Which Countries Are Actually Socialist?

Discussion in 'Socialism' started by Motion, Jun 28, 2011.

  1. Gedio

    Gedio Member

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    The majority are a mix of the bad parts of capitalism and socialism. Corporatism basically.
     
  2. MellowViper

    MellowViper Member

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  3. River 1509

    River 1509 Member

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    Vietnam is true socialist country. It has one political party of Marxism-Leninism.
     
  4. Existensile

    Existensile Member

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    From your link: "It's impossible to create socialism in one country, surrounded by a world capitalist market."

    In fact, the Bolsheviks of 1917 fully expected socialist revolutions thruout Europe: when they failed to materialize, Russia had to go to work quickly creating a socialist paradise, which (@least by 1928) degenerated into hierarchies of privileged & workers (& strata of workers: wage differentials, etc.).

    I'm no admirer of the late Abbie Hoffman, but what's attributed to him I think holds true: socialism for the rich; capitalism for the poor. He was talking about the US of A, which still has socialism for the rich. State capitalism would be closer to fact: gov. subsidy for private gain.
     
  5. Psychedelic Nature

    Psychedelic Nature Member

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    if you would read some books on marxs,engeljs or any other great philosophers you will know that nor communistic or socialistic countries never existed.
     
  6. Lacabj

    Lacabj Member

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    I agree with SOL. No one know..s
     
  7. ThisIsWhyYoureWrong

    ThisIsWhyYoureWrong Member

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    Socialism collapsed in the early 20th century. All experiments with it failed miserably. No modern country (that I know of) is currently trying with all out socialism. After world war II, socialism became a dirty word, and rightly so. Although, it seems we've forgotten this valuable lesson that history has taught us. Most developed countries are moving inadvertently towards a more centralized socialist state. Today, you can typically tell how prosperous and free a country is, based on how infected it is with socialist policies. Greece is a perfect example!

    http://www.libertariantee.com
     
  8. scratcho

    scratcho Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    And what valuable lesson has capitalism taught us??
     
  9. scratcho

    scratcho Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    Well??
     
  10. ThisIsWhyYoureWrong

    ThisIsWhyYoureWrong Member

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    Capitalism, or markets, has given us the greatest increase in standards of living, as well as technological advancement in human history. If you want to derive a lesson from capitalism, I suppose it could be that central planning is a joke, and the best societal arrangement is one in which each individual pursues his or her own interests. This is the best system simply because it is the one that most aligns with human nature.

    http://www.libertariantee.com
     
  11. scratcho

    scratcho Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    Individualism kind of like the wild west,you mean? Human nature as manifested in a capitalist system(at least this one) has served most of us here pretty well. I was born into it and I've been voluntarily poor and conversly had a buncha' money at various times. Where capitalism fails/is failing is that a certain segment of "those who make the rules" have been and -are- showing what can happen when that segment and their benefactors lose all self control and in the quest for ever more and more and MORE "riches",the whole world economy goes to shit. Not so much for them . I understand the allure of acquiring vast "riches" (and I put riches in parenthesis because I'm not sure the chase and acquisition of such makes for a rich and happy life), but as long as the main thrust of the "top" of our so-called leaders(and those benefactors) is to take unlimited amounts of our tax money to wage war,overthrow governments when they see fit and generally act like we work for them, then capitalism shows a very bad face. What bugs me is the fact,among others,that 25,000 to 30,000 children die every day on this earth from starvation,torture and murder. Not to mention the adults. Therefore,I conclude that get,take it and fuck the consequences and everyone that can't "make it" is on their own,is not working. Except for some. Imagine what could happen(within our capitalist society) if most everyone that wanted a job could get a good paying one. Imagine no wars with the concommitant horrendous outlay of money that goes to wage them. What would have happened if the bailouts had gone to the citizens,instead of the very cocksuckers that threw the world into near chaos. Might as well imagine my aunt with balls-she'd then be my uncle. I'm rambling. Anyway,everyone taking what they can get and acting like we're not all in this together is what we have now worldwide. There will be some BIG changes in the future. Anyone that would like to take the metaphorical road that humanity is on now to its extreme,can see it's a one way road to chaos and destruction.

