• For information on mainstream political parties using the term "Socialist", see Social democracy and Democratic socialism,For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state,
• Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, and Libertarian Socialism.
• Most forms of Anarchism are branches of the socialist movement.

The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism.

Socialism is an ideology with the core belief that a society should exist in which popular collectives control the means of power, and therefore the means of production. In application, however, the de facto meaning of socialism has evolved and branched to a great degree, and though highly politicized, is strongly related to the establishment of an organized working class, created through either revolution or social evolution, with the purpose of building a classless society. It has also, increasingly, become concentrated on social reforms within modern democracies. This concept and the term Socialist also refer to a group of ideologies, an economic system, or a state that exists or has existed. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Red is a color at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. ... The red flag is a socialist emblem associated in particular with the revolutionary left as well as with social democratic and labour traditions (having been a banner used by parties such as Labour in Britain, the Socialist Party in France and other social democratic and democratic socialist groups throughout the... Socialist economics is a term which refers in its descriptive sense to the economic effects of nations with large state sectors where the government directs the kind and nature of production. ... A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ...

In Marxist theory, it also refers to the society that would succeed capitalism, and in some cases develop further into communism. Marxism and communism are both very specific branches of socialism. The two do not represent socialism as a whole. Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see q:Capitalism). ... This article is about communism as a form of society built around a gift economy, as an ideology that advocates that form of society, and as a popular movement. ...

In modern socialist theory, it is in the pursuit of the goal of creating a democratic society that would form the backbone of an ideal welfare state. Welfare state describes a nation where the government seeks to guarantee a set of social welfare benefits meant to ensure minimum quality of life standards for all citizens. ...

The word dates back at least to the early nineteenth century. It was first used, self-referentially, in the English language in 1827 to refer to followers of Robert Owen. In France, again self-referentially, it was used in 1832 to refer to followers of the doctrines of Saint-Simon and thereafter by Pierre Leroux and J. Regnaud in l'Encyclopédie nouvelle. Use of the word spread widely and has been used differently in different times and places, both by various individuals and groups that consider themselves socialist and by their opponents. While there is wide variation between socialist groups, nearly all would agree that they are bound together by a common history rooted originally in nineteenth and twentieth-century struggles by industrial and agricultural workers, operating according to principles of solidarity and advocating an egalitarian society, with an economics that would, in their view, serve the broad populace rather than a favored few. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Owen. ... Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon (October 17, 1760 – May 19, 1825), the founder of French socialism, was born in Paris. ... Pierre Leroux (April 7, 1798 - April, 1871), French philosopher and political economist, was born at Bercy near Paris, the son of an artisan. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... In classical economics and all micro-economics labour is one of three factors of production, the others being land and capital. ... Solidarity (Polish Solidarność) is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980, originally led by Lech Wałęsa. ... Egalitarianism is the moral doctrine that equality ought to prevail among some group along some dimension. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words οίκω [okos], house, and νέμω [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ...

An ideology or a group of ideologies

According to Marxists (most notably Friedrich Engels), socialist models and ideas are said to be traceable to the dawn of human social history, being an inherent feature of human nature and early human social models. During the Enlightenment in the 18th century, revolutionary thinkers and writers such as the Marquis de Condorcet, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, abbé de Mably, and Morelly provided the intellectual and ideological expression of the discontented social layers in French society. This included even the bourgeoisie, at that time kept out of political power by the ancien régime, but also the "popular" classes among whom socialism would later take root. Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820–August 5, 1895) was a 19th-century German political philosopher. ... For the period in European history, The Age of Enlightenment For the corresponding movement in the European Jewish community, see Haskalah. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat, marquis de Condorcet (September 17, 1743 - March 28, 1794) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and early political scientist who devised the concept of a Condorcet method. ... Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778), better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, deist and philosopher. ... Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau (June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778) was a Franco-Swiss philosopher, writer, political theorist, and self-taught composer of The Age of Enlightenment. ... Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (October 5, 1713 - July 31, 1784) was a French writer and philosopher. ... Morelly was a French scholar during the late eighteenth century. ... Bourgeois at the end of the thirteenth century Bourgeois redirects here; for the composer with that name, see Derek Bourgeois. ... Administrative map of ancien régime France Ancien Régime means Old Rule or Old Order in French; in English, the term refers primarily to the social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties. ...

The earliest modern socialist groups were the so-called utopian socialists, who shared characteristics such as focusing on general welfare rather than individualism, on co-operation rather than competition, and on producers of wealth rather than on political leaders and structures. They did not think in terms of class struggle, but argued that the wealthy should join with the poor in building a new society. Class struggle, the challenge to private property and the accompanying notions of the special role of the proletariat in the revolution find their earliest origins in the Conspiracy of Equals of Babeuf, an unsuccessful actor in the French Revolution. Later, they were much greatly developed by the Marxist branch of socialism. Utopian Socialism is end result of any socialist project when a classless paradise has been created for all mankind, in the words of the British Labour party when we have built a new Jersuleum the term Utopian Socialism for the first currents of modern Socialist thought. ... Individualism is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes individual liberty, belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. ... Co-operation refers to the practice of people or greater entities working in common with commonly agreed-upon goals and possibly methods, instead of working separately in competition. ... Competition characterises a biochemical, ecologic, economic, political, or sporting activity whereby two or more individuals or groups strive antagonistically against one another for some reward. ... Class struggle is class conflict looked at from a communist (that is, Marxist or anarchist) perspective. ... This page deals with property as ownership rights. ... The proletariat (from Latin proles, offspring) is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class is called a proletarian. ... A revolution is a relatively sudden and absolutely drastic change. ... François-Noël Babeuf (November 23, 1760 - May 27, 1797), known as Gracchus Babeuf, was a French political agitator and journalist of the revolutionary period. ... François-Noël Babeuf François-Noël Babeuf (November 23, 1760 - May 27, 1797), known as Gracchus Babeuf, was a French political agitator and journalist of the revolutionary period. ... The period of the French Revolution is very important in the history of France and the world. ...

