does socialism exist anymore i.e in its pure form?
92917
There is not, nor has there ever been, a purely socialist state.
663976
ugh, i just answered this to find you removed it, here I go again.\n\nActually the word 'socialist' better describes todays 'democrats'.  People can still have liberal ideals without having them freakishly to the left of reality.\n\nLiberals are basically the ones who think a world wide utopia is possible if they 'live and let live'.  They are unable to mentally comprehend the fact that there are others in this world who do not tolerate views different than theirs.  Liberals, for some reason, are hypocritical in most of their thinking.  For instance, since they don't like George W. Bush, they think that a man who gassed to death over 30 thousand of his countries innocent people should be left in power, and defend the lives of people on death row, who were convicted of the most heinous crimes known to man.  Yet liberals for some reason think it is OK for a mother to kill a child.  \n\nLiberals also say it is wrong to discriminate by race/ religion (as do conservatives), but then the liberals turn around and make laws that give benifits to some, and not all, such as 'affirmative action'.  If that is not hypocrocy, what is?\n\nBasically Socialists, Liberals, Democrats, all stand for the same things.  They want to take businesses away from the ones who built them, and give them to the government to run, and give out free stuff to everyone.  What they fail to realize is that over time, the few who are working to support everyone else, will get tired of doing all the work, and the work will gradually decline, thus leading less to distribute.  Eventually we will be sitting in bread lines, waiting for our government rations, because it doesn't matter how hard you work, you will get the same amount of bread as the lazy democrat in line next to you.
709434
Extreme liberalism is on the verge of Socialism...so yes.
862861
I don't see how it could unless its a hypothetical question where reality is ignored.  In todays world look at all the countrys where there is Communism-Cuba,North Korea ,Vietnam, Russia, China and economically from the ones I mentioned only one is doing well-that being China. Cuba , North Korea and Russia have a very high Unemployment rate,  in North Korea there is widespread famine among the people while the leader enjoys shark fin soup and has his every whim fulfilled, in Russia  crime is out of bounds with the Mafia having a firm grasp.  Compare these countrie to the ones that have a socialistic type of Goverment - Germany, in fact most of the European Countries and although life is not perfect evryone makes do-unemployment is at a  acceptable levels  and all the peole lead  satisfying lives with ,because it is socialistic,all having access to healthcare. Socialism simply means that the people financially support their country by taxes and also reap the benfits.  Considering the ridiculou high cost of medical care in this country socialized medicine is one of the options being considered to solve this crisi.  Communism in theory-all share equally- is good but has never worked on a larage ascale for in very country that its been put in place the people in power soon get corrupted simply because all the power is theirs and the people are put secondary to their wants.  Socialism is where  the goverment works on the same basias democracy-people vote into power those they wish to govern but there are more laws that govern their everyday lives and there are more benefits like healthcare available to  all comparable to PPO's but private insurance is also available for those who wish it.  Goverment does influence more the daily lives but freedoms are still   comparable as those in a  democracy.
236397
It is the only way to ensure equal economic opportunity.  All other systems try to make equallity of outcome, which is impossible.  Even at it's best socialism and communism stifles innovation and opportunity.
681288
Once upon a time someone "languaged" the term/ideal socialist into a bad thing and so it has remained. The reality, though, is that some level of socialism needs to be a part of any government if that government is by, for, and of the people. Social programs need to exist. There will always be the lesser, the one forgotten and unable to help themselves, within any group. And that person defines the compassion of the entire group! How we treat them is an indication of who we are. Social programs, and socialism is the group way to care for the ones who fall through the cracks.
910242
My understanding (from my college days), is that communism is a political system, and socialism is an economic system.\n\nSo socialism contrasts with capitalism.\n\nOnly those of us on the very far left in the US are socialists; most democrats and liberals are not -- though some believe in SOME socialism (such as Social Security and welfare for the poor, medicare, and other things).\n\nCompared to civilized countries, we don't really have much of a left here.\n\nWell, I guess the progressives are fairly left, and that's a growing group.\n\nBut most Americans, including liberals and democrats, are capitalists, with liberals and dems having slight socialist leanings.\n\nNo democrats or liberals are communist, as far as I know.\n\nThere is a communist party in the US, but it's tiny.
575623
Yes. A lot of people fail to make this distinction, but socialism is a type of economy, whereas democracy is a type of government.\n\nFrance and Mexico both have Republican democracies, both very similar to the U.S.'s form of government.
