Hello!

[Max]

I joined a while back but never really got too involved. Now, I'm trying to get more involved and want to understand the differences between different types of socialism. Could someone please explain to me the main types of socialism and the similarities and differences between them? thanks

[RedWorker]

Socialism is a term with a thousand meanings, defined differently by a thousand different tendencies. In my opinion, it should simply be avoided.

Socialism as a movement is defined as the movement of the working class, as an economic system it is defined as the management of the means of production by the working class and as an ideology it is defined as any which aims to establish that.

Within the definition of socialism as a movement, we can distinguish between utopian socialism and scientific socialism. Whereas the doctrine of utopian socialism operates within voluntaristic parameters (the notion that something can be "willed in"), does not rely on empirical analysis, relies on invented propositions, and the theory is not distinguished from the personal thoughts of the authors, scientific socialism was coined by Engels in reference to Marxism, which rejects voluntarism, utilizes empirical analysis, relies on the parameters of reality and stands as a developable theory, based on observations and falsification of elements. Marxism is not Marx and Engels' personal beliefs but rather Marxism.

What Marxism clearly establishes is the concepts of capitalism, the dictatorship of the proletariat (DOTP); a democratic society where the working class is in control, and communism. "Socialism", sometimes, is used to mean the DOTP.

Some other times, "socialism" is defined as an economic system or mode of production different from both communism and capitalism. In my opinion, this kind of "socialism" cannot really exist, and most of the time it cannot be discussed, partly because it has no stable definition, and the notion of this kind of "socialism", most of the time forms the basis of sloganeering, populism, and ideological laziness.

According to Lenin (https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/ch05.htm#s3), the "first phase of communist society" can be termed "socialism".

Socialism is sometimes used to mean state capitalism, in use in states such as the Soviet Union.

Several tendencies claim to be "socialist" but are really not. "Democratic socialism" almost exclusively means "politics which are nice to most people".

"Market socialism" claims that there can be some kind of socialism with a market; it's probably just some form of capitalism.

[lenjhon1]

We have clearly seen that capitalism does not work, socialism is the only way.Most societies are socialist in some way already, but there is a lot more that needs to be done.

I joined Revleft to learn more about socialism/communism because there just has to be a change.

[Ritzy Cat]

Most societies are socialist in some way already

I don't think so.