Elie Halevy claims that the term "socialism" was coined independently by two groups advocating different ways of organizing society and economics: the Saint-Simonians, and most likely Pierre Leroux, in the years 1831-33, and the followers of Robert Owen, around 1835. By the time of the Revolution of 1848 there were a variety of competing "socialisms", ranging from the socialism of Charles Fourier to the self-described "scientific" socialism of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The French philosopher and historian Élie Halévy (September 6, 1870 - August 21, 1937) wrote studies of the British utilitarians and a history of 19th-century England. ... Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon (October 17, 1760 – May 19, 1825), the founder of French socialism, was born in Paris. ... Pierre Leroux (April 7, 1798 - April, 1871), French philosopher and political economist, was born at Bercy near Paris, the son of an artisan. ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Robert Owen. ... —Alexis de Tocqueville, Recollections The European Revolutions of 1848, in some countries known as the Spring of Nations, were the bloody consequences of a variety of changes that had been taking place in Europe in the first half of the 19th century. ... François Marie Charles Fourier was a French utopian socialist. ... Karl Marx Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883 London, UK) was an influential German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary organizer of the International Workingmens Association. ... Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820–August 5, 1895) was a 19th-century German political philosopher. ...

Depending on the context, the term socialism may refer either to these ideologies or any of their many lineal descendants. While these cover a very broad range of views, they have in common a belief that feudal and capitalist societies are run for the benefit of a small economic elite and that society should be run for the common good. "Socialist" ideologies tend to emphasize economic cooperation over economic competition; virtually all envision some sort of economic planning (many, but by no means all, favor central planning). All advocate placing at least some of the means of production -- and at least some of the distribution of goods and services -- into collective or cooperative ownership. Defining feudalism is difficult because there is no generally accepted agreement on what it means. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see q:Capitalism). ... A planned economy is an economic system in which economic decisions are made by centralized planners who determine what sorts of goods and services to produce and how they are to be priced and allocated, and may include state ownership of the means of production. ...

Historically, the ideology of socialism grew up hand in hand with the rise of organized labor. In many parts of the world, the two are still strongly associated with one another; in other parts, they have become two very distinct movements. A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...

Branches of Socialism

Since the 19th century, socialist ideas have developed and separated into many different streams. Notable ideologies that have been referred to using the label "socialism" are: Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• African socialism
• Anarchism, especially Libertarian socialism
• Anarcho-syndicalism
• Arab socialism
• Christian socialism
• Communism/Marxism
• Democratic socialism
• International socialism
• Syndicalism
• Utopian socialism

The socio-political or intellectual movements basing themselves in the Marxist-Socialist tradition can generally be further divided into: African socialism is the belief in the doctrine of sharing economic resources in a traditional African way, as compared to classical socialism. ... This article describes a range of political philosophies that oppose the state and some forms of social hierarchy. ... Libertarian socialism is any one of a group of political philosophies dedicated to opposing coercive forms of authority and social hierarchy, in particular the institutions of capitalism and the state. ... Anarcho-syndicalist flag. ... Arab Socialism (ar. ... Christian Socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two things as being interconnected, perhaps because one derives from the other. ... This article is about communism as a form of society built around a gift economy, as an ideology that advocates that form of society, and as a popular movement. ... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... A red carnation held in a closed fist is the international symbol of democratic socialism. ... International Socialism is a quarterly journal of socialist theory published by the Socialist Workers Party (UK) and currently edited by Chris Harman. ... Syndicalism is a political and economic ideology which advocates giving control of both industry and government to labor union federations. ... Utopian Socialism is end result of any socialist project when a classless paradise has been created for all mankind, in the words of the British Labour party when we have built a new Jersuleum the term Utopian Socialism for the first currents of modern Socialist thought. ...

• Hoxhaism
• Baathism
• Burmese Road to Socialism
• Castroism
• Council communism
• Islamic communism
• Juche
• Left communism
• Leninism
• Mao Zedong Thought or "Maoism"
  • Gonzalo Thought
• Marxist humanism
• Socialism with a human face
• Stalinism
• Trotskyism
• Situationism

Several forms of "socialism" are considered by those further to the left to be reformist or revisionist. These include: The Albanian Party of Labour (Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë, PPSh) was the sole legal political party in Albania during communist rule (1946-1991). ... Baath Party flag The Ba‘ath Parties (also spelled Baath or Ba‘th; Arabic: اﻟﺒﻌﺚ) comprise political parties representing the political face of the Ba‘ath movement. ... Cuban President Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, Cuba since 1959, when, leading the 26th of July Movement, he helped overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and turn Cuba into the first socialist state in the Western Hemisphere. ... Council communism was a radical Left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s. ... Juche Sasang (pronounced Joo-cheh), also Kimilsungism, is the official government-sponsored ideology of North Korea. ... Left Communism is a term describing a whole range of communist viewpoints which oppose the political ideas of the Bolsheviks from a position which is asserted to be more authentically Marxist and proletarian than the views held by the Communist International after its first two Congresses. ... Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism (a form of Communism); it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ... Maoism or Mao Tse-tung Thought (Chinese: 毛泽东思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), is a variant of Marxism-Leninism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893–1976). ... Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reynoso (born 3 December 1934), a former professor of philosophy, was the leader of the Maoist insurgency Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso in Spanish) which was active in Peru from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. ... Socialism with a human face (in Czech: socialismus s lidskou tváří) was a political programme announced by Alexander Dubček and his colleagues when he became the chairman of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in January 1968. ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... The Situationist International (SI), an international political and artistic movement, originated in the Italian village of Cosio dArroscia on 28 July 1957 with the fusion of several extremely small artistic tendencies: the Lettrist International , the International movement for an imaginist Bauhaus, and the London Psychogeographical Association. ... Reformism (also called revisionism or revisionist theory) is the belief that gradual changes in a society can ultimately change its fundamental structures. ... Revisionism is a word which has several meanings. ...

