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Socialism (view source)

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*Jasper, William F. (December 17, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/34153-socialists-stop-spread-of-success Socialists Stop Spread of Success]. ''The New American''. Retrieved December 17, 2019.</ref> The movement is responsible for the murder of at least 94 million people over the past 100 years.<ref>Werth, Nicolas; Panné, Jean-Louis; Paczkowski, Andrzej; Bartosek, Karel; Margolin, Jean-Louis (October 1999), Courtois, Stéphane, ed., ''[https://archive.org/stream/TheBlackBookofCommunism10/the-black-book-of-communism-jean-louis-margolin-1999-communism_djvu.txt The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression]'', Harvard University Press, p. 4.</ref> The fundamental flaw of socialism is the belief that one person has the right to the fruit of another person's [[labor]] and [[private property]], for example, that healthcare paid by others is a "human right." Socialism has led to increased bureaucracy and reduced freedoms even in Scandinavia,<ref>Meninger, Edward J. (September 10, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/33173-do-it-like-denmark Do It Like Denmark?] ''The New American''. Retrieved September 10, 2019.</ref> and it has been tried and failed in countries such as the [[United Kingdom]], [[India]], and [[Israel]] during the 20th century.<ref>Edwards, Lee (October 16, 2019). [https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/three-nations-tried-socialism-and-rejected-it Three Nations That Tried Socialism and Rejected It]. ''The Heritage Foundation''. Retrieved October 23, 2019.</ref>

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The two most infamous socialist regimes of the 20th century were the [[Bolsheviks]], headed by [[Vladimir Lenin]],<ref>http://www1.udel.edu/POSCISR/mwh/333/disc10/Lenintxt.html</ref> and the [[Nazi Party|National Socialist German Workers' Party]] (Nazi Party), headed by [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/adolf_hitler.htm</ref> The schism between these two competing leftist ideologies for global mastery resulted in [[World War II]].

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The two most infamous socialist regimes of the 20th century were the [[Bolsheviks]], headed by [[Vladimir Lenin]],<ref>http://www1.udel.edu/POSCISR/mwh/333/disc10/Lenintxt.html</ref> and the [[Nazi Party|National Socialist German Workers' Party]] (Nazi Party), headed by [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/adolf_hitler.htm</ref> The schism between these two competing leftist ideologies for global mastery resulted in [[World War II]].

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Both [[Communism]] and [[Nazism]] are [[totalitarian]] or [[statist]], subverting the rights of individuals to the [[collective]] of a [[single party]]. Nazism deviates from orthodox Marxist theory in substituting racial and ethnic conflict for economic [[class warfare]]. Nazism substituted "[[Jews]]" as the oppressor class, responsible for all societal woes. Contemporary American leftists substitute race war for class conflict.

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Both [[Communism]] and [[Nazism]] are [[totalitarian]] or [[statist]], subverting the rights of individuals to the [[collective]] of a [[single party]]. Nazism deviates from orthodox Marxist theory in substituting racial and ethnic conflict for economic [[class warfare]]. Nazism substituted "[[Jews]]" as the oppressor class, responsible for all societal woes. Contemporary American leftists substitute race war for class conflict.

The [[Second World War]] was a life and death struggle between two [[leftwing]] interpretations of socialism - both atheistic and subverting the rights of individuals to the state, one considering "equality" to apply only to members of a nation or race, the other [[multicultural]] and [[globalist]]. After the [[United States]] assisted the [[communist]] victory over [[National Socialism]] (see [[Popular Front liberalism]]), the [[Cold War]] was an effort to suppress the spread of global communism. Socialists consider all forms of [[capitalism]] as "[[fascist]]" (see [[Antifa]]).

==Background==

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Socialism traces its roots largely to the [[French Revolution]] and [[Paris Commune]], in visions of imaginary (often unrealistic) ideal societies, from thinkers who drew up ~~elaborated~~ designs and concepts for creating what they considered a more equal society, along collectivist lines or abolished [[private property]]; the primary ideas came from Jewish, British, and French thinkers like [[Karl Marx]], [[Henri de Saint-Simon|Saint-Simon]], [[Charles Fourier]], Louis Blanc, and [[Robert Owen]] preceded by [[Thomas More]], Tommaso Campanella, and Jean Meslier.

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Socialism traces its roots largely to the [[French Revolution]] and [[Paris Commune]], in visions of imaginary (often unrealistic) ideal societies, from thinkers who drew up elaborate designs and concepts for creating what they considered a more equal society, along collectivist lines or abolished [[private property]]; the primary ideas came from Jewish, British, and French thinkers like [[Karl Marx]], [[Henri de Saint-Simon|Saint-Simon]], [[Charles Fourier]], Louis Blanc, and [[Robert Owen]], preceded by [[Thomas More]], Tommaso Campanella, and Jean Meslier.

===As a political theory===

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As a political theory, socialism relies on dehumanization and scapegoating to build a constituent base. For example, that "the rich," "white people",<ref>See [[Critical race theory]]</ref> "Jews," "millionaires and billionaires," "the top 1%," "capitalist scum" or "landowners" are responsible for all of humanity's ills. Socialism targets the youth of a nation and people without life experience using naive, simplistic, and "feel good" slogans ("[[Medicare for All]]," "tuition-free education," "free housing." etc., for example) that on the surface appeal to self-interest, while asking nothing of the hearers to contribute to the economic well being of their fellow citizens or society. Once in power, socialists compel compliance with [[authoritarian]] decrees (the "individual mandate" and "shared responsibility payment" of [[Obamacare]] for example) suppress any form of criticism, censor [[free speech]], and silence or exterminate opposition in order to maintain power for themselves. There is nothing [[democracy|democratic]] about socialism, and terms such as "[[democratic socialism]]" or "[[social democracy]]" are [[oxymoron]]s that are typical of Marxist double-speak and double-think. Socialist leaders often live in extreme luxury even as they fail to improve the lives of those they rule over,<ref>Lott, Maxim (March 11, 2019). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-socialist-from-chavez-to-castro-leaders-who-lived-the-high-life Lifestyles of the Rich and Socialist: From Chavez to Castro, leaders who lived the high life]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved March 11, 2019. See also:

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As a political theory, socialism relies on dehumanization and scapegoating to build a constituent base. For example, that "the rich," "white people",<ref>See [[Critical race theory]]</ref> "Jews," "millionaires and billionaires," "the top 1%," "capitalist scum" or "landowners" are responsible for all of humanity's ills. Socialism targets the youth of a nation and people without life experience using naive, simplistic, and "feel good" slogans ("[[Medicare for All]]," "tuition-free education," "free housing." etc., for example) that on the surface appeal to self-interest, while asking nothing of the hearers to contribute to the economic well-being of their fellow citizens or society. Once in power, socialists compel compliance with [[authoritarian]] decrees (the "individual mandate" and "shared responsibility payment" of [[Obamacare]] for example), suppress any form of criticism, censor [[free speech]], and silence or exterminate opposition in order to maintain power for themselves. There is nothing [[democracy|democratic]] about socialism, and terms such as "[[democratic socialism]]" or "[[social democracy]]" are [[oxymoron]]s that are typical of Marxist double-speak and double-think. Socialist leaders often live in extreme luxury even as they fail to improve the lives of those they rule over,<ref>Lott, Maxim (March 11, 2019). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-socialist-from-chavez-to-castro-leaders-who-lived-the-high-life Lifestyles of the Rich and Socialist: From Chavez to Castro, leaders who lived the high life]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved March 11, 2019. See also:

*Snowball, Timothy (May 15, 2019). [https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/443228-socialism-is-neither-a-fair-nor-progressive-political-philosophy Socialism is neither a fair nor 'progressive' political philosophy]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved May 15, 2019.

