“The reward for labour is life. Is that not enough?”
Guild Socialism (GuildSoc) is a left unity to libertarian left ideology that advocates for worker ownership of the Means of Production through trade guilds, and that such guilds have "an implied contractual relationship with the public". It originated in the United Kingdom in 1914 with the book "National Guilds: An Inquiry into the Wage System and the Way Out" in wich S. G. Hobson (the author) presents guilds as an alternative to 
state socialism.
Guild socialism believes in 
democratic workplaces and varies on government types.
Possible Economic framework
Monopolistic Competition as a Framework
Monopolistic competition, in a non-capitalist context, retains key features of the market structure while stripping away capitalist logic, such as the profit motive, private ownership, and Commidification of labour, Producers compete ethically, focusing on innovation, quality, and sustainability, rather than market domination or accumulation of wealth. Many properties of Monopolistic Competition align with Guild Socialism, Such as:
Decentralized Production
Guild socialism values local decision-making and worker autonomy. Non-capitalist monopolistic competition supports a decentralized system where many guilds operate independently yet cooperatively within a broader federation.
Product Differentiation
Guilds may specialize in producing distinct goods or services based on regional resources, cultural preferences, or specific skills. Differentiation allows guilds to cater to diverse consumer needs while fostering innovation. Market Regulation,Prices and market dynamics would be regulated collectively by federations of guilds or through democratic planning,ensuring low barriers of entry and absence of Predatory pricing.
History
Guild Socialism took inspiration from the Guild system of the Middle Ages, in which worker-owned guilds played a big role in the economy. Likewise, it criticized the 
capitalist hierarchy and the wage system, believing that the laborer has no rights under the system, thus calling for a decentralized economy consisting of worker guilds. Likewise it acknowledges the differences of conditions back then and in the present day, mainly in how said industry functions and how town-economies have become all but impossible in the modern day.
What sets Guild Socialism apart from other forms of socialism is how the guildsmen is to maintain the apprehension in the framing of social arrangements, and how the economy would consist of guilds, mainly on the local level but also some on the national level, which would serve to include workers of all areas of whichever sector said guild represents.
Likewise, it criticizes both State Socialism and 
Syndicalism as leaving open the possibility of tyranny, and likewise 
G.D.H. Cole believed that the Bolshevik Revolution and Lenin himself “replaced the capitalist state with an equally as coercive state”, as said in his book “Guild Socialism: A Plan For Economic Democracy”.
While it sees Trade Unionism as what is supposed to become the upcoming guilds, it has also criticized trade unions for being too moderate and compromising, in addition to how many only focus on one workplace rather than the common industry, arguing that even if that specific workplace is freed, many in the same industry are still exploited, in addition to believing that there can’t be worker’s justice under the hierarchy of capitalism.
It also takes elements from both a socialistic market economy and decentral planning, acknowledging markets in the regards to consumer goods, but opposes markets when in regards to civic and essential services, utilizing a communal structure under which guilds serve as a basis for hiring and firing as well as operating under a mostly direct democratic system, though on occasions, a meritocratic and expertise vote would be utilized as well, likewise the workers can make suggestions to the guilds as a form of suggesting improvement of the workplace and industry.
The guilds also have a relation to the public, via councils making up of those using said service(s), who can submit suggestions to the guilds, as a form of improvement of relations to the public and direct democracy.
Variants
How to Draw
- Draw a ball
- Fill it with burgundy
- Draw a red horseshoe with a gold border tilted 45 degrees
- Draw a white arrow coming out of the horseshoe also with a gold outline
- Draw a tic-tac-toe game in gold with a golden star in the top right corner
| Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgundy | #680F0B | rgb(104, 15, 11) | |
| Red | #FF0000 | rgb(255, 0, 0) | |
| Gold | #FFCB00 | rgb(255, 203, 0) | |
| White | #FFFFFF | rgb(255, 255, 255) | |
Relationships
Friends
Conservative Socialism and 
Homoconservatism - My main advocates in the modern day, Carden and Blue Labour are awesome!
Agrarian Socialism - My rural counterpart.
Christian Socialism - Good chum.
Catholic Workerism - Good friend of mine.
Cultural Nationalism - I am proud of my culture!
Distributism - My religious friend who denies being related to me, but I know the truth.
Populareism - My friend from Roman times.
Libertarian Socialism - I too am an enthusiast of a truly decentral and democratic economy.
Democratic Socialism & 
Classical Social Democracy - Same as above but with an emphasis on democracy.
Social Democracy - Too moderate but we are quite good friends in the UK.
Socialist Corporatism - Corporatism is inspired by medieval guilds. I am simply the logical conclusion of that history.
Technological Romanticism - Combining the aesthetics of antiquity with modernist socialism is totally based!
Frenemies
Council Communism - Alright. But workers' councils are also lame.
Fabian Socialism - Cole was a Fabian, but why Eugenics?
Mercantilism - You like guilds, but often your merchants are just greedy elites that withhold their vast wealth from the commoners!
Reactionary Socialism - You’re ok but I’m not really a fan of returning to feudalism.
Feudalism - Don't like you, but 
Medieval Guilds come from you, so thanks I guess?
Yellow Socialism - He likes some of my ideas but he doesn't like guilds that much.
Leninism - You know, I agree that the current system should be overthrown for the better, it's just that what you propose shares the same coercion that the current system promotes, and I hate it.
Syndicalism - He'll get there, eventually.
Enemies
Commercialism - The "democracy" you represent under your systematic rule is merely a facade to hide the fact that in actuality, it's an unfair hierarchy where the laborer is denied his rights shrouded under a false consciousness.
State Socialism - Fake socialism.
Neoliberalism - Doesn't like guilds or unions.
Jacobinism - Also hates guilds.
American Communist Party - Wait why do you oppose guilds?? We are natural partners.
Octavian Caesarism - Same as the above three.
State Liberalism - ...especially if it comes from above.
Nazism - I don't understand, what even are you?!
Corporatocracy - He wants to drive us out of business.
Anarcho-Capitalism - Why dont you wanna join a guild?
Marxism–Leninism - Your central plannedcommand economy is pretty cringe.
Anarcho-Communism - Nothing personal but you're very disorganized.
Further Information
Literature
- The Restoration of the Guild System by
Arthur Joseph Penty - A Guildsman’s Interpretation of History. by Arthur J Penty
- Guilds, Trade And Agriculture by Arthur J Penty
- Guild Socialism Re-Stated by
G.D.H. Cole - Tangled Up In Blue: Blue Labour and the Struggle for Labour's Soul by Rowenna Davis
- Blue Labour: Forging a New Politics by Ian Geary and Adrian Pabst
Wikipedia
Online Communities
Gallery
Previous Portrait
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- ↑ Before his death in 1937 Penty joined the British Union of Fascists, along with his wife and son. This was confirmed by Samuel Hobson, who recounted in his autobiography how he spontaneously telephoned Penty one day only to find that he had joined the fascist party.
- ↑ https://substack.com/home/post/p-105046173
- ↑ https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/tom-wetzel-guild-socialism-as-a-precursor-to-partcipipatory-economics