• Austromarxism
• Evolutionary socialism
• Fabianism
• Social democracy
• Yellow socialism
• Socialism with Chinese characteristics and other forms of market socialism
• Bernsteinism
• Kautskyism
• Titoism
• Labor Zionism

Austromarxism was the fairly left-wing ideology persued by the Social Democratic Workers Party of Austria during the late decades of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the Austrian First Republic (1918-1934). ... Evolutionary socialism is a form of socialist theory which was originally developed by Eduard Bernstein. ... The Fabian Society is a British socialist intellectual movement best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning in the late 19th century and then up to World War I. Similar societies exist in Australia and New Zealand. ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... Yellow socialism was the name applied to a form of revisionist socialism which became prominent in the early twentieth century prior to World War I, as an alternative to Marxism (sometimes called red socialism). Yellow socialists rejected class struggle, the general strike and revolutionary socialism in general. ... Socialism with Chinese characteristics (Chinese: 具有中国特色的社会主义市场经济) is the official term for the economy of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Market socialism is an economic system in which the means of production are socially owned (meaning in general that profits in each company are distributed between its workers) and the production is not centrally planned but mediated through the market. ... Eduard Bernstein Eduard Bernstein (January 6, 1850 - December 18, 1932) was a German social democratic theoretician and politician, member of the SPD; and founder of evolutionary socialism or reformism. ... Karl Kautsky (October 18, 1854 - October 17, 1938) was a leading theoretician of social democracy. ... Titoism is a term given to the ideology associated with Yugoslav leader, Josip Broz Tito, which includes primarily political, but also religious elements. ... Labor Zionism (or Labour Zionism) is the traditional left-wing of the Zionist ideology. ...

Other ideologies including the word "Socialism"

Like other political terms, such as liberal, conservative and democratic (see, for example, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, which is neither liberal nor democratic), the words socialism or socialist have sometimes been used in self-description by groups that had little or no connection with the historical socialist movement, and who sometimes openly and virulently opposed the socialists in their countries. In politics, the term liberal refers to: an adherent of the ideology of liberalism —an ideology espousing liberty. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... The term democracy indicates a form of government where all the states decisions are exercised directly or indirectly by a majority of its citizenry through a fair elective process. ... The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is an extreme right-wing political party in Russia. ...

The German National Socialists (Nazis) used the word "socialist" in their official name much like any branch of Socialism, but most scholars argue that the term "socialism" in "national socialism" did not meaningfully extend beyond propaganda purposes. In practice, the Nazis allowed (friendly) capitalists to thrive while liquidating socialists everywhere else (including from within their own party in the Night of the Long Knives). Unlike 'national socialists,' many socialists who consider themselves nationalist reject the racialist theories and totalitarianism of the Nazis, though racial tolerance is not necessarily a socialist ideal. (see: Nazism and Socialism). The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... The Night of the Long Knives (1934) (German, Nacht der langen Messer), also known as Reichsmordwoche (Imperial Week of Murder) or the Blood Purge, was a mass murder (purge) of potential political rivals in the Sturmabteilung paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. ... Hitlers Nazi Germany: the epitome of 20th-century racialism Racialism is a term used to describe racial policy, in what is generally perceived to be a negative sense, as promoting stratification and inequality between racial categories (in themselves, often disputed). ... This article is about Nazism in relation to other concepts. ...

Another party who employs the word "socialist" in its name but is viewed by many as being not genuinely socialist, is the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party which rules Syria and also ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein. It claims a tradition of secular, non-Marxist socialism, but most political theorists (as well as nearly all other socialists) argue that, in fact, it persecutes socialists (who wish to redistribute wealth more equally in the country) while promoting capitalists from within the dominant minority ethnic group that controls the Party and, decisively, the Syrian armed forces. Baath Party flag The Baath Parties (also spelled Baath or Bath; Arabic: اﻟﺒﻌﺚ) comprise political parties representing the political face of the Baath movement. ... Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein ʻAbd al-Majīd al-Tikrīt, spelled Husayn or Hussain; Arabic صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937 1) was President of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. ... A dominant minority is a group that has overwhelming political, economic or cultural dominance in a country or region despite representing a small fraction of the overall population (a demographic minority). ...

For a discussion of the controversial views of one philosopher of history who sees a close, though antagonistic, relationship between the left and the right descendants of Hegelianism, see Eric Voegelin. The philosophy of history asks at least these questions what is the proper unit for the study of the human past? the individual, the city or sovereign territory, the civilization, or nothing less than the whole of the species?; what broad patterns can we discern through the study of the... Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (August 27, 1770 - November 14, 1831) was a German philosopher born in Stuttgart, Württemberg, in present-day southwest Germany. ... Eric Voegelin (January 3, 1901 – January 19, 1985) was a political philosopher. ...

Various Catholic clerical parties have at times referred to themselves as "Christian Socialists." Two examples are the Christian Social Party of Karl Lueger in Austria before and after World War I, and the contemporary Christian Social Union in Bavaria. Most other socialists would consider these two parties to be "socialist" in name only. However, there are other individuals and groups, past and present, that are clearly both Christian and Socialist, such as Frederick Denison Maurice, author of The Kingdom of Christ (1838), or the contemporary Christian Socialist Movement (UK) (CSM), [1] (http://www.christiansocialist.org.uk) affiliated with the British Labour Party. (See main article Christian socialism; see also Christian left and social gospel) The Christian Social Party was an Austrian political party from 1893 to 1933 and a predecessor of the contemporary Austrian Peoples Party. ... Karl Lueger (October 24, 1844-March 10, 1910) was an Austrian politician and mayor of Vienna, known for his anti-semitism and racist policies. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU – ) is a conservative Germany. ... John Frederick Denison Maurice (August 29, 1805 - April 1, 1872) was an English theologian. ... The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... Christian Socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two things as being interconnected, perhaps because one derives from the other. ... The Christian Left encompasses those who hold a strong Christian belief and share left-wing or socialist ideals. ... The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant movement that was most prominent in the late 19th and early to mid-20th century. ...

