I try to stay as close to the centre as possible as I cannot afford to place a 'Lost' ad in the local rag.
"through either revolution or social evolution, with the purpose of building a classless society"
oliveoyl - looks like you will out of a job soon.
Socialism is an ideology that, at its most elemental, is defined by the belief that a society could exist in which individuals control the means of power, and therefore the means of production, and are not subjected to the ownership, control, or power structures of others. In application, however, the de facto meaning of socialism has evolved and branched to a great degree, and though highly politicized, is strongly related to the establishment of an organized working class, created through either revolution or social evolution, with the purpose of building a classless society. It has also, increasingly, become concentrated on social reforms within modern democracies. This concept and the term Socialist also refer to a group of ideologies, an economic system, or a state that exists or has existed. See Definitions of Socialism.
In Marxist theory, it also refers to the society that would succeed capitalism, and in some cases develop further into communism. Marxism and communism are both very specific branches of socialism. The two do not represent socialism as a whole.
