0
Socialism
Socialism is an economic and political philosophy characterized by public or government ownership of property and goods.
635 Questions
What countries have a socialist government?
It is difficult to answer this question because many countries that claim to be Socialist or have a Socialist or Communist Party in power do not enact Socialist ideological policies. Therefore, there are three very different answers. Note: These lists are not exhaustive.
1) Countries which openly identify as Socialist or Communist, but do NOT implement Socialist policies:
People's Republic of China
Mongolia
Laos
Vietnam
2) Countries which do NOT openly identify as Socialist or Communist, but do implement Socialist policies:
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Ecuador
Finland
Spain
Sweden
Venezuela
3) Countries which openly identify as Socialist or Communist, and implement Socialist policies:
Cuba
North Korea
Which person was a founder of socialism?
Originally Karl Marx did,
His Communist Manifesto Became the base thoughts of socialism.
Lenin then tried to make his own form of socialism in russia, he later named his governmental party communism.
How successful was socialism during the progressive era?
While not all progressives supported all progressive reforms, the basic objectives of the movement included the following: Destruction of the monopolistic power of the major corporations and banks in America. More representative government at all political levels in local, state, and national government. An active government that would take the initiative in reform. The right of labor to organize and secure a decent salary and safe working conditions. More economic and political rights for women. Regulation of child labor. The direct election of United States Senators. A graduated income tax that would fall hardest on the wealthy and least on the poor. Enactment of the initiative, referendum, and recall. Reform of city government Nationalization of railroads and banks. Government owned and operated local utilities. Consumer protection laws to prevent the sale of unsafe food and drugs. Check the list of objectives and you can determine how successful the Progressive agenda was.
What is the ulimate goal of a socialist economy?
Greater efficiency and productivity, stability (no business cycle), distribution based on one's contribution, and freedom from unnecessary and repetitive work so that all individuals have enough time and resources for self-actualization.
What acts of repression did Bismarck take against the socialists?
it gives the police the power to use the anti-socialists laws against strikers and expel. he reaffirmed it and claimed it. the ability to take the opposite sides at the same time in a quarrel.
What are facts about Fabian socialism?
Fabian socialism is a form of socialist ideology that advocates for gradual and reformist changes to achieve socialism, rather than revolutionary means. Founded in the late 19th century in the UK by the Fabian Society, it emphasizes the importance of education, social reform, and democratic processes to implement social ownership and welfare. Key figures include George Bernard Shaw and Sidney Webb, who believed in using political action and parliamentary methods to improve society. Fabian socialism has significantly influenced the development of the Labour Party and British social policy.
Why do socialist systems have mixed economies?
Socialism is not considered a mixed economy.
Socialism is defined as a system based on public ownership of the means of production, self-management in enterprises, and production for use instead of production for private profit. There are two types of socialism: planned economies and market socialism.
A mixed economy usually refers to a type of capitalism where the government intervenes in markets to affect economic outcomes, or engages in some minor indirect economic planning. Mixed economies are heavily capitalist: profit-driven enterprise is the dominant form of organization, most firms are privately-owned, and markets are still the primary way of coordinating the economy.
Why has socialism been popular in developing countries?
Socialism is not a form of government. It is an economic system much like capitalism, mercantilism and feudalism.
People support the basic idea of socialism for different reasons.
For economic reasons, one might support socialism as a means to "rationalize" the economic system by eliminating the boom-and-bust cycle inherent to capitalism, to allow for full employment, efficient use of resources, and public ownership over large industries so that the profits can be distributed more evenly amongst the population.
Socialism may also be supported by those who criticize capitalism on cultural and moral grounds.
Philosophically, socialism is advocated for greater equality, individuality as defined as enabling a greater scope for self-actualization and the expansion of democratic-decision making into the economic aspects of society.
How does fascism compare to socialism?
Fascism is a smaller, less noticeable form of government control. For example, the government can control businesses by private leaders, whereas socialism is obvious as to who is in charge, basically if America was controlled by a socialist government it would be President Obama that was obviously in charge. The U.S government is pushing towards socialism.
Which group was most opposed to socialism?
The group that was the most opposed to socialism were capitalists.
How are socialism and marxism similar and different?