A note on usage

Some groups (see above) have called themselves socialist while holding views that most socialists consider antithetical to socialism. The term has also been used by some politicians on the political right as an epithet for certain individuals who do not consider themselves to be socialists and policies that are not considered socialist by their proponents (e.g. referring to all publicly funded medicine as "socialized medicine" or to the United States Democratic Party as "socialist"). This article touches only briefly on those peripheral issues. In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Publicly funded medicine is a level of medical service that is paid wholly or in majority part by public funds (taxes or quasi-taxes). ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...

What distinguishes the various types of socialism

There are a few questions that point out some of the big differences among socialisms:

• Do advocates of this ideology say that socialism should come about through revolution (e.g. Leninism, Trotskyism, Maoism, revolutionary Marxism) or through reform (e.g. Fabianism, reformist Marxism), or do they view both as possible (e.g. Syndicalism, various Marxisms) or do they fail to address the question of how a socialist society would be achieved (e.g. utopian socialisms)?
• Do they advocate centralized state control of the socialized sectors of the economy (e.g. Leninism), or control of those sectors by workers' councils (e.g. syndicalism, left and council communism, Anarcho-communism)? This question is usually referred to by socialists in terms of "ownership of the means of production." None of the social democratic parties of Europe advocate total state ownership of the means of production in their contemporary demands and popular press, but most contain language and ideas in their platform which state that in the event the capitalists fail to meet up to their end of the social contract, the workers have the legitimate historical basis to assume or seize total control of the means of production, should those conditions ever arise in the future. Almost all Social-Democratic parties hold that state control of certain sectors of the economy is vital for the general public interest.
• Do they advocate that the power of the workers' councils should itself constitute the basis of a socialist state (coupled with direct democracy and the widespread use of referendums), or do they hold that socialism entails the existence of a legislative body administered by people who would be elected in a representative democracy? In other words, through what legal and political apparatus will the workers maintain and further develop the socialization of the means of production?
• Do they advocate total or near-total socialization of the economy (e.g. revolutionary Marxism, Leninism, Stalinism, Trotskyism, Left and Council Communism, anarcho-syndicalism and syndicalism), or a mixed market economy (e.g. Bernsteinism, reformism, reformist Marxism)? Mixed economies, in turn, can range anywhere from those developed by the social democratic governments that have periodically governed Northern and Western European countries, to the inclusion of small cooperatives in the planned economy of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito. In a related, but not identical, question, do they advocate a fairer society within the bounds of capitalism (e.g. most social democrats) or the total overthrow of the capitalist system (most Marxists).
• Did the ideology arise largely as a philosophical construct (e.g. libertarian socialism), or in the heat of a revolution (e.g. early Marxism, Leninism), or as the product of a ruling party (e.g. Castroism, Stalinism), or as the product of a party or other group contending for political power in a democratic society (e.g. social democracy).
• Does the ideology systematically say that "bourgeois liberties" (such as those guaranteed by the U.S. First Amendment or the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union) are to be preserved (or even enhanced) in a socialist society (e.g. social democracy, democratic socialism), or are undesirable (e.g. Maoism), or have they held different opinions at different times (e.g. Marx and Engels), or is this a dividing point within the ideology (e.g. different strains of Trotskyism)?
• Does their critique of the existing system center on the ownership of the means of production (e.g. Marxism), on the nature of mass and equitable distribution (e.g. most forms of utopian socialism), or on opposition to industrialism as well as capitalism (common where socialism intersects green politics)? Utopian Socialists, like Robert Owen and Saint-Simon argued, though not from exactly the same perspective, that the injustice and widespread poverty of the societies they lived in were a problem of distribution of the goods created. Marxian Socialists, on the other hand, determined that the root of the injustice is based not in the function of distribution of goods already created, but rather in the fact that the ownership of the means of production is in private hands. Also, Marxian Socialists maintain, in contrast to the Utopian Socialists, that the root of injustice is not in how goods (commodities) are distributed, but for whose economic benefit are they produced and sold.
• Which governments does the ideology regard as practicing or moving toward socialism and which does the ideology not regard as doing so? For example, in the era of the Soviet Union, western socialists were bitterly divided as to whether the Soviet Union was basically socialist, moving toward socialism, or inherently un-socialist and, in fact, inimical to true socialism. Similarly, today the government of the People's Republic of China claims to be socialist and refers to its own approach as "Socialism with Chinese characteristics," but most other self-identified socialists consider China to be essentially capitalist, albeit with a still large (but gradually shrinking) state sector. The Chinese leadership concurs with most of the usual critiques against a command economy, and many of their actions to manage what they call a socialist economy have been determined by this opinion.

