I didn't want to derail the other thread, but did want to explore this conversation some more. Mike - can you give an example (or examples) of a society, culture or country that has implemented Socialism and been successful with it?
I cannot, because it has never been implemented fully. It has always been "altered" in different ways, leading the system away from socialism, and that has always lead to the downfall of the system.
Can you expand on that? What are some of the most common ways it has been altered and which culture(s) came the closest to implementing it without alteration?
Don't get me started I lost a couple of friends to commune life, they never "recovered" till they got in to their late 40s and 50s
No, it doesn't, because our government system is a federal republic, not Socialism. I'm looking for countries or cultures that implemented Socialism and were successful with it.
Socialism is not a form of government. It is an economic system. The two are often related, but do not have to be. It is entirely possible to have a federal republic system of government, and a socialistic economic system. Our current economic system is (more or less) capitalism. (It is one of my pet peeves when students misuse these words.)
I see why people get confused about that point. There are Socialist political parties in many countries and their candidates work to promote or integrate socialist ideas into their governmental policies. Our economic system is fairly blended. There some aspects of socialism that have snuck in over the years, one of which is free public education. Many of the programs we have established, like welfare, Social Security, etc. are socialist in nature. From what I understand, and I am no economist, in socialism the citizenry will invest/pay for programs without the expectation of a direct financial return on that investment. They exist for the greater good of society. I think socialism is nice in theory, but would never work in reality. Humans still seem to have the animalistic mentality that they are in competition for resources with those around them.
Definition of SOCIALISM 1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods 2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state 3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/socialism
Maybe I read George Orwell and William Golding too much. I would not like to see the amount of Socialism to increase. William Golding is best known for his novel "Lord of the Flies" George Orwell is best known for the books "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and "Animal Farm"
In my research on socialism and communism through out the years I have found that statement in one form or another repeated in almost every source. That is why I dislike socialism.
Getting back to the question, socialism is synonymous with taxation. It just sorta depends on what one might deem excessive (i.e. socialist). Health care and social security are examples... So, if you are asking which countries have been successful with it, there are a lot... But again, it depends on what you define as successful.