    Just remember-BUY MORE--BUY MORE NOW!! Yeah,that'll help.
     
  12. ThisIsWhyYoureWrong

    ThisIsWhyYoureWrong Member

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    I like what you said, and I think our world grievances are more or less align. However I think your misplacing the blame. Capitalism is simply a way of organizing economic activity. More specifically involving private property, and the voluntary exchange of goods and services for the mutual benefit of both parties. All of the blame for e issues you stated have nothing to do with the capitalist system, but with (as you said) "the people who make the rules".. Governments don't acquire their resources via voluntary exchanges, but through force. They act like sort of a leach on capitalism, instead of a part of it. The way our system is set up, wealth owners, weather they be big businesses, interest groups, or whatever, are able to use the government's compulsory monopoly on force, in order to carry out their private interests, which in turn give them unfair advantages in the market place. The huge ogligopolies and monopolies u see today are a direct result of companies abilities to lobby for special privileges via regulations and laws that limit entry, and restrict competition. In the case of war, it's almost always sold to the public as some kind of huge national security threat, when typically that's never the case. Capitalism isn't to fault for these issues, people will always do whats in their best interests, regardless of the system that is set up. Its human nature. That is precisely why political systems that demand people act for the good of the collective have always ended in poverty and ruin. The state, or the government, is the enemy. Countries that have the least amount of government intervention into the economy and people's lives, are always the most prosperous. So the less government, the less taxes, the less pointless wars, the less starvation, etc. Im not saying a free capitalist system would be perfect, or would solve all humanities problems. There is no such thing as a perfect society, because people aren't perfect. but, capitalism has shown throughout history to be the best and most efficient way to allocate our scarce resources. Your qualms with bad government policy are extremely valid, but separate. In fact, Id even go as far as saying government policy, by definition, is bad
     
  13. lindascrogg51

    lindascrogg51 Guest

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    • China
    • Denmark
    • Finland
    • Netherlands
    • Canada
    • Sweden
    • Norway
    • Ireland
    • New Zealand
    • Belgium
     
  14. Mr.Writer

    Mr.Writer Senior Member

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    Every single country on earth runs on a mixed capitalist-socialist system.
     
    1 person likes this.
  15. Eon

    Eon Member

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    up with green handles.
     
  16. Motion

    Motion Senior Member

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  17. Eon

    Eon Member

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    One post wonder dropped in to invent a list of some kind.
     
  18. N.L.Baron

    N.L.Baron Member

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    Out of this list, only China ia a true socialist state but they are more capitalist now than they were a few decades ago.
    Besides China, I believe that the following are still socialist:
    Syria
    Zimbabwe
    Cuba
    Viet Nam
    Laos
    Venezuela
     
  19. Coleco

    Coleco Member

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    OK.. Lets get to the very basics:

    Capitalism: Free enterprise, meaning the wood I chop, the fish I catch, the deer I hunt is MINE and im free to do with these resources as I please, and if you want some of it, im either going to be nice and give it to you, or your going to find some way to get it on your own.
    Socialism: If I chop a bunch of wood, collect a bunch of fish and deer meat, I am obligated by some kind of "big brother" to share and distribute it a bit for the good of our "community".

    All countries pretty much use both of these concepts to run their country to some extent, wether you like it or not. Some places are more socialist, some are more capitalist. And the extent to wether a country is more capitalist or more socialist is either a result of the bickering and negotiating between the citizens, or the result of a dictator taking over. Thats the cruel hard world for ya.
     
  20. Anaximenes

    Anaximenes Senior Member

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    What about Bolivia just for moderation?:sunny:
     

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