Note also that while many would say that socialism is defined by state ownership and state planning of the means of production and economic life, a certain degree of such state ownership and planning is common in economies that would almost universally be considered capitalist. In Canada, Crown Corporations are responsible for various sectors of the economy deemed to be of strategic importance to the people (for example power generation). In the U.S., a semi-private central bank with close ties to the federal government, the Federal Reserve, regulates lending rates, serving as a "bank of banks." Also, governments in capitalist nations typically run the post office, libraries, national parks, highways, and (in the case of the US) NASA. Interestingly, though, the federal government's monopoly on space travel from U.S. take-off sites is itself a thing of the past -- as of 2004 (see Ansari X Prize) private capital is entering even that field. A revolution is a relatively sudden and absolutely drastic change. ... Reform can refer to: Reform (think tank) Reform, Alabama Reform Judaism Reform movement Reform Party (disambiguation page) See also: Reformation, Reformed This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Syndicalism is a political and economic ideology which advocates giving control of both industry and government to labor union federations. ... A workers council is a council, or deliberative body, composed of working class or proletarian members. ... Council communism was a radical Left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s. ... Anarcho-Communism, or Libertarian Communism, is a political ideology related to Libertarian socialism. ... In Marxist economics and its contemporary derivatives, the means of production [in German: Produktionsmittel] refers to physical, non-human, inputs used in production. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein all citizens can directly participate in the political decision-making process. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... Representative democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein voters choose (in free, secret, multi-party elections) representatives to act in their interests, but not as their proxies—i. ... In economics and politics, a mixed economy is an economy that combines regulated capitalism, central planning (see planned economy and statism), as well as certain socialist measures and state ownership of some sectors of the economy, such as: social security roads and other transportation environmental regulation labor regulation product safety... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an association of persons who join together to carry on an economic activity of mutual benefit, in an egalitarian fashion. ... The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a Balkan state that existed from 1945 to 1992. ... Josip Broz Tito  listen? (May 7, 1892 – May 4, 1980) was the president of Yugoslavia between the end of World War II and his death in 1980. ... Bourgeois at the end of the thirteenth century Bourgeois redirects here; for the composer with that name, see Derek Bourgeois. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is a document containing human rights provisions, solemnly proclaimed by the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission in December 2000. ... Green politics is a body of political ideas informed by environmentalism aimed at developing a sustainable society. ... Robert Owen. ... Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon (October 17, 1760 – May 19, 1825), the founder of French socialism, was born in Paris. ... The word commodity is a term with distinct meanings in business and in Marxist political economy. ... Socialism with Chinese characteristics (Chinese: 具有中国特色的社会主义市场经济) is the official term for the economy of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Federal Reserve System is headquartered in the Eccles Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central bank of the United States. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (established 1958) is the government agency responsible for the United States of Americas space program and long-term general aerospace research. ... The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ...

State, provincial, and local governments within a capitalist system can operate and own power companies and other utilities, parks, mass transit including rail and airports, hospitals and other medical facilities, and public schools (often including a number universities). Capitalist governments also frequently subsidize or otherwise influence (though do not own) various sectors of the economy, such as automotive, weapons, oil (petrol), aerospace, and agriculture.

In the post-World War II political lexicon, this sort of (limited) economic state planning became integral to stabilization of the global economy, and has come to be known as Keynesian economics, after John Maynard Keynes. A lexicon is a list of words together with additional word-specific information, i. ... Keynesian economics, or Keynesianism, is an economic theory based on the ideas of John Maynard Keynes, as put forward in his book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, published in 1936 in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s. ... John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes of Tilton (pronounced Kaynes) (June 5, 1883 – April 21, 1946) was an English economist, whose radical ideas had a major impact on modern economic and political theory as well as Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal. ...

Conversely, Chinese economic reform under Deng Xiaoping has been characterized by decreasing state ownership of the economy, the replacement of central planning mechanisms with market-based ones that are also used in Western capitalist nations, and even going as far as removing governmental social welfare services that are commonly found in most capitalist nations. However, because the legitimacy of the Communist Party of China is based on the premise that China has already made a transition to socialism, the government insists that it is a socialist government. Very few outside China would support this claim. Economic reforms have triggered internal migrations within China. ... Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping  listen? (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; pronounced Dung Shyao-ping; August 22, 1904—February 19, 1997) was a revolutionary elder in the Communist Party of China (CPC) who served as the de facto ruler of the Peoples... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: ) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

An economic system

See main article - Social economy Socialist economics is a term which refers in its descriptive sense to the economic effects of nations with large state sectors where the government directs the kind and nature of production. ...

As in the realm of ideology, there is no single consensus on what it means for a particular economic system to be "socialist". However, all socialists agree that a socialist economy must be run for the benefit of the vast majority of the people rather than for a small aristocratic, plutocratic, or capitalist class. In the mid-nineteenth century, when socialism first arose, many political ideologies of the day were frank in supporting the interests of elite classes. Today, in a world where many countries offer a broader electoral franchise, such open support for the wealthy would be the equivalent of political suicide. Therefore, most ideologies claim to support the greatest good for the greatest number, something that was once advocated only by socialists. Still, even today, socialism stands out by being particularly forthright in advocating direct pursuit of working class interests, even at the expense of what other ideologies consider the legitimate property rights of the wealthy classes. An economic system is a mechanism which deals with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services in a particular society. ... Etymology The Ancient Greek term Aristocracy meant a system of government with rule by the best. This is the first definition given in most dictionaries. ... The term plutocracy indicates a form of government where all the states decisions are centralized in an affluent wealthy class of citizenry and the degree of economic inequality is high while the level of social mobility is low. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see q:Capitalism). ... Suffrage is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. ...

Most socialists argue that socialism also entails democratic control of the economy, although they differ vastly over the appropriate institutions of that democracy and over whether control should be centralized or highly dispersed. Similarly, they differ over the extent to which a socialist economy could involve markets, and among those who believe that it could, there is a further dividing line on whether markets should apply only to consumer goods or, in some cases, to the means of production themselves (factory and farm equipment, for example). For consumer goods, this is simply a question of efficient distribution; for the means of production, this is a question of ownership of the economy, and therefore of control over it. A market is a mechanism which allows people to trade, normally governed by the theory of supply and demand, so allocating resources through the price mechanism. ... In Marxist economics and its contemporary derivatives, the means of production [in German: Produktionsmittel] refers to physical, non-human, inputs used in production. ...

Many non-socialists use the expression "socialist economy" (or "socialization" of a sector of the economy) almost exclusively to refer to centralized control under government aegis: for example, consider the use of the term "socialized medicine" in the US by opponents of single-payer health care. Publicly funded medicine is a level of medical service that is paid wholly or in majority part by public funds (taxes or quasi-taxes). ... Publicly funded medicine is a level of medical service that is paid wholly or in majority part by public funds (taxes or quasi-taxes). ...

