What is the Meaning of Statism?

"One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary."
― Ayn Rand, Russian-American novelist, philosopher.

The above quote gives us a clear understanding that Statism is an ideology that opposes Capitalism.

Ayn Rand defined Statism as the idea that "man’s life and work belong to the state—to society, to the group, the gang, the race, the nation—and that the state may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good."

This implies that Statism is a form of dictatorship practiced by the state/government to control its people. In this article, we will discuss what is Statism, and how it is different from Capitalism.

Under this ideology, the government violates four fundamental rights of an individual as described below.

• Right to Life : The government is involved in brutal practices such as murder through assassinations, unfair warfare, and attacks on citizens.

• Right to Liberty : The government tries to control the actions of the citizens by telling them what they must and must not do, buy, sell, own, consume, etc. It holds the power to use physical force in any manner against innocent citizens without any strong reason. It may even imprison people without evidence or trial.

• Right to Property : The government imposes unfair taxes, confiscates possessions, and thus violates the people's right to property. It tells the citizens what they can and cannot own.

• Right to Privacy : The government has the right to spy on its citizens through various means such as telephones, computers, cameras, records, etc. Thus, it violates the right to privacy of an individual.

People who follow the principle of Statism, which is dictatorship, are called Statists. They believe that it is alright to force, enslave, assault, rob, and murder other people. Nazism is a classic example of Statism.

During the time of World War II, Japan was governed by Statism; however, it came to an end with Japan's defeat in the war.

Libertarianism
Libertarianism has policies that seek to maximize freedom of choice and autonomy. It stands against statism that invades the privacy of its citizens. It promotes freedom of speech and love.

Voluntaryism
Voluntaryism states that all forms of associations should be formed voluntary. It's against statism and its laws that impose taxes. It states that an individual should contribute to a charity or organization based on his goodwill instead of peer pressure.

Anarchism
Anarchism advocates stateless societies with self-governance as its central policy. It has anti-statism at its core with its refusal to follow state regulations. Anarchism draws on many thoughts with some believing on self-governance and no police body to impose any rules on them.

The other form of anarchism leads to violent revolutions or propaganda to achieve the ends.