Communism is when everyone is equal. For ex. You might live in a small house even though you might be a doctor, but you only have a wife and 1 kid. And another family might have a big house because they have a wife and 4 kids, but they are only a cashier.
Why did socialists think that private ownership of the means of production was bad?
Socialists - today mostly called social-democrats - never were against private property as such. They only protested (especially in the early 20th century) against the sometimes very unequal way in which wealth in some countries was divided and against the lack of care for people who could not provide for themselves - the lack of social security, basically.
Even the Communists were not against private property as such, but they had a habit of taking away property from people who were considered 'capitalists'.
The 'ideal' of a community where no-one had any property so that all property was communal and where people were given an income according to their needs, where a larger income was almost excusively based on a family being larger of members needing special care, was never put into practice anywhere. Only North Korea comes close but of course the ruling elites there have no lack of property, income and perks.
What advantages does a socialist economy have?
What are the benefits of socialism?
it basically eliminates poverty and improves the overall quality of life.
___________
The above answer was written by a socialist and is obviously false because communist/socialist countries usually have a much lower standard of living. It might be true on paper in a society where everyone is motivated by the common good and there is no jealousy or envy, but human nature is an extremely hard beast to tame. Most people do not feel that significant portions of their efforts should go to support people that cannot or will not work. As result both sides have a significant downturn in productivity. The unmotivated that would have worked if they needed to in order to survive, now loaf because they know they will be provided for by the state in any event, and the motivated that would have worked 23 hours a day if they could reap they the benefits of their labor for themselves, now work less than they normally would have, because their efforts are for nought. They only way for them to come out ahead is to work on the side or off the books and now what would have been called productivity in a capitalistic country now becomes a crime. Welcome to the Soviet Union. The highest form of functioning socialism is probably that of the Israeli farming cooperatives called Kibbutzim. The kibbutz has a product, be it chickens, corn, machine tools or automobile windshields. The kibbutz receives all the compensation for it's product and The kibbutz management assigns work to those that live on the kibbutz in exchange for living quarters, food (everyone eats in a communal dining hall, ) education for children, and a living "allowance". There might be scholarships for those that wish to pursue a degree beneficial to the kibbutz, agriculture, engineering etc. Many of the early post independence settlers to Israel came from post holocaust Europe or were expelled from Arab countries and arrived with only the shirts on their backs. The ability to have all their material needs met immediately, in return for a normal working day appealed to many. Today the Kibbutzim are in decline. They have been replaced by settlements that pay inhabitants a normal wage with which the individuals rent or buy homes etc.
What is the difference between socialism and nazism?
The German Nazi (National Socialist) Party was politically fascist, which is a corporatist, racist, overwhelmingly petty bourgeois pastiche of ideologies based on the supremacy of the state over the individual, the importance of tightly centralized power and the fetishization of national myths and heroes. Socialism is multinational and working-class in character, seeking to establish a fully democratic, classless society.
Confusion between, and the conflation of, Nazis and socialists is due to the Nazi Party's name, which was in full the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). When Hitler joined the DAP in the early 1920s and quickly became its most prominent member and leader, the party's basic politics were not much different from those that later marked the Nazis' rise to power -- anti-Semitic, anti-socialist, anti-communist, opportunistic and wedded to violence -- but they were murky. The party was also quite small, one of dozens of right-wing populist formations at the time. By upping the nationalist ante, scapegoating national minorities and adding "socialist" to the party's name, Hitler found he was better able to attract disenchanted WWI veterans and workers left jobless during the hard economic times that followed the Treaty of Versailles. To better distinguish his party and its ethos from the more established socialist and communist entities at the time, and to reflect its intense nationalism, he also added "national" to the name.
Socialism was the Nazis' greatest threat to power. In the years before the fated election that led to Hitler becoming chancellor, the Nazis' SA brownshirts engaged in incredibly violent, sometimes deadly, attacks on socialists and communists, in addition to their favored Jewish targets. Socialists and communists were some of the first concentration camp inmates.
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE! It's true, the Nazi's hated other flavors of Socialism, Communism and probably any other imaginable method of collectivism.
But the Nazi version of Socialism is far more similar to traditional other forms of collectivism than it is to market economy.
Let's face it, collectivism feeds on big, controlling government; a market economy needs far less oversight and control.