There is general agreement among socialists and non-socialists that a socialist economy would not include private or estate ownership of large enterprises; there is less agreement on whether any such enterprises would be owned by society at large or (at least in some cases) owned cooperatively by their own workers. Among the few self-described socialists who dispute these principles are the leadership of the Communist Party of China, who claim to remain socialist, even while the continuing Chinese economic reform explicitly includes the concept of privately-owned large enterprises competing on an equal basis with publicly-owned ones. The adoption by China of this essential characteristic of capitalism is a principal reason why, outside of mainland China, few people (socialists or otherwise) consider present-day mainland China and its ruling party to be, in any meaningful sense, socialist. Economic reforms have triggered internal migrations within China. ...

It has been claimed, both by socialists and non-socialists, that the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc had socialist economies, as the means of production were owned almost entirely by the state and the bulk of the economy was centrally controlled by the Communist Party acting through the state. However, many other socialists object to that label, because the people in those countries had little or no control over the government, and therefore they had little or no control over the economy. The aforementioned socialists argue that these societies were essentially oligarchies; some would call them state-capitalist, Stalinist, or as some Trotskyists would say, "degenerated workers states". Trotskyists contend that Stalinist economies fulfilled one criterion of a socialist economy, in that the economy was controlled by the state, but not the other criterion, that the state must be in turn democratically controlled by the workers. Many non-Marxist socialists would agree with the general outline of this argument, while perhaps dissenting from the statement that state control of the economy is one of the criteria of socialism. Further, many socialists would argue that the Soviet Union and its satellite states merely replaced a capitalist ruling class with a new ruling class, the coordinator class or nomenklatura, who played an extremely analogous role to the former capitalists, by managing the economy for their own benefit, or at least attempting to do so. During the Cold War, the Eastern Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) comprised the following Central and Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Albania (until the early 1960s, see below), the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia. ... Oligarchy is a form of government where most political power effectively rests with a small segment of society (typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, military strength, ruthlessness, or political influence). ... There are multiple definitions of the term state capitalism. ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. ... In Trotskyist political theory, degenerated workers states are states where capitalism has been overthrown through social revolution and the property forms have changed into a collectivized planned economy, but where the working class has lost its political power and socialist democracy has been replaced by a form of dictatorship. ... The Russian term nomenklatura (номенклату́ра), derived from the Latin nomenclatura meaning a list of names, was originally the list of higher responsibility positions or jobs whose occupants needed to be approved by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ...

During the Cold War, a common term used by the Soviet Union and its allies to refer to their own economies was "actually existing socialism" (presumably as against any number of theoretically possible socialisms, but carrying an implicit statement that their economy was, in fact, socialist). Another similarly used term was (and is) "real socialist." Typically, when these terms were or are used by anyone outside of the particular parties that ruled these countries (or the parties who supported them in other countries), they are placed in scare quotes and are used with at least mild irony. In journalism, scare quotes is a term of art for quotation marks used in a context other than a direct quotation. ...

A state that exists, or has existed, or may exist

See main articles Communist state and Social democracy A Communist state is a state governed by a single political party which declares its allegiance to the principles of Marxism-Leninism. ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ...

Most past and present states ruled by parties of Communist orientation called (or call) themselves "socialist." However, in the western world they were usually all referred to as "Communist states." Once again, whether these states were socialist or not was (and is) disputed, with the large majority of today's socialists (including many, perhaps most, communists) contending that they were not socialist, for reasons directly analogous to those just discussed in the section above (regarding the "socialist" economy). Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

A libertarian socialist society emerged in 1930s Spain during the civil war. See Anarchism in Spain. Anarchism, the political philosophy advocating a libertarian society without hierarchy, based on mutual aid and voluntary cooperation, historically gained the most support and influence in Spain, especially in the seventy or so years before Francisco Francos victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. ...

There are also some who dispute whether it is appropriate to refer to any state, past, present, future, or hypothetical as "socialist," preferring to reserve that word for an economy or even a society, but not a state.

Socialism as transition from Capitalism

Although Marxists and other socialists generally use the word "socialism" in the senses described above, there is also another specifically Marxist use of the term that is worth noting. Karl Marx, in his exposition of historical materialism (his Hegelian model of history) saw socialism as a phase of human society that would follow capitalism and precede communism. Marx is by no means clear about the expected characteristics of such a society, but he is consistent in his belief in the eventual triumph of revolutionary-socialism over capitalism, and then, its eventual transformation into communism. Karl Marx Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883 London, UK) was an influential German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary organizer of the International Workingmens Association. ... In Marxism and the study of history, historical materialism (or what Marx himself called the materialist conception of history) is a method which accounts for the developments and changes in human history according to economic, technological, and more broadly, material development. ... Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (August 27, 1770 - November 14, 1831) was a German philosopher born in Stuttgart, Württemberg, in present-day southwest Germany. ...

According to Marx, the socialist society will be controlled by the working class (the proletariat), whose familiarity with large, collective undertakings will be reflected in the character of this society. It will be a "dictatorship of the proletariat", in the sense that it is contrasted with the existing dictatorship of the bourgeoisie (i.e. capitalism). It is worth noting in this context that Marx was not necessarily advocating or predicting "dictatorship" in the sense that word is commonly used today; he was only referring to which class would be dominant - in other words, it is the proletariat who become the ruling class, not a "dictator". While Leninist dictatorship is arguably consistent with this vision, so is workers' democracy, analogous to bourgeois democracy. In addition, note that most Marxist models of socialism involve the abolition of the so-called "exploitation of man by man" which is presumed to exist in capitalist society. This would mean abolishing class distinctions, therefore making "the proletariat" a universal term synonymous with "the people". The proletariat (from Latin proles, offspring) is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class is called a proletarian. ... The dictatorship of the proletariat is defined by Marxist theory as the use of state power by the working class against the overthrown ruling class and others of its enemies during the passage from capitalism to communism. ... Bourgeois at the end of the thirteenth century Bourgeois redirects here; for the composer with that name, see Derek Bourgeois. ...

