Socialism as a philosophy is way more progressive, advanced and fair than capitalism. However, its political philosophy and field application failed to catch up. This made Socialism doomed to suffer the dilemmas of what I call The Dictatorship of the Uniforms; where government and public officials form infinite layers of tyrants and dictators holding “The People” as serfs and “Fiscal Beings”.

Excessive socialism brought a large part of the world on its knees (USSR) and could have done the same prejudice to others (US, UK and others in the late 1970s). Yet, also pure capitalism takes us to the dark world of the 19th century where people are held as slaves and serfs working 7 days a week and 14 hours a day. I admire Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom” narrative and arguments. But without the right amount of socialism, society can quickly become a jungle.

Socialist ideas brought a sense of moderation to capitalism with the introduction of paid leaves, weekends and shorter working hours. Still, the challenge is how to put just the right dose that doesn’t compromise liberal democracy, freedom and human rights principles. Take the experience of the Mittelstands in Germany, which is a particular form of capitalism where private familial capital gets associated with workers to govern the corporate as a long-term sustainable ecosystem. Mittelstands refuse to be listed in the stock exchanges, make sure to never get over-indebted and associate workers in all decision-making affairs. They’re today a special success story that drives Germany as one of the most resilient economies in the world. They are capitalist and they are inspired by socialist narratives and approaches.

Too much Socialism drives us to the tyranny and fascism. Too much Capitalism transforms society to a jungle. What humanity needs is a fundamental respect of liberal democracy and human rights, an intensive focus on high quality large-scale education, and just the right dose of Socialism.