re: What’s so great about socialism?

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These are communist countries, not socialist. Just FYI.

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This is a very important distinction. While Socialism and Communism are very intertwined and codependent, they are not the same.

SOCIALISM is a Political concept. It involves, to a greater or lesser extent, the Governmental control of society. You can only do what the Government allows you to do, or makes you do. It is an Authoritarian/Despotic form of Government. Hitler hated Communism but loved Socialism.

COMMUNISM is an Economic concept. There is no Personal Property. The Government/Society owns everything and you are allotted what you need. The Government "provides" everything for you "free", but you are not allowed to have or obtain anything on your own. Think of the Communes of the 1960's, also all the Monasteries of Europe of the Middle Ages were all communist (note the small "c", people too often think of the USSR when you say "Communism")

It is hard to have a true Communist country without a strong Socialist government to control the people so that everyone works as hard as they can to provide for the government and the people get only what they need.

You can have a Socialist country that isn't Communist. Think NAZI Germany. You could have private property and have your own business, it was just the the Government told you what you have to manufacture, or what you could charge for it.