You need a lot of government employees to round up a few million Jews and force them to their deaths.
Part of the problem here is, in addition to what was stated above about "Socialist" being part of the full name of the party, is the mistaken belief, primarily among Americans, that "big government" is the exclusively the purview of leftist, especially socialist or communist, political parties or systems. This is simply not true. Not all leftist movements advocate having large government apparatuses; for example, the various anarchist movements are typically considered extreme leftist yet advocate for small, localized governments at most. Even Communism, as described by Marx, advocates ridding of government in favor of local councils- Marx pointed to the Paris Commune as the prime example to follow.
By the same token, Fascism (including Nazism, which is different but similar enough to be lumped with it), is almost universally considered "extreme right" yet advocates for a powerful central government. Not to bring about a "workers paradise" as the Communists and Socialists would advocate, but to enforce their extremist nationalism and anti-communism. The sectors of government they enlarged most tend to be ones that conservatives tend to be accepting of, like the military, police, and counter-intelligence agencies. Fascist states also tended to be very friendly towards large corporations in their countries, and even worked hand-in-hand with them.
Instead of focusing on trivialities like the name or misconceptions of "big government", look at what the movements and parties actually advocate for, and, more importantly, what they actually do once they're in power. The Nazis forced concepts upon their people that are typical of the far right- extreme nationalism/patriotism, hatred of "foreigners" (in their case, mainly Jews but also Slavs- that is, Russians, Polish, Serbs, etc), desire for a return of a prior golden age (aka "make our country great again"), adulation for the military and military victories, and generally upholding capitalist principles (the Nazis largely practiced what we'd today call "crony capitalism"). Adolf Hitler even relaxed gun laws in 1938 for Germans (and restricted them for "foreigners")!
Unfortunately this isn't that black and white. Socialism is a socio-economic system of society (in other words, a way for a society to function) in which all voices democratically equal in both the government and the economy.
(Note that there have been many states, such as Stalin's Russia or Mao's China, which have claimed to be socialist but are not. These are definitely bad and not socialist at all. When I refer to socialism here I am referring to the original idea of it only)
I think that socialism is good, but that's just my opinion. Do some research! Avoid the propaganda, and don't be afraid to look at many different and foreign points of view. Think for yourself
That depends on how they came to power. In the Soviet Union socialist principles were adopted under Communist rule. Most Americans equate Socialism and Communism as the same thing. It is not. The single party system which is Communism, perverted the tenets of Socialism and tainted the principles of the movement.
Socialism has been successful in various democratic countries like England and Canada to name two. In these countries the Socialist Parties were duly elected by the people. In Canada they are called the New Democratic Party.
If it weren't for these socially conscious movements, the average Joe would not have Old Age Security and the Canada Pension. Nor would they have Medicare to name but a few of the modern innovations they are ultimately responsible for.
Albeit, in Canada they have never formed a national government. But, the two old line parties were quick to adopt these social reforms when they saw the support the socialists were getting in the polls.
They have proven time after time that you don't necessarily have to form a government to have a positive influence on the government of the day.
Is Japan a socialism or communism economy?
Japan is Capitalist.
But don't get too caught up in labels. They don't care about that.
No one, Rusia was in the grip of a ruthless autocracy that claimed to represent the socialist ideal. Lenin and Leon Trotsky, were the perpetrators of the Russian Communist Revolution replacing the previous dictators of the tsarists regime with their own dictatorship. whether the ideals that the original aims may ever have come to fruition will never be known as Trotsky was murdered leaving Lenin in absolute charge.
In layman's terms what is socialism?
Socialism is basically when the government regulates the economy . It's a little less liberal than Communism but similar . It's generally considered the opposite of Capitalism (when the government leaves the economy up to the people to control) just as aren't truly Capitalist . A lot of Communist countries are actually Socialist . Hope this helped :)
Socialism is an economic system where the ways of making money (factories, offices, etc.) are owned by a society as a whole, meaning the value made belongs to everyone in that society, instead of a small group of private owners. People who agree with this type of system are called socialists.
The rise of socialism and the acquisition of power by socialist parties or movements varies across different countries and historical contexts. In some cases, socialism has been achieved through democratic means, with socialist parties winning elections and forming governments. In other cases, socialism has been established through revolution or overthrow of existing power structures.