*Jasper, William F. (September 11, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/33175-socialism-for-your-benefit-or-theirs Socialism: For Your Benefit — or Theirs?] ''The New American''. Retrieved September 11, 2019.</ref> and its destructive effects on society often are irreversible.<ref>Pollak, Joel B. (May 10, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/10/blue-state-blues-venezuela-south-africa-show-socialism-difficult-to-undo/ Blue State Blues: Venezuela, South Africa Show Socialism Difficult to Undo]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 10, 2019. See also:

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===As a social theory===

[[File:Antifa Dayton attacker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Dressed in the signature[[black bloc]] of the [[SS]], Antifa terrorist Connor Betts during the [[Dayton nightclub attack]].<ref>https://www.cernovich.com/connor-betts-the-dayton-ohio-terrorist-was-a-far-left-wing-activist/</ref> Betts stated "I want socialism, and I’ll not wait for the idiots to finally come round understanding."]]

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As a social theory, the modern [[United States|American]] [[Democratic Party]] uses [[identity politics]] to create a new "oppressed class" of victims which replaces the traditional worker/peasant/proletariat victims of the imaginary "oppressor class" - "the [[bourgeois]]".<ref>https://youtu.be/PkNzYttjSHE</ref> Socialism preys on people who fall victim to the [[sin]]s of [[envy]] and [[covet]]ousness, and raises [[Iconoclasm]], [[materialism]], and [[nihilism]] as exalted [[virtue]]s. Left-wing professors and universities have played a large role in advancing socialist ideologies.<ref>Lott, Maxim (January 18, 2019). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/socialism-rising-universities-and-radical-profs-helping-steer-leftward-shift-in-politics Socialism rising: Universities and ‘radical’ profs helping steer leftward shift in politics, critics say]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved January 18, 2019.</ref> Many individual socialists and groups display juvenile, adolescent, and cult-like behavior.

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As a social theory, the modern [[United States|American]] [[Democratic Party]] uses [[identity politics]] to create a new "oppressed class" of victims which replaces the traditional worker/peasant/proletariat victims of the imaginary "oppressor class" - "the [[bourgeois]]".<ref>https://youtu.be/PkNzYttjSHE</ref> Socialism preys on people who fall victim to the [[sin]]s of [[envy]] and [[covet]]ousness, and raises [[Iconoclasm]], [[materialism]], and [[nihilism]] as exalted [[virtue]]s. Left-wing professors and universities have played a large role in advancing socialist ideologies.<ref>Lott, Maxim (January 18, 2019). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/socialism-rising-universities-and-radical-profs-helping-steer-leftward-shift-in-politics Socialism rising: Universities and ‘radical’ profs helping steer leftward shift in politics, critics say]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved January 18, 2019.</ref> Many individual socialists and groups display juvenile, adolescent, and cult-like behavior.

===As an economic theory===

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As an economic theory, socialism is an [[authoritarian]] system which advocates strict state [[economic planning|command and control]] of [[income]]s and distribution or rationing of goods and services, including food and healthcare. High taxation to expropriate wealth from the supposed "oppressor class" is common to all socialist regimes. Removal of incentives and demonizing the [[profit]] motive, while expecting common people to produce goods and services, and supply tax revenues to government, for little or no pay is a [[psychotic]] dream. After exterminating "corporations" and "the rich," the cost burden of government - which controls everything - naturally falls to an impoverished working class, the unemployed, and homeless ~~which~~ previously paid no taxes. No one can retain anything for themselves because the profit motive is ~~dis-incentivized~~ or outlawed. Due to its core [[anti-democratic]] and authoritarian precepts, socialism is considered [[treason]]ous to [[America]]'s central ideal of [[liberty]].

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As an economic theory, socialism is an [[authoritarian]] system which advocates strict state [[economic planning|command and control]] of [[income]]s and distribution or rationing of goods and services, including food and healthcare. High taxation to expropriate wealth from the supposed "oppressor class" is common to all socialist regimes. Removal of incentives and demonizing the [[profit]] motive, while expecting common people to produce goods and services, and supply tax revenues to the government, for little or no pay is a [[psychotic]] dream. After exterminating "corporations" and "the rich," the cost burden of government - which controls everything - naturally falls to an impoverished working class, the unemployed, and the homeless who previously paid no taxes. No one can retain anything for themselves because the profit motive is disincentivized or outlawed. Due to its core [[anti-democratic]] and authoritarian precepts, socialism is considered [[treason]]ous to [[America]]'s central ideal of [[liberty]].

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Socialism at all times has never amounted to more than a [[criminal]] cabal that enlists the aid of corrupt politicians and [[civil service system|civil servants]], [[monopolist]] [[oligarch]]s, academics, the disgruntled, naive youth, and remaining misfits of society against the ordinary worker or middle class.

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Socialism at all times has never amounted to more than a [[criminal]] cabal that enlists the aid of corrupt politicians and [[civil service system|civil servants]], [[monopolist]], [[oligarch]]s, academics, the disgruntled, naive youth, and remaining misfits of society against the ordinary worker or middle class.

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Through [[affirmative action]] programs, Nazism and Bolshevism granted workers and peasants access to educational and employment opportunities previously only available to the German and Russian bourgeois and [[nobility]] (the "oppressor class") at the price of membership and loyalty to the party. The modern Chinese system is built upon the same model.

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Through [[affirmative action]] programs, Nazism and Bolshevism granted workers and peasants access to educational and employment opportunities previously only available to the German and Russian bourgeois and [[nobility]] (the "oppressor class") at the price of membership and loyalty to the party. The modern Chinese system is built upon the same model.

==Historic types==

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There are three main kinds of Socialism, all of them are built on the premise of government control of the means of production.

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There are three main kinds of Socialism; all of them are built on the premise of government control of the means of production.

===Leninism===

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Marxist Socialism, or '''Leninism''', as revised by [[Vladimir Lenin]] and practiced in the pre-[[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] Soviet Union, was the Socialistic theory developed by Vladimir Lenin during his rise to power. Lenin defined socialism as a transitional stage between capitalism and communism.<ref>"In striving for socialism, however, we are convinced that it will develop into communism", Lenin, State and Revolution, Selected Works, Progress publishers, Moscow, 1968, p. 320. (End of chapter four)</ref> Leninism is totalitarian, with no [[democracy]] and all decisions are made by the leaders of the Communist party. Lenin saw the Communist Party as an "elite" that was committed to ending capitalism and instituting socialism in its place and attaining the power by any means possible, including revolution. Lenin was quite mild on the belief, believing that, though ~~controlling~~ of resources was important, the people's will comes first.

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Marxist Socialism, or '''Leninism''', as revised by [[Vladimir Lenin]] and practiced in the pre-[[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] Soviet Union, was the Socialistic theory developed by Vladimir Lenin during his rise to power. Lenin defined socialism as a transitional stage between capitalism and communism.<ref>"In striving for socialism, however, we are convinced that it will develop into communism", Lenin, State and Revolution, Selected Works, Progress publishers, Moscow, 1968, p. 320. (End of chapter four)</ref> Leninism is totalitarian, with no [[democracy]] and all decisions are made by the leaders of the Communist party. Lenin saw the Communist Party as an "elite" that was committed to ending capitalism and instituting socialism in its place and attaining the power by any means possible, including revolution. Lenin was quite mild on the belief, believing that, though control of resources was important, the people's will comes first.

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Though [[Bolshevik]] Russia was somewhat more industrial than its former [[Russian Empire|Tsardom]], Lenin's death in 1924 sparked the overthrow of his vision of Marxist–Leninism and ~~the~~ instead the imposition of [[Stalinism]], the other violent, totalitarian belief that went against some of Lenin's ideas (many of Lenin's works were censored by Stalin post-1924). That said, however, there was some evidence that Stalin's totalitarian beliefs were if anything advancements of policies Lenin himself implemented, and that Lenin himself may have been even more ruthless than Stalin in certain respects.<ref>[https://newcriterion.com/issues/2019/10/leninthink Leninthink] at The New Criterion</ref>

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Though [[Bolshevik]] Russia was somewhat more industrial than its former [[Russian Empire|Tsardom]], Lenin's death in 1924 sparked the overthrow of his vision of Marxist–Leninism and instead the imposition of [[Stalinism]], the other violent, totalitarian belief that went against some of Lenin's ideas (many of Lenin's works were censored by Stalin post-1924). That said, however, there was some evidence that Stalin's totalitarian beliefs were if anything advancements of policies Lenin himself implemented, and that Lenin himself may have been even more ruthless than Stalin in certain respects.<ref>[https://newcriterion.com/issues/2019/10/leninthink Leninthink] at The New Criterion</ref>

===="Democratic" Socialism====

[[File:Ellison-antifa.jpg|right|175px|thumb|[[Democratic National Committee]] Vice-Chair [[Keith Ellison]] promoted Anitfa.]]

