Pictures of the Socialistic Future

by Eugen Richter

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Genres: Politics, Fiction, Economics, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Philosophy, German Literature

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1893

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book that was way ahead of its time. (Reminds me of a line from a movie--"So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.”)

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing tale about the aftermath of a communist revolution in Germany. Through the eyes of the protagonist, we gradually see his society succumb to chaos. Starting out as a firm communist, he exonerates everything the government does, even when his family is split apart and their belongings taken from them. His faith gradually vanishes over the course of the story. The government becomes gradually more corrupt, officials become lazy and rude, the quality of goods gets lower and lower, food becomes scarce, then the police is massively overstocked to prevent rioting and a wall is built to prevent defection (seriously). Meanwhile, his daughter dies from bad care in a mandatory boarding school run by the government, his fathers mental state deteriorates from boredom and deprivation in a mandatory retirement home, and his wife loses her sanity. All of this sounds incredibly realistic, and it really drives home the message that without freedom, without individuality and without family bonds, humans cannot live. You cannot dissolve persons in a collective and hope for the best.

The most astonishing part: This book was written in 1893! That's over twenty years before Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth proved scientifically exactly why economic planning cannot work, and over fifty years before the German Democratic Republic went a similar way as the Germany in the story did (not quite as bad, but then again, it also wasn't fully socialistic). To be even more prophetic about socialism than the great Ludwig von Mises is an incredible achievement. I don't think anyone but the author, Eugene Richter, could claim this for himself.

[Ahw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing how something written in ... 1898? Sounds like stories about the Soviet Union in the 70's and other Socialist countries today.

[Ronald J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book blew me away. Written by "Herr Eugene Richter, the Radical member for Hagen in the German Imperial Parliament in 1893, he was sturdy opponent and acute critic of Socialism. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "This will be a counter-irritant to the Bellamy remedies for Society, for it depicts the miseries of the socialistic regime and its final overthrow." It’s the story of Berlin’s transition to socialism in 1891, focusing on one family’s travails and vicissitudes of daily life. Ever wonder how a society transitions from capitalism to socialism? Read this work. It’s prescient. This is the true story of East Berlin, written 68 years before the Berlin Wall went up, and the author clearly saw what would happen. Trying to equalize consumption amongst all citizens is an incredibly complex issue, and no government is capable of reaching this Utopian fantasy without force, coercion, and incredible dislocations in daily living that we, who live in free markets, take for granted. How do you decide who gets which living spaces? What about single vs. married couples? Who gets which jobs, and what are the hours to be worked? Who gets to live in the city vs. the country? How are the elderly and children to be cared for (spoiler: by the state, in living facilities that are horrendous)? What about dining? Money (replaced with coupons)? Theaters, operas, and other entertainment venues, how are seats allocated? Do people from the country get to enjoy these diversions? If so, when, and how many at a time?

These are all the issues the story details. It’s Hayek’s Knowledge Problem at the micro level, writ large. The father of the family is a true believer in socialism, until gradually his life unravels. I won’t give away any spoilers, suffice to say it’s easy to imagine how many families suffered the same indignities and poverty this family did under socialism. It made me think of the movie, The Lives of Others, about East Germany.

As the grandfather of the family said, "I daresay all that is very nicely and mathematically worked out, but it can never bring happiness. And why not? Because humanity is something more than a flock of sheep." There’s a Chinese saying (paraphrasing): The mountain is high, and the emperor is far away. When it comes to organizing an economy, it’s an intractable problem without prices and voluntary cooperation. Read this book and absorb its many lessons of why socialism is a false utopia. The story far exceeded my expectations, and it's understandable why it was so popular in Germany.

[Rob Weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eugen Richter (1838-1906) is not a name that prompts immediate recognition, at least not in the English-speaking world. He was, in the late 19th century, the preeminent advocate for free markets and institutions in German politics. He took a stance, as libertarians do today, criticizing both left and right. He was outspoken both against the socialists (Marxists) as well as against the conservative, Bismarck, especially opposing his tariffs. He did this as a journalist, but also in the arena, with a seat in the Reichstag, as leader of various short-lived political parties, such as the Freisinnige Partei (Free-minded Party).