Marx saw socialism (the "dictatorship of proletariat", as explained above) as a transitional phase, ultimately to be replaced by a classless communist society in which the existing forms of government would no longer be needed. According to Engels, the state was destined to eventually "wither away", as the representative democracy of socialism slowly turned into the direct democracy of communism, and economic life would be re-organised on a basis of freedom and equality. In holding this classless non-state as the ultimate goal, Marx expressed an ideal not far from that of anarchism. However, whereas the anarchists wanted to abolish the state overnight, the communists expected the "withering away" to be a slow and gradual process. Representative democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein voters choose (in free, secret, multi-party elections) representatives to act in their interests, but not as their proxies—i. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein all citizens can directly participate in the political decision-making process. ...

This definition of socialism is particularly important in understanding the official ideology of the People's Republic of China. The Communist Party of China states that class struggle has already pushed China into the socialist phase of social development. Because of this and Deng Xiaoping's theory of seeking truth from facts, any economic policy which "works" is automatically classified as a socialist policy, and hence there are no constraints on how "socialism with Chinese characteristics" can look like. Seek truth from facts (Chinese: 实事求是, pinyin: shí shì qiú shì) is a slogan in the Peoples Republic of China referring to pragmatism. ...

Socialism and the mixed economy

As remarked above, some self-described socialists, especially those who identify as social democrats, but also including (for example) the reform-oriented Euro-communists (Marxists, but by no means Leninists), advocate a mixed economy rather than a complete re-working of existing capitalist economies along socialist lines. These views also extend to many who would not describe themselves as "socialists." Eurocommunism was an attempt in the 1970s by various European communist parties to widen their appeal by embracing middle-class themes, rejecting unquestioning support of the Soviet Union and express more clearly their fidelity to the democratic institutions. ... In economics and politics, a mixed economy is an economy that combines regulated capitalism, central planning (see planned economy and statism), as well as certain socialist measures and state ownership of some sectors of the economy, such as: social security roads and other transportation environmental regulation labor regulation product safety...

In the most moderate formulation of such a mixed economy, collective ownership is typically limited to control of natural resources and public utilities. The rationale for prioritizing these is that natural resources are a common patrimony and that (all or some) public utilities are natural monopolies. A public utility is a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. ... In economics, a natural monopoly is a persistent situation where a single company is the only supplier of a particular kind of product or service due to the fundamental cost structure of the industry. ...

Others would extend a socialist approach within a mixed economy to what they deem to be essential industries to prevent certain capitalists from having a stranglehold on society, or to prevent massive concentrations of wealth which result in a power imbalance (including disproportionate bargaining leverage). There is also often a rationale of national defense or national sovereignty. Thus, many otherwise capitalist countries have, at least at times, nationalized such industries as steel, automobiles, or airplanes. In the U.S., for example, President Harry S. Truman nationalized the steel mills during the Korean War. They soon returned to private ownership by order of the U.S. Supreme Court, however. Steel framework Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as aeroplanes in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada) or airplanes in North American English. ... For the victim of Mt. ... The Korean War (Korean: 한국전쟁), from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

All socialist thinkers argue that unrestrained free market economics would generally result in profits for a few at the expense of the many. Communists, in particular, are adamantly opposed to any compromise with capitalism, claiming that any economic system that permits the private accumulation of wealth is inherently unjust and allows capitalists (those who own and control capital) to compel behavior out of individuals due to their own necessity to survive. (see: labor theory of value). As noted several times above, this is disputed by the contemporary Communist Party of China, making China (if it is regarded as socialist or communist) an inevitable exception to much of what follows here. A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... The labor theory of value (LTV) is a theory in economics and political economy concerning a market-oriented or commodity-producing society: the theory equates the value of an exchangeable good or service (i. ...

While few self-described communists support any scheme upholding private ownership of the means of production (except, perhaps, as a temporary disposition on the way to something purer, and again noting the contemporary Chinese exception), other socialists are split over this, arguing over whether to only moderate the workings of market capitalism to produce a more equitable distribution of wealth, or whether to expropriate the entire owning class to guarantee this distribution. Many socialists acknowledge the extreme complexity of designing other appropriate non-market mechanisms to identify demand, especially for non-essential goods. Some have put forward models of market socialism where markets exist, but an owning class does not. Market socialism is an economic system in which the means of production are socially owned (meaning in general that profits in each company are distributed between its workers) and the production is not centrally planned but mediated through the market. ...

In practice, many aspects of the socialist worldview and socialist policy have been integrated with capitalism in many European countries and in other parts of the world (especially in the industrialized "first world"). Social democracy typically involves state ownership of some corporations (considered strategically important to the people) and participation in ownership of the means of production by workers. This can include profit sharing and worker representation on decision-making boards of corporations (a measure in vigour in Germany, for instance). Some inherently capitalist measures, such as stock ownership for workers or stock options would, however, also fit the description. Social services are important in social democracies. Such services include social welfare for the disadvantaged and unemployment insurance. Profit sharing, when used as a special term, refers to various incentive plans introduced by businesses that provide direct or indirect payments to employees that depend on companys profitability in addition to employees regular salary and bonuses. ... A stock option is a specific type of option with a stock as the underlying instrument (the security that the value of the option is based on). ... Social welfare can be taken to mean the welfare or well-being of a society. ... Unemployment benefits are sums of money given to the unemployed by the government or a compulsory para-governmental insurance system. ...

Likewise, market economies in the United States and other capitalist countries have integrated some aspects of socialist economic planning. Democratic countries typically place legal limits on the centralization of capital through anti-trust laws and limits on monopolies, though the extent to which these laws are actually enforced has to do with the balance of power between the actually existing or emerging monopoly firms, as well as political ties between government and some corporations (crony capitalism). Ownership of stock has become common for middle class workers, both in companies they work for and in other companies (see mutual fund). Labor market pressures (see labor economics) and regulations have encouraged profit sharing. Social welfare and unemployment insurance are mandated by law in the US, UK, Canada and other market economies. There is a lively debate today as to whether the world is moving closer to or farther away from "socialism", as defined by different people. Another component of this debate is whether or not these developments are to be encouraged. Antitrust is also the name for a movie, see Antitrust (movie) Antitrust or competition laws legislate against trade practices that undermine competitiveness or are considered to be unfair. ... Crony capitalism or capitalist cronyism is a pejorative term that asserts that a particular capitalist economy may depend on an extremely close relationship between private business and the state institutions of politics and government, rather than by the espoused equitable concepts such as the free market, open competition, and economic... A mutual fund enables investors to pool their money and place it under professional investment management. ... Labour economics seeks to understand the functioning of the market for labour. ... Labour economics seeks to understand the functioning of the market for labour. ...