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The second form of Socialism (sometimes called "Revisionism") prevailed in Europe down to the 1970s, and is typified by the [[Fabian Socialism|Fabian Society]] and the British Labour Party. It was inspired by Socialism and closely linked to labor unions that had real power. The goal was for [[Industrial Democracy]], that is, for the government to own ("nationalize") major industries such as coal mining, railways, ~~steel making~~, shipbuilding, airlines, and banking. Small businesses remained private. The idea was that labor unions controlled the government and therefore unions controlled working conditions and wages for the benefit of workers, regardless of the damage to long-term economic growth.

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The second form of Socialism (sometimes called "Revisionism") prevailed in Europe down to the 1970s, and is typified by the [[Fabian Socialism|Fabian Society]] and the British Labour Party. It was inspired by Socialism and closely linked to labor unions that had real power. The goal was for [[Industrial Democracy]], that is, for the government to own ("nationalize") major industries such as coal mining, railways, steelmaking, shipbuilding, airlines, and banking. Small businesses remained private. The idea was that labor unions controlled the government and therefore unions controlled working conditions and wages for the benefit of workers, regardless of the damage to long-term economic growth.

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The Socialists were well organized and after 1918 they bitterly fought the breakaway faction that became the [[Communist]] movement. In recent years major Socialist parties (in Europe and Canada) have sometimes dropped the long-standing demands for state ownership of the means of production and have mostly accepted "Controlled Capitalism". ~~However~~, they remain tied to labor unions and favor liberal policies regarding high taxes and public spending. Conservatives have been negative toward the economics of the second form of socialism. Conservatives complain socialists use government power to redistribute wealth.

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The Socialists were well organized and after 1918, they bitterly fought the breakaway faction that became the [[Communist]] movement. In recent years major Socialist parties (in Europe and Canada) have sometimes dropped the long-standing demands for state ownership of the means of production and have mostly accepted "Controlled Capitalism". however, they remain tied to labor unions and favor liberal policies regarding high taxes and public spending. Conservatives have been negative toward the economics of the second form of socialism. Conservatives complain that socialists use government power to redistribute wealth.

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Within the [[European Union]], a form of [[democratic socialism]] was initially viewed as successful but eventually ~~lead~~ to lowered social equity and a downward spiraling economy, as well as general discontent. Although this acts as a drag on the economy, in democratic countries of the industrialized ~~west~~, some socialist ideas have been put into practice with varying degrees of success. Beginning in 2010 many European countries were racked with rioting and social unrest as governments began to back away from out-of-control entitlements that began bankrupting them and ~~lead~~ to a world financial crisis because of unrestrained debt.<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703791804575439732358241708.html WSJ; "Obstacle to Deficit Cutting: A Nation on Entitlements"]</ref><ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_austerity_protests_10 Anti-austerity protests sweep across Europe]</ref><ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/economy-economic-indicators/economic-policy-bailouts/14758032-1.html "Debt crisis pushes Europe toward economic reforms"]</ref>

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Within the [[European Union]], a form of [[democratic socialism]] was initially viewed as successful but eventually led to lowered social equity and a downward spiraling economy, as well as general discontent. Although this acts as a drag on the economy, in democratic countries of the industrialized West, some socialist ideas have been put into practice with varying degrees of success. Beginning in 2010, many European countries were racked with rioting and social unrest as governments began to back away from out-of-control entitlements that began bankrupting them and led to a world financial crisis because of unrestrained debt.<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703791804575439732358241708.html WSJ; "Obstacle to Deficit Cutting: A Nation on Entitlements"]</ref><ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_austerity_protests_10 Anti-austerity protests sweep across Europe]</ref><ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/economy-economic-indicators/economic-policy-bailouts/14758032-1.html "Debt crisis pushes Europe toward economic reforms"]</ref>

In the early 21st century, Socialism was becoming increasingly prominent in the West.<ref>Ozimek, Tom (November 9, 2019). [https://www.theepochtimes.com/socialism-stirs-again-30-years-after-collapse-of-berlin-wall_3141025.html Socialism Stirs Again 30 Years After Collapse of Berlin Wall]. ''The Epoch Times''. Retrieved November 9, 2019.</ref>

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Early American settlers, as in Plymouth or Virginia, tried it but quickly abandoned it.

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:The Pilgrims in Plymouth used communal farming their first winter but then after a dismal harvest that first year, moved to a system where there was a more direct incentive other than guilt and honor. Governor Bradford summed it up in his journal:

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:The Pilgrims in Plymouth used communal farming in their first winter but then after a dismal harvest that first year, moved to a system where there was a more direct incentive other than guilt and honor. Governor Bradford summed it up in his journal:

:* "And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number, for that end, only for present use (but made no division for inheritance) and ranged all boys and youth under some family. This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression."

:Not only were all hands more industrious—the incentive to harvest communal corn before it was fully ripe, a problem equivalent to poaching in the case of wildlife, was also eliminated.<ref>[http://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2006/Robertsincentives.html Incentives Matter] - Russell Roberts - Library of Economics and Liberty</ref>

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Not until the birth of the [[Soviet Union]] after the [[Communist Revolution]] did the idea become generally accepted that socialism meant government seizing ownership of the economy. Experience in 19th and 20th century [[France]], [[England]], and [[Germany]], however, made it clear that regulatory control by government bureaucrats is sufficient to implement socialism.<ref>[http://www.thomasbrewton.com/index.php/weblog/once_again_what_is_socialism/ What is Socialism?]</ref>

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In Communism (the primary variant of socialism) the central goal is to establish a "[[workers' paradise]]"-an ideal state with perfect equality.

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In Communism (the primary variant of socialism) the central goal is to establish a "[[workers' paradise]]" an ideal state with perfect equality.

In practice the socialist government owns the banks, railroads, farmlands, factories, and stores, and is the only employer, or at least controls the regulation of production and distribution. The central goal is to destroy the "evils of capitalism" by government ownership or control of the means of production, usually with one party controlling the government on behalf of the working class.

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Theoretically, socialist regimes can have multiple parties. In practice there is only one political party, and it controls the government. The leaders of the party choose the government officials and set all policies for the nation and for cities and localities. Opposition parties are not allowed access to the media or to meeting halls or to funding, and their leaders are often arrested as "enemies of the people."

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As a political ideology based on the redistribution of wealth, socialism stresses the privileges of the many over the rights of the few, but in practice when socialist economic principles are forced onto a nation by a totalitarian government a new Upper Class appears which is much better off than the Lower Class.

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As a political ideology based on the redistribution of wealth, socialism stresses the privileges of the many over the rights of the few, but in practice, when socialist economic principles are forced onto a nation by a totalitarian government, a new Upper Class appears, which is much better off than the Lower Class.

{{cquote|'''<big>Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.</big> - Winston Churchill''' <ref>[http://www.quotesdaddy.com/quote/280995/winston-churchill/socialism-is-a-philosophy-of-failure-the-creed-of Churchill; Quotesdaddy.com]</ref>}}

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Socialism supposedly is an "intellectual" pursuit. Raisa Gorbachev, the wife of the last General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], held a "PhD in Marxism-Leninism." ~~Raisa Gorbachev~~ died in a German hospital of [[leukemia]] because her beloved Soviet homeland was incapable of delivering proper healthcare, even for the elite of the Soviet Socialist Republic, after 70 years of socialism.

