians Ethicists and international Historical positions of distributist thinkers provides insight into a distributist position on war. Both Belloc and Chesterton opposed British imperialism in general, as well as specifically opposing the Second Boer War, but supported British involvement in World War I. See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Influence

E. F. Schumacher

Distributism is known to have had an influence on the economist E.F. Schumacher, a convert to Catholicism. Ernst Friedrich "Fritz" Schumacher ( 16 August 1911 &ndash 4 September 1977) was an internationally influential Economic

Mondragón Cooperative Corporation

The Mondragón Cooperative Corporation based out of the Basque Country in the region of Spain and France, was founded by a Catholic priest, Father José María Arizmendiarrieta, who seems to have been influenced by the same Catholic social and economic teachings that inspired Belloc, Chesterton, McNabb and the other founders of distributism. The Mondragón Cooperative Corporation (Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa - MCC is a group of manufacturing and retail companies based in the Basque Country and extended Father José María Arizmendiarrieta Madariaga ( 22 April, 1915 - 29 November, 1976) was a Catholic priest and founder of the Mondragón cooperative The Mondragón cooperative, however, may be considered "distributist" in the sense of valuing the ideal of the worker owning the means of production as much as possible, while some of its more international and capitalistic leanings seem to veer away from a true distributism.

The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic

Distributist ideas were put into practice by The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, a group of artists and craftsmen who establish a community in Ditchling, Sussex, England in 1920, with the motto 'Men rich in virtue studying beautifulness living in peace in their houses'. The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic was an Art colony and experiment in communal life in early 20th century England Ditchling is a village and Civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The Guild sought to recreate an idealised medieval lifestyle in the manner of the Arts and Crafts Movement; it survived until 1989. The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, and American Aesthetic movement occurring in the last years of the 19th century and the

Controversy

Ultranationalist groups

Controversy in the Distributist community has occurred because of associations of distributism with some ultranationalist groups. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation This would include groups such as the British National Party which claims to hold some distributist views. The British National Party (BNP is a Far-right and whites only political party in the United Kingdom. [8] Supporters of national anarchism also advocate distributist economic models, with Troy Southgate indicating his own commitment to the idea. National-Anarchism is a syncretic political current that developed in the 1990s out of an attempt by former Third Positionists to reconcile Anarchism Troy Southgate is an author musician and leading National-Anarchist activist based in the United Kingdom. [1] It should also be noted that since most Distributists are Catholic, they believe in the Church's rejection of Anarchism.

Many ultranationalists trace their ancestry back to Fascist movements, and may see Distributism as a version of Corporativism. Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology Historically corporatism (corporativismo refers to a political or Economic system in which power is held by civic assemblies that represent Economic [9] There are some similarities between the two systems, notable parallels between the Corporativists' Corporations and the Distributists' Guilds. A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business But there are fundamental differences between the two philosophies, notably the secular Corporativists' permissiveness towards big business and big government, and the ignoring of the principle of subsidiarity. It should also be noted that most Distributists are Catholic and follow the Church's rejection of secular nationalism.

Key texts

Thinkers

See also

References

  1. ^ Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, 1891. Arthur Joseph Penty (1875 –1937 was a British architect and writer on Guild socialism and Distributism. Peter Maurin ( May 9, 1877 – May 15, 1949 born in Oultet, France) was a Catholic activist who co-founded Bartholomew Augustine "B A" Santamaria, otherwise 'Bob' ( 14 August 1915 - 25 February 1998) Australian political Sun Myung Moon (born January 6 1920) is the Korean founder and leader of the world-wide Unification Church and of the larger Unification Guild socialism is a political movement advocating workers' control of industry through the medium of trade-related Guilds. Agrarianism is a social and Political philosophy which stresses the viewpoint that the cultivation of plants or Farming leads to a fuller and happier life Catholic social teaching encompasses aspects of Catholic doctrine relating to matters dealing with the collective welfare of humanity Mutualism, is an Anarchist school of thought, can be traced to the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon that envisioned a society where each person might possess a Communitarianism, as a group of related but distinct philosophies began in the late 20th century opposing in its opinion exalted forms of Individualism while advocating phenomena Personalism is the school of thought that consists of three main principles and which can broadly be qualified as species of Humanism: Only persons are real (in
  2. ^ a b Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, 1931.
  3. ^ G. K. Chesterton, "The Uses of Diversity", 1921.
  4. ^ Hilaire Belloc, The Servile State, 1913).
  5. ^ a b Id.
  6. ^ Hilaire Belloc, The Servile State, The Liberty Fund, originally published 1913.
  7. ^ G. K. Chesterton, The Outline of Sanity, IHS Press, 2002, originally published 1927.
  8. ^ N. Griffin, 'Moving Forward for Good', Identity, No. Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin (born 1959 is a British politician 21, June 2002, p. 7
  9. ^ David Baker, "The political economy of fascism: Myth or reality, or myth and reality?" New Political Economy, Volume 11, Issue 2 June 2006 , pages 227 – 250.

External links

Links favorable to distributism

Links unfavorable to distributism

Links neutral to distributism

Further reading

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