What is Socialism?

Answer 1

Apart from the 2 wikipedia definitions provided above, I would like to add my own personal input, since I am a socialist.

For me, socialism means that every person has the right to basic food, shelter, clothing, health care, & education. Anything beyond that can be worked for by the individual.

This is as opposed to capitalism, where you have to sell your time, body, & labor, in exchange for money, which you then exchange for food, shelter, clothing, etc. Your boss owns the company and keeps the profits - even though technically, you were the one who added the value & were a necessary part in making the profits possible. This is a form of slavery, called wage slavery. (Which is why most people hate the 9-5 work life, since you're basically a slave for 8 hours every day until you're 65. Notice how the work day is maximized until you have barely any free time left for yourself.)

Mixed economies do work, that is capitalist + socialist combined. The Scandinavian democratic social welfare states of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland are capitalist, but also simultaneously take care of their people, and have been doing so for the past 5 decades. They are still chumming along, and continually top the lists of the UN Human Development Index. They are socialist not primarily because of Marxian views, but because of Lutheran values.

By the way, I as well as many others, are of the opinion that Jesus would have been a socialist. (He certainly wouldn't have been a capitalist.) He repeatedly said give everything to the poor, healed the sick, refused to condemn the lesser among us, etc. All things which many right-wing self-proclaimed Christians do not do.

Speaking of Jesus, capitalism is a new phenomenon of only 400 years or so. It is by no means "human nature"or "the way things have to be". Most primitive, tribal societies are obviously not capitalist.

Other famous socialists include Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Susan B Anthony, and Martin Luther King. Notice how all these humanitarians were socialists - because socialism tends to be more humanitarian & humane than capitalism. This is because capitalism will ALWAYS perpetuate poverty; there has NEVER been a pure capitalist society that didn't have a sizeable percentage of poor people in it. Capitalists NEED poor people who are willing to make themselves wage slaves to do the jobs that they don't wish to do but that need to be done, in order to create more wealth for themselves. This is also one reason why wages are kept as low as reasonably possible - to give the poor just enough to survive, but not enough so that they can climb too far up.

Of course, the mainstream media & our cultural values historically paints socialism as "Satanic Evil" associated with the state communism of Russia & China, with the underlying assumption that American capitalism is the "only Good". This is because the corporations, advertisers, and politicians don't want you to question or doubt capitalism - they just want you to be an obedient, taxpaying, citizen consumer. If you did start to question, you might start getting crazy ideas about criticizing them & trying to change things, or even worse, revolting. This is why to them, socialism represents very dangerous ideas (Albert Einstein's FBI file had 1,500 pages), and which is why you probably had to ask the question, since you knew almost nothing about it... because no one gets an indepth understanding of it in our education system. Our education system is predicated upon preparing you for capitalist society - not on questioning & criticizing its legitimacy & effectiveness.

Answer 2

Socialism is the art of going through revolving doors on someone elses push

Answer 3

A system of goverment where the government provides many, many services to its population.

It doesn't seem to work because taxes must be so high that it is prohibitive to any real economic growth, which is needed for a country to be prosperous enough to support such a system. Also, these countries tend to place even more restrictive rules on what private businesses there are which further kills prosperity. Additionally, there is little incentive for individuals to work hard to get ahead since, after all, the government will provide for me so why should I work 60 or 80 hours a week to build a business, get promoted, etc.

So, it's not hard to see why this type of system seems to be doomed to failure, albeit a shame, it is a nice concept...

Answer 4

I am guessing that you know the answer to this but you want to see what other people think it is??

The problem is that nobody can agree what it should be and that causes all the problems........and Zimbabwe is definitely a very bad example of Socialism........it is fascist state at the end of the day !!

Unfortunately it is an ideal that does not work due to the fact that there a lot of people's individual greed that prevents a fair society.......and lots of lazy people who don't want to contribute.......sad really

Answer 5

A philosophy of redistributing material goods, taking things from people who the elite say have more than they need and giving these things to those the elite say do not have enough.

In most societies when someone arbitrarily takes things from someone it is called theft, in socialism it is called the right thing to do.

I think Churchill had it right, socialism is the sharing of misery.

Answer 6

let me tell it to u in short....
socialism is a state of economy in which the the rights/power are in the hands of the public/government

Answer 7

Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community.[1] This control may be either direct—exercised through popular collectives such as workers' councils—or indirect—exercised on behalf of the people by the state. As an economic system, socialism is often characterized by state or community ownership of the means of production.

The modern socialist movement had its origin largely in the working class movement of the late-19th century. In this period, the term "socialism" was first used in connection with European social critics who condemned capitalism and private property. For Karl Marx, who helped establish and define the modern socialist movement, socialism implied the abolition of money, markets, capital, and labor as a commodity.

A diverse array of doctrines and movements have been referred to as "socialist." Since the 19th century, socialists have not agreed on a common doctrine or program. The various adherents of socialist movements are split into differing and sometimes opposing branches, particularly between reformist socialists and communists.

Since the 19th century, socialists have differed in their vision of socialism as a system of economic organization. Some socialists have championed the complete nationalization of the means of production, while social democrats have proposed selective nationalization of key industries within the framework of mixed economies. Some Marxists, including those inspired by the Soviet model of economic development, have advocated the creation of centrally planned economies directed by a state that owns all the means of production. Others, including Communists in Yugoslavia and Hungary in the 1970s and 1980s, Chinese Communists since the reform era, and some Western economists, have proposed various forms of market socialism, attempting to reconcile the presumed advantages of cooperative or state ownership of the means of production with letting market forces, rather than central planners, guide production and exchange.[2] Anarcho-syndicalists and some elements of the U.S. New Left favor decentralized collective ownership in the form of cooperatives or workers' councils. Others may advocate different arrangements

Answer 8

Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community.[1] This control may be either direct—exercised through popular collectives such as workers' councils—or indirect—exercised on behalf of the people by the state. As an economic system, socialism is often characterized by state or community ownership of the means of production.

The modern socialist movement had its origin largely in the working class movement of the late-19th century. In this period, the term "socialism" was first used in connection with European social critics who condemned capitalism and private property. For Karl Marx, who helped establish and define the modern socialist movement, socialism implied the abolition of money, markets, capital, and labor as a commodity.

A diverse array of doctrines and movements have been referred to as "socialist." Since the 19th century, socialists have not agreed on a common doctrine or program. The various adherents of socialist movements are split into differing and sometimes opposing branches, particularly between reformist socialists and communists.

Since the 19th century, socialists have differed in their vision of socialism as a system of economic organization. Some socialists have championed the complete nationalization of the means of production, while social democrats have proposed selective nationalization of key industries within the framework of mixed economies. Some Marxists, including those inspired by the Soviet model of economic development, have advocated the creation of centrally planned economies directed by a state that owns all the means of production. Others, including Communists in Yugoslavia and Hungary in the 1970s and 1980s, Chinese Communists since the reform era, and some Western economists, have proposed various forms of market socialism, attempting to reconcile the presumed advantages of cooperative or state ownership of the means of production with letting market forces, rather than central planners, guide production and exchange.[2] Anarcho-syndicalists and some elements of the U.S. New Left favor decentralized collective ownership in the form of cooperatives or workers' councils. Others may advocate different arrangements.

Answer 9

Karl Marx was the father of the socialism...
it worked in China, Cuba, and in Russia
all were backward countries...it does not
work in developed countries although UK and the
US are going more socialistic everyday..
go figure

Answer 10

From what we have seen of Labour it is a political strain of utter incompetence and moralising, combined with draconian interference in everybody's life.