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Socialism supposedly is an "intellectual" pursuit. Raisa Gorbachev, the wife of the last General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], held a "PhD in Marxism-Leninism." and died in a German hospital of [[leukemia]] because her beloved Soviet homeland was incapable of delivering proper healthcare, even for the elite of the Soviet Socialist Republic, after 70 years of socialism.

===National Socialism===

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What Mises identified was that private ownership of the means of production existed in name only under the Nazis and that the actual substance of ownership of the means of production resided in the German government. For it was the German government and not the nominal private owners that exercised all of the substantive powers of ownership: it, not the nominal private owners, decided what was to be produced, in what quantity, by what methods, and to whom it was to be distributed, as well as what prices would be charged and what wages would be paid, and what dividends or other income the nominal private owners would be permitted to receive. The position of the alleged private owners, Mises showed, was reduced essentially to that of government pensioners.

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De facto government ownership of the means of production, as Mises termed it, was logically implied by such fundamental collectivist principles embraced by the Nazis as that the common good comes before the private good and the individual exists as a means to the ends of the State. If the individual is a means to the ends of the State, so too, of course, is his property. Just as he is owned by the State, his property is also owned by the State.}} Hitler found the notion of single-party control very attractive. That, and the idea of creating a "New man" in a godless socialist order, enlightened by science, victorious over their oppressors. Nazism was outlawed at the end of [[World War II]].

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De facto government ownership of the means of production, as Mises termed it, was logically implied by such fundamental collectivist principles embraced by the Nazis as that the common good comes before the private good and the individual exists as a means to the ends of the State. If the individual is a means to the ends of the State, so too, of course, is his property. Just as he is owned by the State, his property is also owned by the State.}} Hitler found the notion of single-party control very attractive. That, and the idea of creating a "New man" in a godless socialist order, enlightened by science, victorious over their oppressors, appealed to them. Nazism was outlawed at the end of [[World War II]].

====Commonalities of Communism, Nazism and liberalism====

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If our government is to continue spending 40 percent of our GDP, we will morph into the European model of a socialist democracy. But if we can roll the spending back to 30 percent, while holding taxes level, we will retain our free market system.<ref>https://townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2010/04/24/the_silent_killer_obamas_vat_proposal</ref>}}

[[File:Shepard-Fairey-imgs.JPG|right|thumb|250px|[[Shepard Fairey]], designer of the official Obama hope and change logo, is more known for his anti-American and pro-communist themes. Here a [[Mao Zedong|Maoist]] revolutionary is depicted.<ref>http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-ContextMenu&rlz=1I7ACAW_en___US352&tbs=isch:1&q=Shepard+Fairey&sa=N&start=40&ndsp=20</ref> ]]

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[[Anita Dunn]], the political strategist and former White House Communications Director, admitted that one of favorite political philosophers, one that she “turns to the most”, is [[Mao Zedong]], the [[communism|communist]] dictator responsible for the starvation, torture, and killing of 70 million Chinese.<ref>http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2009/10/16/anita-dunn-favorite-philosopher-mao-tse-tung/</ref>

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[[Anita Dunn]], the political strategist and former White House Communications Director, admitted that one of her favorite political philosophers, one that she “turns to the most”, is [[Mao Zedong]], the [[communism|communist]] dictator responsible for the starvation, torture, and killing of 70 million Chinese.<ref>http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2009/10/16/anita-dunn-favorite-philosopher-mao-tse-tung/</ref>

Critics of the Obama administration have coined the word "[[Obamunism]]" to describe Barack Obama's socialistic and "[[fascism]] light" [[economic planning]] policies ([[Benito Mussolini]] defined fascism as the wedding of state and corporate powers. Accordingly, trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] labels [[Obama administration corporate bailouts|Obama's corporate bailouts]] as being "fascism light" in nature).<ref>http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/daily-intel/2009/07/20/obamunism-inc</ref><ref>http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-interviews/gerald-celente-6944</ref> Obamunism can also [[Allusion|allude]] to Obama's [[Obama administration fiscal policy|ruinous fiscal policies]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|reckless monetary policies]].<ref>https://seekingalpha.com/article/120883-monetary-policynot-obama-s-stimulusis-what-needs-watching</ref><ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/05172009/postopinion/editorials/bams_wise_words_169731.htm</ref><ref>http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/</ref>

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:{{main|You didn't build that}}

On July 13, 2012, at a campaign event in [[Virginia]], Obama gave a speech that immediately stirred up controversy. Speaking about the government's role in the success of private business, he said:<ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/13/remarks-president-campaign-event-roanoke-virginia Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke, Virginia], White House</ref>

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{{cquote|If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business - you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.}} The [[Romney]] campaign has used "If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that" in ads to show America that Obama believes it is government that creates business rather than hard-working individuals. The Obama campaign has alternatively stated that the ~~sentenced~~ was poorly worded since he was not giving a scripted speech and that when Obama said "that" he was referring to roads and bridges. Obama points to a later portion of his speech in which he said, "The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together," to support his claim.

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{{cquote|If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business - you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.}} The [[Romney]] campaign has used "If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that" in ads to show America that Obama believes it is government that creates business rather than hard-working individuals. The Obama campaign has alternatively stated that the sentence was poorly worded since he was not giving a scripted speech and that when Obama said "that" he was referring to roads and bridges. Obama points to a later portion of his speech in which he said, "The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together," to support his claim.

=====Obamacare ''diktats''=====

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On May 13, 2013 the [[Associated Press]] announced telephone records for 20 of their reporters had been [[subpoena]]ed by the Justice Department. The Justice Dept. subpoenaed the phone records of AP from [[Verizon]] and other service providers.<ref name=verizonslate>{{cite web|last=Gallagher|first=Ryan|title=Verizon Wireless Secretly Passed AP Reporters' Phone Records to Feds|publisher=www.slate.com|date=May 16, 2013|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/05/16/verizon_wireless_passed_ap_reporters_phone_records_to_the_feds.html|accessdate=}}</ref> The AP claimed these acts were a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into news-gathering.<ref name=TTSanchez>{{cite web|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|title=US Justice Department secretly seizes Associated Press phone records|publisher=The Telegraph|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/10055318/US-Justice-Department-secretly-seizes-Associated-Press-phone-records.html|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=TG130513>{{cite web|author=Washington (AP)|title=US government secretly obtained Associated Press phone records|publisher=The Guardian|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/13/america-government-associated-press-phone-records|accessdate=}}</ref> CEO Gary Pruitt of AP stated: "These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know."<ref name=CNNJohns>{{cite web|author=Matt Smith and Joe Johns|title=AP blasts feds for phone records search|publisher=CNN|date=May 14, 2013|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/13/us/justice-ap-phones/?hpt=hp_t2|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=holder>{{cite web|author=Gary B. Pruitt|title=AP letter to Eric Holder on seizure of phone records|publisher=USA Today|date=May 13, 2013|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/05/13/doj-seizes-ap-phone-records/2156819/|accessdate=June 1, 2013}}</ref>

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A few years earlier, Attn. Gen. [[Eric Holder]] renewed a subpoena of James Risen, a reporter for the ''[[New York Times]]''. Risen and a colleague reported on warrantless wiretaps. The coverage won Risen and colleague a [[Pulitzer Prize]] for “carefully sourced stories on secret domestic eavesdropping that stirred a national debate.” The Justice Dept. [[John Brennan]], an avowed communist, played a key role in the illegal wiretap program, overseeing the production of what personnel in the program called the “scary memos” intended to justify domestic spying exposed by Risen. Brennan later admitted that he relied on information from CIA's torture program rather than domestic spying, which was used as a cover.

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A few years earlier, Attn. Gen. [[Eric Holder]] renewed a subpoena of James Risen, a reporter for the ''[[New York Times]]''. Risen and a colleague reported on warrantless wiretaps. The coverage won Risen and a colleague a [[Pulitzer Prize]] for “carefully sourced stories on secret domestic eavesdropping that stirred a national debate.” The Justice Dept. [[John Brennan]], an avowed communist, played a key role in the illegal wiretap program, overseeing the production of what personnel in the program called the “scary memos” intended to justify domestic spying exposed by Risen. Brennan later admitted that he relied on information from CIA's torture program rather than domestic spying, which was used as a cover.

