The Definitions

My children are always telling me that definitions matter – you can't talk about something accurately if you don't know what you're talking about. They're debaters; what can I say.

There are many terms that are bantered about – often by people that don't know their meanings. These people morph the word to fit their own definition, and try to use that new definition to try to control the discussion. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Or at least it shouldn't. So, just for the record – here are the correct definitions for some commonly misused words. The following definitions are a conglomerate of three sources: Miriam Webster, Answers.com, Dictionary.com.

Marxism: An ideology and socioeconomic theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrech Engles. The fundamental doctrine holds that all people are entitled to enjoy the fruits of their labor but are prevented from doing it, and actually are exploited, by a ruling/dominant class. Marxists believe that a capitalist economic system divides society into two classes: nonowning workers and nonworking owners. The failures of European revolutions in the 19th Century let to adaptions on Marxist theory, including Leninism and Maoism. The Marxist doctrine contends that the capitalist system contains the seeds of its own decay and will inevitably, after the period of the dictatorship of the proletariat, become a classless, socialist society. 
Fascism: A political philosophy that exalts the nation and race above the individual, often in a belligerent manner. A fascist government has centralized authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, as well as the regimentation of all industry, commerce, etc. Mussolini established a fascist government in Italy, 1922 – 43.
Socialism: A theory or system of social and economic organization that advocates for collective or governmental ownership and control of the means of production and distribution. In Marxist-Leninist theory, socialism is the intermediate step between capitalism and communism.

Because Socialism is so desired by many people in our country and around the world and so feared and hated by others, it makes sense to delve into socialism a little further.

There are three main types of socialism:  Leninism, Democratic Socialism, and Communal Socialism.

Leninist socialism is Marxist socialism revised. It is totalitarian. All decisions are made by the leaders of the Communist party; there is no democracy.

Communal socialism emphasizes the importance of the community over the individual. It is usually found in small communities that share most of their belongings. The Shakers are a famous example of a voluntary and temporarily successful communal society in the mid 19th Century. They have all but died out today. The early church Christians are often lumped into this category. There are several problems with equating the early Christian church with socialism, but that's a future blog post.

Democratic socialism is practiced in many countries today. It's goal is for the government to control major industries and banking. Small business remain private. The idea is that labor unions control the government and therefore unions control the working conditions and wages of the worker. The conservative complaint against democratic socialists is that they use governmental power to redistribute wealth. The key elements include the creation of a welfare state. Democratic socialism calls for redistribution of wealth through taxation of private wealth coupled with welfare state spending. The nationalization of major industries is a device to allow unionized workers to control their own wages and working conditions.