Opposition and criticisms of socialism; arguments for and against

See main article: Criticisms of Socialism Opposition and criticisms of socialism and arguments for and against A number of thinkers, economists and historians have raised some issues with socialist theory. ...

A number of thinkers, economists and historians have raised some issues with socialist theory. These individuals include Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, and Joshua Muravchik, to name a few. Most of their objections and critiques seem directed more at a centrally planned economy (not a part of all proposed socialisms), some at socialism and Marxism in general, but because these distinctions are relatively difficult to tease out of their writings, it is probably useful to take them up in a single context. Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (born July 31, 1912) is a U.S. economist, known primarily for his work on macroeconomics and for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. ... Ayn Rand (February 2, 1905 – March 6, 1982; first name pronounced (IPA) (rhymes with mine)), born Alissa Alice Zinovievna Rosenbaum, was a popular and controversial American philosopher and novelist, best known for her philosophy of Objectivism and her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. ... Ludwig von Mises (September 29, 1881 - October 10, 1973), a notable economist and social philosopher, was born Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises in Lemberg, Austria-Hungary (today Lviv, Ukraine), the son of Arthur von Mises, a railroad engineer and civil servant, and Adele von Mises, born Adele Landau. ... Friedrich von Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (May 8, 1899 in Vienna – March 23, 1992 in Freiburg) was an economist and social scientist of the Austrian School, noted for his defense of free-market capitalism against a rising tide of socialist thought in the mid-20th century. ... Joshua Muravchik is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research and an author. ... A planned economy is an economic system in which economic decisions are made by centralized planners, who determine what sorts of goods and services to produce, and how they are to be priced and allocated. ...

References and further reading

• Friedrich Engels, The Origin Of The Family, Private Property And The State, Zurich, 1884
• Elie Halevy, Histoire du Socialisme Européen. Paris, Gallimard, 1937
• Market Socialism: the debate among socialists, ed. Bertell Ollman (1998) ISBN 0415919673
• G.D.H. Cole, History of Socialist Thought, in 7 volumes, Macmillan and St. Martin's Press (1965), Palgrave Macmillan (2003 reprint); 7 volumes, hardcover, 3160 pages, ISBN 140390264X
• James Weinstein, Long Detour: The History and Future of the American Left, Westview Press (http://www.westviewpress.com/about.html), 2003, hardcover, 272 pages, ISBN 0813341043
• Leo Panitch, Renewing Socialism: Democracy, Strategy, and Imagination, ISBN 0813398215
• Michael Harrington, Socialism, New York: Bantam, 1972
• Edmund Wilson, To the Finland Station: A Study in the Writing and Acting of History, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1940.
• Albert Fried, Ronald Sanders, eds., Socialist Thought: A Documentary History, Garden City, NY: Doubleday Anchor, 1964.

James Weinstein (1926 – June 16, 2005) was a founding editor of In These Times, a magazine of political ideas. ... Leo Panitch is professor of political science at York University, Toronto. ... Edward Michael Harrington (February 24, 1928 – July 31, 1989) was an American socialist. ... Edmund Wilson (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer, noted chiefly for his literary criticism. ...

See also

• Anarchism
• Communist state
• History of socialism
• Libertarian socialism
• List of socialists
• Marxism
• Socialist economics
• Capitalism
• Laissez-faire capitalism
• Socialism and LGBT Issues

This article describes a range of political philosophies that oppose the state and some forms of social hierarchy. ... A Communist state is a state governed by a single political party which declares its allegiance to the principles of Marxism-Leninism. ... Early socialists The word socialism came into English from French in the 1820s, but the idea that goods should be held in common and that all men should be equal is much older. ... Libertarian socialism is any one of a group of political philosophies dedicated to opposing coercive forms of authority and social hierarchy, in particular the institutions of capitalism and the state. ... The following is a list of self identified socialists. ... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Socialist economics is a term which refers in its descriptive sense to the economic effects of nations with large state sectors where the government directs the kind and nature of production. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see q:Capitalism). ... Laissez-faire capitalism is, roughly stated, the doctrine that the free market functions to the greatest good when left unfettered and unregulated by government. ... Socialist have a historically checked past when it comes to the issue of sexual orientation. ...

External links

• Socialist International (http://www.socialistinternational.org/)
• Google Directory collection of critical articles (http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Politics/Socialism/Opposing_Views/)
• Pathfinder Books, Socialist bookstore online (http://www.pathfinderpress.com)
• The Rebel Alliance Leftist Commuity (http://www.rebelforums.org/), home to the Rebel Alliance Forums and other articles on socialism, communism and anarchism
• Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis (http://www.econlib.org/library/Mises/msS.html) a critique by Ludwig von Mises
• Revolutionary Left (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com), active forum with theoretical discussions of different revolutionary socialist ideologies
• Socialism by Robert Heilbroner (http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Socialism.html)
• Socialism/Antisocialism - The transformation from socialism to statism (http://www.polyarchy.org/essays/english/socialism.html)
• Capitalism is a Society of Wolves by Fidel Castro (http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~rcgfrfi/ww/castro/1992-csw.htm) Criticism of capitalism in support of socialism
• Committee For a Workers International CWI/CIT (http://www.socialistworld.net) active in over 35 countries
• The Battle's Half Won by Milton Friedman (http://www.hooverdigest.org/051/friedman.html) "We have succeeded in stalling socialism. Can the Bush administration reverse it?"