In June 2013 [[Comey]]'s [[FBI]] opened a case on [[CBS News]] anchor [[Sharyl Attkisson]] under the auspices of '[[national security]].' Attkisson reported news embarrassing to Eric Holder on [[Operation Fast and Furious]] and extensively on the [[Benghazi massacre]] coverup.<ref name="wyden.senate.gov">https://www.wyden.senate.gov/download/?id=285dc9e7-195a-4467-b0fe-caa857fc4e0d</ref>

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==Contradictory goals of socialism==

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Socialism's stated purpose is to eliminate the huge gap between the highest and lowest classes of society. ~~Their~~ bitter complaint has been that the upper class exploits its dominance to gain privileges and wealth, while the lower class must suffer tyranny and poverty.<ref>"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." [http://www.experiencefestival.com/socialism_-_an_economic_system]</ref> This obsession with class paradoxically creates a group of people with a vested interest in seeing class differences remain (socialist politicians, [[community organizer]]s, ''etc.''); if by some means the class system actually ''were'' destroyed, these people would be out of a job.

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Socialism's stated purpose is to eliminate the huge gap between the highest and lowest classes of society. Its bitter complaint has been that the upper class exploits its dominance to gain privileges and wealth, while the lower class must suffer tyranny and poverty.<ref>"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." [http://www.experiencefestival.com/socialism_-_an_economic_system]</ref> This obsession with class paradoxically creates a group of people with a vested interest in seeing class differences remain (socialist politicians, [[community organizer]]s, ''etc.''); if by some means the class system actually ''were'' destroyed, these people would be out of a job.

Another essential goal of most socialist thinkers has been to eliminate [[Capitalism]],<ref>"... one of the fundamental goals of the socialist movement throughout history has been the abolition of capitalism" [http://www.experiencefestival.com/socialism_-_opposition_and_criticisms_of_socialism_arguments_for_and_against A Wisdom Archive on Socialism - Opposition and criticisms of socialism; arguments for and against]</ref>

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on the grounds that only "social control" of the economy can prevent abuses such as [[feudalism]], [[monopoly]], [[cartel]]s, etc.

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On the grounds that only "social control" of the economy can prevent abuses such as [[feudalism]], [[monopoly]], [[cartel]]s, etc.

But experiments on both a moderate and a grand scale have shown that socialism's main purpose has been undermined by its unremitting opposition to [[free market]] economics. In its drive to eliminate capitalism, it has overlooked the fact that general prosperity is vouchsafed by [[economic freedom]], and that free market economics improves the lot of the poor much more quickly and permanently than any system of central economic control.

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As an economic theory, democratic socialism calls for equalization of incomes, through taxation of private wealth coupled with [[welfare state]] spending. The [[nationalization]] of major industries is primarily a device to allow the unionized workers to control their own wages and working conditions, cutting out the capitalistic owners.

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State [[pension]]s and unemployment insurance were not brought in by Socialists—they were first introduced by arch-conservative Chancellor [[Bismarck]] in Germany in the 1870s. In Britain they were introduced about 1910 by [[Winston Churchill]] and [[David Lloyd George]] of the [[Liberal Party]], and in the U.S. were part of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt's [[New Deal]] in the 1930s. Welfare state ideas such as [[universal health care]], and state control of key industries have been common throughout the developed world in the modern era. However, the United States has always rejected socialism as an ideological position, with a few exceptions such as the [[TVA]].

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State [[pension]]s and unemployment insurance were not brought in by Socialists—they were first introduced by arch-conservative Chancellor [[Bismarck]] in Germany in the 1870s. In Britain they were introduced about 1910 by [[Winston Churchill]] and [[David Lloyd George]] of the [[Liberal Party]], and in the U.S. were part of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt's [[New Deal]] in the 1930s. Welfare state ideas such as [[universal health care]] and state control of key industries have been common throughout the developed world in the modern era. However, the United States has always rejected socialism as an ideological position, with a few exceptions such as the [[TVA]].

===So-called "mixed economies"===

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Some forms of socialism have often been [[atheism|atheistic]] in character, and many leading socialists (most prominently Karl Marx) have been critical of the role of religion - and conservative religion in particular - which they criticize for lending support to an unjust social order.

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Other ~~Socialists~~ have been Christians, and there has been considerable interplay between Christian and Socialist ideas. [[Christian socialists]] have asserted that early Christian communities, in particular, displayed certain traits, such as the holding of possessions in common,<ref>Acts 2:44: "Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need."</ref> the rejection of conventional sexual mores and gender roles, the provision for communal education, etc., that could be considered similar to socialism.

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Other socialists have been Christians, and there has been considerable interplay between Christian and Socialist ideas. [[Christian socialists]] have asserted that early Christian communities, in particular, displayed certain traits, such as the holding of possessions in common,<ref>Acts 2:44: "Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need."</ref> and the rejection of conventional sexual mores and gender roles, the provision for communal education, etc., that could be considered similar to socialism.

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During the chaos sparked by the advent of the Reformation in Europe, several sects with radical new interpretations of Christianity sprung up, many of them Anabaptists (believers in adult baptism). Under the leadership of the reformer Thomas Muntzer the peasants of south-west Germany rose up in arms against the clergy and nobility, establishing anarcho-communes in their wake. Though they were massacred to a man, ten years later a group of radical Anabaptists under the leadership of Jan Matthys seized control of the north-western ~~Germany~~ city of Munster from the Prince-Archbishop there and established a Christian-Communist state. True to the spirit of applied communism, Mathys took twelve wives, held lavish feasts for himself and his most loyal followers and had himself crowned King of the World as the city starved, besieged by an alliance of Protestant and Catholic forces keen to see them exterminated. Mathys and ~~all~~ his followers were ~~all~~ tortured and killed when the Prince-Archbishop returned with professional troops to sack the city and reassert his authority, effectively wiping out all non-pacifistic Anabaptists in north-western Germany. Only Baptists as we know them today survived the following persecution.

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During the chaos sparked by the advent of the Reformation in Europe, several sects with radical new interpretations of Christianity sprung up, many of them Anabaptists (believers in adult baptism). Under the leadership of the reformer Thomas Muntzer the peasants of south-west Germany rose up in arms against the clergy and nobility, establishing anarcho-communes in their wake. Though they were massacred to a man, ten years later a group of radical Anabaptists under the leadership of Jan Matthys seized control of the north-western German city of Munster from the Prince-Archbishop there and established a Christian-Communist state. True to the spirit of applied communism, Mathys took twelve wives, held lavish feasts for himself and his most loyal followers and had himself crowned King of the World as the city starved, besieged by an alliance of Protestant and Catholic forces keen to see them exterminated. Mathys and his followers were tortured and killed when the Prince-Archbishop returned with professional troops to sack the city and reassert his authority, effectively wiping out all non-pacifistic Anabaptists in north-western Germany. Only Baptists as we know them today survived the following persecution.