165304
Share w them what u have learnt. \n\nTell them communism is utopian.\n\nTell them socialism is somewhere between communism and capitalism. It promotes REAL democracy, save the environment, doesn't need people to work like a dog... etc./
338760
Absolutely nothing. Socialism theoritically sounds great. In practice, no one is so altruistic to believe in socialism. In fact socialism has caused severe damage to people than Capitalism. At least in capitalism the best make it somewhere on the top or just above the middle or at least above poverty level. Socialism in the long run creates poverty, no jobs, spoilt education, lopsided views and revolutionary ideas that might lead to terrorist activities. Socialism must be shunned like communalism and terrorism. It has been proved to be a failure and I do not know why there is so much of talk about it. If socialism has to succeed, we need humans like Gods. By the way, have you heard of Dachas?? They were part of a socialistic government and leaders of politburo used it. So much for socialism.
13845
Socialism is an ideology with the core belief that society should exist in which popular collectives control the means of power, and therefore the means of production.\n\nNational Socialism refers to the 'beleifs' of the nazi party. Socialism was added to the end of nationalist party to make it sound more appealing to voters in the days of the Weimar republic, Germany.
154640
Communism is extreme socialism. Marx's idea was to conquer the world for the deserving people (the workers).  This was a truly terrifying prospect for anyone with any brains and gave rise to the fascist alternative socialist system, which was national rather than international.  This system worked miraculously well in Italy and Germany, while the pure Marxist system seems to have been a bust everywhere.\nIn China the Communist Party has realised this and specifically and unequivocally announced that it will pursue a policy of "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics".   In a big country like China, where not everyone is Han Chinese, this can only be expressed as National Socialism.   Does anyone have the cheek to argue with me?
847791
Ok my theory on this is two things:\n1. Lack of education on the true meaning of both.\n2. A purpose-full intent to redefine communism as socialism because a lot of liberals are called socialist.
199777
they are socialist democratic. it looks like capitalism has the best of them nowadays
440233
Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. This control may be either direct, exercised through popular collectives such as workers' councils, or it may be indirect, exercised through a State. In the latter case, the issue of who controls the state is crucial. A primary concern of socialism (and, according to some, its defining feature) is social equality and an equitable distribution of wealth that would serve the interests of society as a whole.[1][2]\n\nHistorically, the ideology of socialism arose with the rise of organized labor, and the socialist political movement has found most of its support among the urban working class and, to a lesser extent, the peasantry. This has led to socialism being strongly associated with the working class and often identifying itself with the interests of workers and the "common people". In many parts of the world, the two are still strongly associated with one another; in other parts, they have become two distinct movements.\n\nPure socialists hold that capitalism is an illegitimate economic system that serves the interests of the wealthy and exploits the majority of the population. As such, they wish to replace it completely or at least make substantial modifications to it, in order to create a more just society that would reward hard work, guarantee a certain basic standard of living, and extend economic and cultural opportunities to all.[3]\n\nSocialist theory is diverse, and there is no single body of thought that is universally shared by all socialists. Rather, different socialist ideologies have arrived at similar conclusions by different paths. There are some common themes, however. One such theme is the idea that humans are inherently social beings that require social interaction and the companionship of others in order to survive and develop both physically and mentally[4]. Individuals cannot maintain their humanity if they are separated from the rest of society for too long. Thus, socialists believe that the individual and society are inseparable, and they reject individualistic schools of thought which assert that society is the voluntary creation of individuals who chose to interact with each other.[5]\n\nMarxism is an ideology which has had a powerful influence on socialist thought. For over 50 years, from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to the 1970s, the majority of socialists were Marxists of one kind or another. This has not been the case for several decades, but Marxist ideas - particularly notions of class struggle - are common themes across a broad range of modern socialist groups. Marxism itself continues to be a strong current in the broader socialist movement.\n\nMany Marxists, past and present, use the term socialism to refer to the form of society that is supposed to replace capitalism and later develop into communism.\n\nWithin the socialist movement, there are several different ideas on how to create a socialist society and economic system, and what form this society will take. As a result, the movement has split into several different and sometimes opposing branches, which are discussed further below.
877174
post office, public hospital, public transportation, public school, fire station\n\nThese institutions do not have to do much with socialism itself, but I guess this was your question.
1011418
Of course democracy exists. What's your solution, eh? Redistributing the wealth so there isn't a wealthy minority? Yeah, that's communism.