Socialism

= Socialism =

What Socialism is according to Christine Barbour and Gerals C. Wright in the book //Keeping the Republic//:

"In a socialist economy like that of the former Soviet Union (based loosely on the ideas of German economist Karl Marx), economic decisions are made not by individuals through the market but rather by politicians, based on their judgement of what society needs. Instead of allowing the market to determine the proper distribution of material resources, politicians decide what the distribution ought to be and then create economic policy to bring about that outcome. In other words, they emphasize not procedural guarantees of fair rules and process, but rather substantive guarantees of what they beleive to be fair outcomes."

//A Socialist Labor Party Statement//
In a Socialist government, the citizens collectively own and operate the industries and social services run through an economic democracy. This doesn't mean that they "collectively own" cars, homes, or any other personal belongings, but rather the things needed to build homes, produce cars, and make all of the other things we might want or need. Workers who operate the industries and services would collectively own and democratically manage them, and in each factory and workplace, the rank and file would elect their own immidiate supervisors and management committees. In a socialist society, the people would have full and free access to the means of wealth production and distribution because they own the factories and means of production.

Current list of socialist countries:
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png height="15"]] People's Republic of China - (//Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó//)
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/22px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png height="11"]] Cuba - Republic of Cuba (//República de Cuba//)
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Laos.svg/22px-Flag_of_Laos.svg.png height="15"]] Laos - Lao People's Democratic Republic.
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Flag_of_North_Korea.svg/22px-Flag_of_North_Korea.svg.png height="11"]] North Korea - Democratic People's Republic of Korea
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/22px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png height="15"]] Vietnam - Socialist Republic of Vietnam

These are countries whose constitutions make references to socialism, but do not subscribe to Marxist-Leninist ideology:
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/22px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png height="13"]] Bangladesh - People's Republic of Bangladesh
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Flag_of_Myanmar.svg/22px-Flag_of_Myanmar.svg.png height="12"]] Burma- Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/22px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png height="15"]] Egypt - Arab Republic of Egypt (Gumhūriyyet Maṣr el-ʿArabiyyah)
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/22px-Flag_of_India.svg.png height="15"]] India - Republic of India
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Libya.svg/22px-Flag_of_Libya.svg.png height="11"]] Libya - Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (//Al-Jamāhīriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Lībiyyah aš-Šaʿbiyyah al-Ištirākiyyah al-ʿUẓmā//)
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/22px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png height="15"]] Portugal - Portuguese Republic (//República Portuguesa//)
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/22px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png height="11"]] Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Flag_of_Syria.svg/22px-Flag_of_Syria.svg.png height="15"]] Syria - Syrian Arab Republic (//Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah as-Sūriyyah//)
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Tanzania.svg/22px-Flag_of_Tanzania.svg.png height="15"]] Tanzania - United Republic of Tanzania