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See, for instance, Arnold Toynbee, the British historian, has responded to this,

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See, for instance, Arnold Toynbee, the British historian, has responded to this,

:"the Marxian excerpt from a Christian Socialism is an experiment which is doomed to failure because it has denied itself the aid of the spiritual power which alone is capable of making Socialism a success. ….'Christianity', they say, 'is the opiate of the People'; and, in the [[Soviet Union]]… Christianity or of any other theistic religion have been debarred… from admission to membership of the All-Union Communist Party. In fact, Communism has been definitely and militantly anti-Christian. Thus the campaign against Christianity which is to-day an integral part of the propaganda of [[Marxian Socialism]] is a challenge to the living generation of Christians …we latter-day Christians may still turn a Marxian attack upon Christianity to good account … a re-awakening of the Christian social conscience has been the one great positive practical achievement of Karl Marx" <ref>Arnold Toynbee, ''A Study of History'', Annex II to Vol. V, Part C (i) (c) 2, p. 585-586, Marxism, Socialism, and Christianity.</ref>

====Alleged New Testament socialism in a godless utopia====

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~~Socialist~~ claim the earliest Christians were decidedly living in a manner consistent with basic aims of socialism, albeit with critical requirements and distinctions from its secularist expressions. Luke 14:33 requires the forsaking of all one has if one will be a disciple of Christ, and while this is not shown to necessarily always require the ~~literally~~ forsaking of all,<ref>Lk. 19:8,9; Acts 16:14,15; 1Cor. 11:22; 2Tim. 4:13</ref> Acts 2:44 states that the communal believers "had all things common". Acts 4:32-5:11 also describes community redistribution of property, and details the Divine punishment of a husband and wife for hypocrisy, in keeping proceeds from the sale of a piece of property while openly pretending that they gave it all, as others voluntarily did.<ref>Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, (5:1-11)</ref>

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Socialists claim the earliest Christians were decidedly living in a manner consistent with basic aims of socialism, albeit with critical requirements and distinctions from its secularist expressions. Luke 14:33 requires the forsaking of all one has if one will be a disciple of Christ, and while this is not shown to necessarily always require the literal forsaking of all,<ref>Lk. 19:8,9; Acts 16:14,15; 1Cor. 11:22; 2Tim. 4:13</ref> Acts 2:44 states that the communal believers "had all things common". and Acts 4:32-5:11 also describes community redistribution of property, and details the Divine punishment of a husband and wife for hypocrisy, in keeping proceeds from the sale of a piece of property while openly pretending that they gave it all, as others voluntarily did.<ref>Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, (5:1-11)</ref>

However, forsaking all is shown to be that of first surrendering oneself and life to the God of the Bible, and placing all at His disposal,<ref>Matthew Henry (1662 - 1714), ''Commentary on the Whole Bible'', Lk. 14:25-35</ref><ref>Archibald Thomas Robertson, ''WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT'', Lk. 14:33</ref> with literal giving as a result being as He directs, and voluntary. (2Cor. 8,9)

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While the early organic community provides a noble model of communal life, and of a "seminary" type experience, it was also soon dispersed by persecution (thus greatly expanding the church: Acts 8:1-5; 11:19), and it is later indicated that believers retained ownership of property after conversion. (Lk. 19:8,9; Acts 16:14,15; 1Cor. 11:22; 2Tim. 4:13) Rich Christians are evidenced to have been part of the early church, but were not mandated by the church itself to give all they had away, but to be lowly in mind, and to be ready and willing to distribute, in faith and surrender to God. (1Tim. 6:17-19)

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Moreover, in both Testaments capitalism is clearly supported,<ref>Gary North, ''Capitalism and the Bible''</ref> and indolence is not subsidized, but penalized by poverty, while diligence in work is rewarded by its fruits. (Prov. 6:6-11; 13:4; 20:4; 2 Thes. 3:10-12; 1 Tim. 5:17-18) Although holy widows over 60 years old who were without familial support were taken in by the church, a man is clearly required to provide for his own family, if able. (1Tim. 5:2ff)

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Moreover, in both Testaments capitalism is clearly supported,<ref>Gary North, ''Capitalism and the Bible''</ref> and indolence is not subsidized, but penalized by poverty, while diligence in work is rewarded by its fruits. (Prov. 6:6-11; 13:4; 20:4; 2 Thes. 3:10-12; 1 Tim. 5:17-18) Although holy widows over 60 years old who were without familial support were taken in by the church, a man is clearly required to provide for his own family, if able. (1Tim. 5:2ff)

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While the success of the early church as an organic community is often invoked in support of modern socialism, and many communes of the 1960s evoked the Bible, the early organic church was a result of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit among believers, while the "administrators" were humble servants who were examples of self-sacrifice, and who worked with their own hands as needed, (1Cor. 4:9-16) and whose authority was established by manifest Divine attestation, including the pro-active exercise of church discipline being only by supernatural or otherwise spiritual means, not carnal force.<ref>Acts 2:43; 5:5,9,10; 1Cor. 4:19-21; 2Cor. 13:2,3; 2Thes. 3:14,15; 2Tim. 4:2</ref>

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While the success of the early church as an organic community is often invoked in support of modern-day socialism, and many communes of the 1960s evoked the Bible, the early organic church was a result of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit among believers, while the "administrators" were humble servants who were examples of self-sacrifice, and who worked with their own hands as needed, (1Cor. 4:9-16) and whose authority was established by manifest Divine attestation, including the pro-active exercise of church discipline being only by supernatural or otherwise spiritual means, not carnal force.<ref>Acts 2:43; 5:5,9,10; 1Cor. 4:19-21; 2Cor. 13:2,3; 2Thes. 3:14,15; 2Tim. 4:2</ref>

In addition, other distinctions, without the unique changes and influence resulting from faith and full surrender to Christ from all the community, and His anointing upon the work, attempts to mimic the communal life of Christians have failed.

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As one critic of modern-day socialism states:

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As one critic of modern-day socialism states:

<blockquote>Socialism, unfortunately, completely disregards Biblical teaching about the fallen nature of human beings and assumes that human beings will act in a morally upright fashion if their basic needs are met. This is at the heart of why socialistic systems never work: because human nature does not work in this fashion.<ref>[http://www.dakotavoice.com/2009/06/capitalism-and-socialism-in-light-of-the-bible Bob Ellis, ''Capitalism and Socialism in Light of the Bible''] Dakota Voice, June 23rd, 2009</ref></blockquote>

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==Criticism==

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[[Friedrich Hayek]] and [[Ludwig von Mises]] were important critics of socialism, particularly regarding what is known as the Socialist Calculation Debate. Hayek and Mises argued that a socialist economy would face information constraints that would prevent even well-intentioned planners from efficiently allocating resources. That is, the planners would not know how much a battleship or a hospital cost, and could not efficiently allocate resources among different choices. This criticism should be considered as compatible with, but independent of, criticisms based on [[Public choice theory]] that bring into consideration the incentives of political actors.

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[[Friedrich Hayek]] and [[Ludwig von Mises]] were important critics of socialism, particularly regarding what is known as the Socialist Calculation Debate. Hayek and Mises argued that a socialist economy would face information constraints that would prevent even well-intentioned planners from efficiently allocating resources. That is, the planners would not know how much a battleship or a hospital cost, and could not efficiently allocate resources among different choices. This criticism should be considered as compatible with, but independent of, criticisms based on [[Public choice theory]] that bring into consideration the incentives of political actors.

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Svetlana Kunin, who lived in the Soviet Union until 1980 explains how the system worked:

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Svetlana Kunin, who lived in the Soviet Union until 1980, explains how the system worked:

Life in the USSR modeled the socialist ideal. God-based religion was suppressed and replaced with cultlike adoration for political figures....Only the ruling class of communist leaders had access to special stores, medicine and accommodations that could compare to those in the West. The rest of the citizenry had to deal with permanent shortages of food and other necessities, and had access to free but inferior, unsanitary and low-tech medical care.

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</blockquote>

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A government which adheres to economic socialistic principles also tends to have cultures which prize unmerited equality among ~~citizen~~ and criminal alike, and through extension of socialistic welfare policies, between the chronically employed and the chronically unemployed, by ensuring both groups receive income though only one group works for income. This enables people otherwise healthy to not seek gainful employment because they will receive income no matter their actions, thus providing no incentive to produce. The economies of socialistic governments are thus weak and riddled with flaws, such as expecting increased production from a reduced workforce, and when engendered with a progressive culture, which simply means people who do are the same as people who do not, eventually fall under the weight of their own poorly managed and over-extended public welfare institutions. Public welfare also decreases personal charity, thus making the people dependent on the aid of the government since charitable aid, such as from a church, is discouraged by the secular nature of socialistic nations.

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A government which adheres to economic socialistic principles also tends to have cultures which prize unmerited equality among citizens and criminal alike, and through extension of socialistic welfare policies, between the chronically employed and the chronically unemployed, by ensuring both groups receive income though only one group works for income. This enables people otherwise healthy to not seek gainful employment because they will receive income no matter their actions, thus providing no incentive to produce. The economies of socialistic governments are thus weak and riddled with flaws, such as expecting increased production from a reduced workforce, and, when engendered with a progressive culture, which simply means people who do are the same as people who do not, eventually fall under the weight of their own poorly managed and over-extended public welfare institutions. Public welfare also decreases personal charity, thus making the people dependent on the aid of the government since charitable aid, such as from a church, is discouraged by the secular nature of socialistic nations.

