How do you define success in this context?

That’s a good question. I would say “success” based upon the opinion of the person who is answering my question.

There never was a country where the means of production and distribution were actually owned and administrated by the workers.

No socialist country I’ve ever visited was what I would consider free or economically successful based on my personal definitions, coming from my experience in North America and western Europe.

At best, I’ve seen socialism as transitional period between dire, universal poverty and a Social Democracy as seen in some Latin American countries.

At worst, it is a black and white world where people shuffle around like prisoners in a prison yard, hopeless, apathetic and beaten by an authoritarian government—except for that 10% or so who are priviledged members of the Communist Party, like I saw in the East Bloc nations.

@Rarebear “That’s a good question. I would say “success” based upon the opinion of the person who is answering my question”

In that case, I’m not sure that any country, under any system, has ever been successful.

There aren’t any

It’s the same list as successful libertarian countries.

What about all the Scandinavian countries? I’d call them socialist democracies and successful.

@janbb

Thread starter already effectively ruled them out with his opening post.

@janbb, Those countries are far from Socialist. The East Bloc and Soviet Union were attempts at Socialism. Cuba is an attempt at Socialism. The Scandinavian countries practice Social Democracy—aka socially responsible Capitalism—to the extreme annoyance of the Socialist Parties within them.

There is a very significant difference.

Socialism is not one thing. The Scandinavian countries practice socialism. The Soviet Union practiced socialism.

The Scandinavians are doing well.

The Soviet failure obviously (to normal people) does not prove that socialism is a failure.

^^I beg to differ, Mr. Typical American.

Socialism is a government in which the means of planning, producing and distributing goods is controlled by a central government that theoretically seeks a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor; in actuality, most socialist governments have ended up being no more than dictatorships over workers by a ruling elite.

Social Democracy is a political, social and economic ideology that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a capitalist economy, as well as a policy regime involving a commitment to representative democracy, measures for income redistribution, and regulation of the economy in the general interest and welfare state provisions. Social democracy thus aims to create the conditions for capitalism to lead to greater democratic, egalitarian and solidaristic outcomes; and is often associated with the set of socioeconomic policies that became prominent in Northern and Western Europe—particularly the Nordic model in the Nordic countries—during the latter half of the 20th century.

When Americans can get over their paranoia for anything with the root word “Social” in it, they may begin to understand the rest of the world.

But I understand—you were raised in American schools, spoon fed your understanding of the various forms of government by American Media all your life and, if you have ever traveled abroad at all, your endemic prejudices prevented you from seeing the differences.

@Espiritus_Corvus

That’s a rather condescending response from someone with, evidently, a rather limited understanding of socialism. And, in fact, your narrow take on the word sounds much more like the kind of paranoia you’re accusing @Call_Me_Jay of than anything he’s posted.

“Mr. Typical American”

OK, Superior Wise Person. Gee, you really nailed me and my hatred of anything “social”.

Wow, I really have to stop my slavish subservience to conservative ideals fed to me by “American Media”.

Eyeroll.

P.S.
Learn appropriate capitalization. You come off as very uneducated.

Yes. I am talking about true socialist governments not social democracies that use capitalism as the engine of their economy.

@Rarebear Precisely.

@Call_Me_Jay Nothing personal. Just an observation. And a pretty accurate estimation of Americans from abroad.

@Darth_Algar Condescending, perhaps, I admit to being an overbearing snob. Especially when it comes to willfull ignorance whether coming from the center, left, or the right.

Successful? That’s the wiggle. Trump’s government is successful cause——-I’M doin ok.

@Espiritus_Corvus “Especially when it comes to willfull ignorance whether coming from the center, left, or the right.”

Except the willful ignorance here is on your end.

Has anyone examples of “true socialist governments” successful or otherwise?

@Darth_Algar LOL. Touchy today, aren’t we?

You know what they say would happen if the Sahara Desert began following strict Marxist Leninist principles. For the first thirty years nothing would happen and then there would be a shortage of sand.