In 1891 Richter wrote a popular work, Sozialdemokratische Zukunftsbilder: Frei nach Bebel, literally “Social-democratic future pictures, freely adapted from Bebel.” August Bebel (1840-1913) was a near-contemporary of Richter, and founder of the German Social Democrats. Social Democrats back then were pretty much hard-core Marxists and remained so until after WWII. So, to avoid confusion, the English translation of Richter’s book is titled, Pictures of the Socialistic Future.

This is a remarkable book, one that has aged quite well. Richter gives us here a diary of a Berliner, a middle-aged, middle-class everyman, a bookbinder with wife and children and an elderly father, a man who is sympathetic to Bebel and the socialist platform, a man who is comfortable in his position, but knows that others struggle, and so is happy the day the revolution comes and with it a new government and new institutions to bring this vision to fruition.

Read more of my review here: https://www.whynotlibertarianism.com/...

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 1893, but translated into English in 1907, this satire exposes the shortcomings of the Socialist society. Accounts of the equity of the socialist state mislead, but Eugen Richter enlightens us with his hypothetical scenario. Anyone convinced that socialism is the fairest form of governance would do well to imagine what would happen to the common man.

[Theresa Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read

A picture of America in the 21st century, written 100 years ago. As revealing as Orwell, this is the logical outcome of dystopian socialism.

[Ralph Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have many political views these days and socialism is one of the political alignment people can have. Pictures of the Socialistic Future by Eugen Richter tells a story of how it would look like if socialism takes over capitalism. The novel received great response from the public because Richter wanted to show how government ownership to every single aspect of the society can affect the said society as a whole. It would lead to shortages instead of abundance, because it made sense if a society doesn’t make any profit, how would they survive and develop? It opened many eyes and made people think about how the socialist movement is probably not as a paradise as they think it would be.

[Hdger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richter, unlike Oruell, did not have a reference model of the USSR, and he doesn't draw a picture of a totalitaian state that is not longer socialistic. He shows that at the every step, the decisions made were socialistic, and if the result is bad, that's because the socialism itself is in fault. It's definitely very mild by today's standarts, although he got a lot of things right - sometimes I thought that I am reading not a satire, but a slightly innacurate description of the Soviet Union. Writing is sometimes heavy, but Richter's dry humor is great.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Humanity is something more than a flock of sheep."

[Reynolds S · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that shows the progression from the joy of newly-enacted socialism to the disapoointment of its failure to end all inequality. The main character spends a large portion of his time defending socialism in his country even as it starts to affect his well-being and family's well-being. He starts to realize that socialism is not the panacea it was promised to be, but a way to equal misery for all. With his family broken up as a result of the dictates from the state, he still defends socialism even though he knows that it is a failure. Although it was written over 100 years ago, this book is a good roadmap showing how making everyone equal does not make everyone great. People do better when they want to do something and not be told what to do.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing thing about this book is that it was written prior to the rise and dominance of Marxism and socialism in the 20th century. Nevertheless, Richter paints an accurate and gruesome picture of what the coming socialist regimes would be for their citizens. Excellent read

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illusion that socialism can provide equity and prosperity fades from the mind of the narrator and protagonist through the course of the days that the narrator chronicles. Richter contributes a fresh, prophetic look at the tendency of communism to devolve into totalitarianism.

[Owlseyes]

The Dystopian Novel that Foresaw the Nightmares of Socialism

By Bryan Caplan

In:
https://fee.org/articles/the-dystopia...

[Bjorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://lynnfikstad.wordpress.com/2010...

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written before socialism took off, and speculates on what a future with socialism would look like, and it's a nightmare. Amazing insight and predictions, a must-read in my mind.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was interesting that one of the first rebellions against uniformity in this book was portrayed by the love of fashion and wanting uniqueness in one's looks.

[Joe Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perspective

An interesting read on the hopes and subsequent failures of socialism. The fact that it was written in the 1890's is impressive.

[Lulu]

1893