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Socialists occasionally appeal to the fact that God, in the Old Testament, commanded His own nation to surrender a tenth of its proceeds for the maintenance of the priests and for the care of the sickly and weak. But, while fallen men, and their secular and pagan nations, shall always struggle to understand the righteous balances between government and liberty.<ref name="npr">[https://www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139761274/how-the-a-p-changed-the-way-we-shop ''The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America''], "NPR’s interview of the book’s author, Marc Levinson"</ref> (i.e., between local and national logistics, as well as between the logistics of the individual person and those of his community) the mark of socialism is the general allowance for a naive, and willingly ignorant, adult sub-population whose members prefer, despite the limitations imposed by bureaucratic accountability, to live under all the securities rightly afforded in the fallen world only to infants. In the unfallen world, such security was a given for all persons, but without any of the bureaucracy required in the fallen world for maintaining it. In the fallen world, such security is an unattainable ideal, so that the more is done to attain it, the more the society suffers under the requisite bureaucracy. And, while the initial policy made toward that ideal is the creation of an executive class or executive vocation, such as monarchies and professional armies,<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Sa&c=8&t=KJV#19 ''First Samuel 8:19-20''] Blue Letter Bible</ref><ref>[http://www.wbur.org/media-player?url=http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/09/29/consequences-combat-vietnam&title=The+Consequences+Of+Combat&segment=consequences-combat-vietnam&pubdate=2011-09-29&source=hereandnow ''Interview of Vietnam war veteran, and '''What It Is Like To Go To War''' author, Karl Marlantes, on NPR's Here And Now'']</ref> there is a 'tipping point' in the creation of bureaucratic entities beyond which any civilization cannot help but increasingly lose its footing in the struggle to balance all its righteous human interests. The result is an ever-increasing proportion of that civilization's total population which, for all variety of reasons, becomes enslaved to their own demands for that ideal of security. When there is no judge who judges righteously, when all the people make the laws, and when the power of money is used to try to stay ahead of the natural consequences of unrighteousness, the 'bad money' cannot help but drive out the 'good money', until the 'Bank of Reality' is forced to call in the loan, and the civilization implodes to the point that it falls victim also to militant invaders and, or, to unmanageable internal unrest.<ref name="npr" />

+

Socialists occasionally appeal to the fact that God, in the Old Testament, commanded His own nation to surrender a tenth of its proceeds for the maintenance of the priests and for the care of the sickly and weak. But, while fallen men, and their secular and pagan nations, shall always struggle to understand the righteous balances between government and liberty.<ref name="npr">[https://www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139761274/how-the-a-p-changed-the-way-we-shop ''The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America''], "NPR’s interview of the book’s author, Marc Levinson"</ref> (i.e., between local and national logistics, as well as between the logistics of the individual person and those of his community), the mark of socialism is the general allowance for a naive and willingly ignorant adult sub-population whose members prefer, despite the limitations imposed by bureaucratic accountability, to live under all the securities rightly afforded in the fallen world only to infants. In the unfallen world, such security was a given for all persons, but without any of the bureaucracy required in the fallen world for maintaining it. In the fallen world, such security is an unattainable ideal, so that the more is done to attain it, the more the society suffers under the requisite bureaucracy. And, while the initial policy made toward that ideal is the creation of an executive class or executive vocation, such as monarchies and professional armies,<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Sa&c=8&t=KJV#19 ''First Samuel 8:19-20''] Blue Letter Bible</ref><ref>[http://www.wbur.org/media-player?url=http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/09/29/consequences-combat-vietnam&title=The+Consequences+Of+Combat&segment=consequences-combat-vietnam&pubdate=2011-09-29&source=hereandnow ''Interview of Vietnam war veteran, and '''What It Is Like To Go To War''' author, Karl Marlantes, on NPR's Here And Now'']</ref> and there is a 'tipping point' in the creation of bureaucratic entities beyond which any civilization cannot help but increasingly lose its footing in the struggle to balance all its righteous human interests. The result is an ever-increasing proportion of that civilization's total population which, for all variety of reasons, becomes enslaved to their own demands for that ideal of security. When there is no judge who judges righteously, when all the people make the laws, and when the power of money is used to try to stay ahead of the natural consequences of unrighteousness, the 'bad money' cannot help but drive out the 'good money', until the 'Bank of Reality' is forced to call in the loan, and the civilization implodes to the point that it falls victim also to militant invaders and/or to unmanageable internal unrest.<ref name="npr" />

==Past Socialist Countries==

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===Other Countires===

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[[Daniel Ortega]], the dictator of [[Nicaragua]], is a strong ally of Venezuela and Cuba. [[China]] and [[Vietnam]] have abolished the Socialist economy but are still governed by Communist parties. Other countries ~~who~~ are controlled by Socialist parties are [[Laos]], [[Angola]], [[Mozambique]] and [[Moldova]].

+

[[Daniel Ortega]], the dictator of [[Nicaragua]], is a strong ally of Venezuela and Cuba. [[China]] and [[Vietnam]] have abolished the Socialist economy but are still governed by Communist parties. Other countries that are controlled by Socialist parties are [[Laos]], [[Angola]], [[Mozambique]] and [[Moldova]].

==Controversy==

''This section confuses "interpretation" with "debate".''

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The ideology of '''Socialism''' is subject to a variety of interpretations. From a conservative perspective, Marxist socialism is an economic system whereby the means of production are seized and monopolized by the government sometimes without compensation to the builders of the [[capital]]. Investments, production, distribution, income, prices, and economic justice are administered by a government [[nomenklatura]] that regulates the transfer of money, goods (including capital goods), and services primarily through taxation, regulation and aggressive institutionalized coercion.

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The ideology of '''Socialism''' is subject to a variety of interpretations. From a conservative perspective, Marxist socialism is an economic system whereby the means of production are seized and monopolized by the government, sometimes without compensation to the builders of the [[capital]]. Investments, production, distribution, income, prices, and economic justice are administered by a government [[nomenklatura]] that regulates the transfer of money, goods (including capital goods), and services primarily through taxation, regulation, and aggressive institutionalized coercion.

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However, some socialists reject this description. Democratic socialists advocate a system of governance based on the principles of [[solidarity]], [[equality]] and [[liberty]], viewing these principles as interconnected. They believe increased socio-economic equality is associated with increased practical freedom to fulfill human potential. In many countries, such as Britain, socialist movements have been built on Christian, democratic and co-operative bases, embracing the notion that individuals should 'treat others as they would wish to be treated', and arguing that all individuals have a moral responsibility for the welfare of other members of their society. Socialism seeks to prioritize human welfare over other goals, such as profit and wealth accumulation by elites; it views increased redistribution of wealth as vital to securing greater freedom and happiness for the bulk of the people. Though this rosy picture of socialism is appealing to many, it ignores what Hayek called "[[the road to serfdom]]." Though in theory socialism is an idealized, egalitarian form of economics, in practice it means rule by labor bosses who minimize individualism and economic growth in the name of equality and benefits for the working class.

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However, some socialists reject this description. Democratic socialists advocate a system of governance based on the principles of [[solidarity]], [[equality]], and [[liberty]], viewing these principles as interconnected. They believe increased socio-economic equality is associated with increased practical freedom to fulfill human potential. In many countries, such as Britain, socialist movements have been built on Christian, democratic and co-operative bases, embracing the notion that individuals should 'treat others as they would wish to be treated', and arguing that all individuals have a moral responsibility for the welfare of other members of their society. Socialism seeks to prioritize human welfare over other goals, such as profit and wealth accumulation by elites; it views increased redistribution of wealth as vital to securing greater freedom and happiness for the bulk of the people. Though this rosy picture of socialism is appealing to many, it ignores what Hayek called "[[the road to serfdom]]." Though in theory socialism is an idealized, egalitarian form of economics, in practice it means rule by labor bosses who minimize individualism and economic growth in the name of equality and benefits for the working class.

