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Originally Posted by Marie Monday
Except those European countries are still the most socialist countries we have. And the socialist aspects work, but these countries are far from ideal and capitalism certainly has a big role in that. Countries like Russia or China or all the other countries that have been used as 'socialism bad' examples were never truly socialist, and also consider the difference between socialism and communism.
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Yes, all true, Marie. I'm embarrassed about how bad I am at using political labels correctly, so went back to a short definition:-
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Socialism is, broadly speaking, a political and economic system in which property and the means of production are owned in common, typically controlled by the state or government. Socialism is based on the idea that common or public ownership of resources and means of production leads to a more equal society.
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So European countries typically have capitalist economies with socialist elements - most noticably in healthcare, education and a handful of state industries. That sounds about right, doesn't it?
At the same time, confusing the issue, right-wing politicians in the USA seem to use the term "socialism" as if it were as threatening as the old Reds-Under-The-Beds Communism, which it clearly is not.