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[[Image:Backrdv12n2.jpg|right|400px|thumb|The [[caption]] reads, "Long live the great undefeatable flag of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin!"  This is Leninism, in the same sense that a bicycle is a fish.]]

[[Image:Backrdv12n2.jpg|right|400px|thumb|The [[caption]] reads, "Long live the great undefeatable flag of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin!"  This is Leninism]]

'''Socialism''' is a system of government, by which the means of production and distribution are regulated for the well-being of the people, not the profit of individuals.  The right to own the means of production(e.g factories) is controlled by the State. There are three main kinds of Socialism, but all of them are built on the premise that social control of the means of production ensures that a community's resources are used in a positive and uplifting manner.  

'''Socialism''' is a system of government, by which the means of production and distribution are regulated for the well-being of the people, not the profit of individuals.  The right to own the means of production(e.g factories) is controlled by the State. There are three main kinds of Socialism, but all of them are built on the premise that social control of the means of production ensures that a community's resources are used in a positive and uplifting manner.  

==Communal Socialism==

==Communal Socialism==

The third form of Socialism has nothing to do with Marx or government ownership, and emphasizes the importance of the community over the individual.  Usually it means small communities sharing most of their possessions. The most famous examples are prehistoric human tribes, early Christian communities, the religious [[Shakers]] of the 19th century (a conservative group), and the new-left communes that briefly existed in the 1960s and 70s.

The third form of Socialism has nothing to do with Marx or government ownership, and emphasizes the importance of the community over the individual.  Usually it means small communities sharing most of their possessions. The most famous examples are the religious [[Shakers]] of the 19th century (a conservative group), and the new-left communes that briefly existed in the 1960s and 70s.

==Controversy==

==Controversy==

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.

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.

State [[pension]]s and unemployment insurance were brought in by Socialists, first being theorized in the 1830's by French Thinkers. 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 the [[New Deal]] in the 1930s which were based on the Presidential Platform of Eugene Debs, a Socialist in the early years of the 2Oth Century.  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, which may have contributed to the Economic Collapse of 2008-2009.

State [[pension]]s and unemployment insurance were not brought in by Socialists--they were first introduced by arch-conservative Chancellor [[Bismark]] 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 the [[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]].

===Religion===

===Religion===

==Other Socialist Countries (Current )==

==Other Socialist Countries (Current )==

===[[Cuba]]===

===[[Cuba]]===

Communist leader [[Fidel Castro]] violently overthrew the Batista Dictatorship with United States aid in the 1950's. Today, Cuba has the highest literacy rate and one of the strongest economies in Latin America. ([[Raul Castro]] now runs the country, having taken it over from his ailing brother Fidel.)

Communist leader [[Fidel Castro]] violently overthrew the Cuban government in the 1950's and has declared Cuba to be Communist since then. Today, Cuba faces copious economic problems and the people lack their Fundamental Rights. ([[Raul Castro]] now runs the country, having taken it over from his ailing brother Fidel.)

===North Korea===

===North Korea===