[[Karl Marx]] considered socialism to be a transitory stage between capitalism and communism. In his view, socialism is summed up by the expression: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." A major criticism of socialism is that it infringes individual rights in favor of the populace. In a very real sense, politics in the Western World throughout the 20th century was shaped by the conflict between socialist and capitalist governmental policies.

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Although socialist parties are common in Europe, the leading examples all currently embrace some free enterprise, individual property rights and certain other aspects of capitalism although leading European Socialists are very critical of America. In many European countries, socialism has been changing to [[Social democracy]].

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Although socialist parties are common in Europe, the leading examples all currently embrace some free enterprise, individual property rights and certain other aspects of capitalism, although leading European Socialists are very critical of America. In many European countries, socialism has been changing to [[Social democracy]].

==Quotes on Socialism==

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* "National socialism is the determination to create a [[slave|new man]]. There will no longer exist any individual arbitrary [[free will|will]], nor realms in which the individual belongs to himself. The time of happiness as a private matter is over."

** As quoted in Joachim C. Fest (1974), ''Hitler''. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, p. 533.

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*"I have sympathy for Mr. [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Roosevelt]], because he marches straight toward his objectives over Congress, lobbies and bureaucracy." Hitler went on to note that he was the sole leader in Europe who expressed "understanding of the methods and motives of President Roosevelt."

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* "I have sympathy for Mr. [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Roosevelt]], because he marches straight toward his objectives over Congress, lobbies and bureaucracy." Hitler went on to note that he was the sole leader in Europe who expressed "understanding of the methods and motives of President Roosevelt."

**[http://www.fff.org/freedom/0795a.asp] ''New York Times'' 1934, quoted from John Toland: ''Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography''.

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"In Korea, the Americans have far exceed the Hitlerites!"—by Kim Il-sung<ref>**Kim Il-sung to the [[Swedish]] communist leader [[Frank Baude]] in 1993.</ref>

* "When it comes to the orchestration of terror, Kim Jong-il is a natural born genius."

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**[[Kim Duk Hong]] quoted in ''[[BBC News]]'' (21 July 2003) "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/3065101.stm Inside the mind of Kim Jong-il]"

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** [[Kim Duk Hong]] quoted in ''[[BBC News]]'' (21 July 2003) "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/3065101.stm Inside the mind of Kim Jong-il]"

===Quotes from Pol Pot===

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* "The trouble is with socialism, which resembles a form of [[mental illness]] more than it does a philosophy" -- [[L. Neil Smith]]

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* "Socialists cry "Power to the people", and raise the clenched fist as they say it. We all know what they really mean — [[Nanny state|power over people]], [[Police state|power to the State]]." -- [[Margaret Thatcher]]

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* "Socialists cry " Power to the people", and raise the clenched fist as they say it. We all know what they really mean — [[Nanny state|power over people]], [[Police state|power to the State]]." -- [[Margaret Thatcher]]

* "All socialism involves [[slavery]]" -- [[Herbert Spencer]]

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* "Wonderful system, wrong species"~~—Edward~~ O. Wilson; who believed that collectivism was better suited to an ant than a human.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/homo-consumericus/201101/communismsocialism-great-idea-wrong-species-e-o-wilson Communism/Socialism: “Great Idea. Wrong Species.” (E. O. Wilson)]</ref>

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* "Wonderful system, wrong species" — Edward O. Wilson, who believed that collectivism was better suited to an ant than a human.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/homo-consumericus/201101/communismsocialism-great-idea-wrong-species-e-o-wilson Communism/Socialism: “Great Idea. Wrong Species.” (E. O. Wilson)]</ref>

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* "If one understands that socialism is not a share-the-wealth program, but is in reality a method to ''consolidate'' and ''control'' the wealth, then the seeming paradox of super-rich men promoting socialism becomes no paradox at all."~~—Gary~~ Allen <ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UuKnhw27vUwC&q=%22if+one+understands+that+socialism+is+not+a%22&dq=%22if+one+understands+that+socialism+is+not+a%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBGoVChMI9b6puNfryAIVxSQmCh2CHw7j None Dare Call It Conspiracy], page 33</ref>

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* "If one understands that socialism is not a share-the-wealth program, but is in reality a method to ''consolidate'' and ''control'' the wealth, then the seeming paradox of super-rich men promoting socialism becomes no paradox at all." — Gary Allen <ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UuKnhw27vUwC&q=%22if+one+understands+that+socialism+is+not+a%22&dq=%22if+one+understands+that+socialism+is+not+a%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBGoVChMI9b6puNfryAIVxSQmCh2CHw7j None Dare Call It Conspiracy], page 33</ref>

* "We face a hostile ideology; (Socialism i) global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose and insidous in method. Unhappily the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully there is call for not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of questions but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle with liberty the stake. Only thus shall we remain despite every provocation on our charted course towards permanent peace and human betterment." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address

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==External links==

*[https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/33169-socialism-explained Socialism Explained], by Charles Scaliger of ''The New American''.

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*[http://www.mises.org/etexts/hayekintellectuals.pdf The Intellectuals and Socialism], By F.A. Hayek, ''The University of Chicago Law Review'', (Spring 1949), pp. 417–420, 421-423, 425-433.

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*[http://www.mises.org/etexts/hayekintellectuals.pdf The Intellectuals and Socialism], by F.A. Hayek, ''The University of Chicago Law Review'' (Spring 1949), pp. 417–420, 421-423, 425-433.

*[https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9109587/socialism Socialism] Encyclopædia Britannica.

*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/socialism/ What Liberals Say - Category: Socialism], [[Accuracy In Media]]

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* Busky, Donald F. ''Communism in History and Theory: From Utopian Socialism to the Fall of the Soviet Union'' (2002) [https://www.amazon.com/Communism-History-Theory-Utopian-Socialism/dp/027597748X/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232396722&sr=1-24 excerpt and text search]

* Dougherty, Jude P. "Socialist Man: A Psychological Profile," ''Modern Age'' Volume 46, Number 1-2; Winter/Spring 2004 [http://www.mmisi.org/ma/46_1-2/dougherty.pdf online edition], a conservative critique

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*Laslett, John, ed. ''Failure of a Dream: Essays in the History of American Socialism'' (1984)

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* Laslett, John, ed. ''Failure of a Dream: Essays in the History of American Socialism'' (1984)

* Lindemann, Albert S. ''A History of European Socialism'' (1984)

* Lipset, Seymour Martin, and Gary Marks. ''It Didn't Happen Here: Why Socialism Failed in the United States'' (2001), Lipset was a leading conservative scholar [https://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Happen-Here-Socialism-Failed/dp/0393322548/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232396722&sr=1-21 excerpt and text search]

* Malia, Martin. ''Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia'' (1995) [https://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Tragedy-History-Socialism-Russia/dp/0684823136/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761853&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]

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* Muravchik, Joshua. ''Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism'' (2003) by conservative historian [https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Rise-Fall-Socialism/dp/1893554783/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761601&sr=1-21 excerpt and text search]

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* Muravchik, Joshua. ''Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism'' (2003) by a conservative historian [https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Rise-Fall-Socialism/dp/1893554783/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761601&sr=1-21 excerpt and text search]

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* Novak, Michael. ''Capitalism and Socialism: A Theological Inquiry '' (1988) [https://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Theological-Michael-Novak/dp/0844721549/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761601&sr=1-19 excerpt and text search], by leading conservative scholar

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* Novak, Michael. ''Capitalism and Socialism: A Theological Inquiry'' (1988) [https://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Theological-Michael-Novak/dp/0844721549/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761601&sr=1-19 excerpt and text search], by leading conservative scholar

* Nove, Alec. ''An Economic History of the USSR 1917-1991'' (3rd ed. 1993)

* Pipes, Richard. ''Communism: A History'' (2003), by a leading conservative

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