: : Oz, Where has socialism succeeded?: When has socialism been implemented properly? Not in the Soviet Union, that was for sure. When over 30% of you GDP goes towards military spending, your country can't last long no matter what system you're under. That and when you're just one socialist country in a sea of capitalism... the conditions weren't exactly fair the last time we truly tried.
Well, the US spends close to that on it's defence, and it's doing OK (I guess). The real problem, as pointed out above, was the fact that the cards were stacked against the USSR from the beginning. If more than half the world engaged in unfair trading practices with the US or any other capitalist nation, that nation would go bankrupt in the same matter as the USSR did. In fact, it's amazing China hasn't followed that path, either. Really, capitalism and socialism can never coexist, the problem of trade deficits has no resolution. All things being equal, a capitalist system will always "triumph" over a socialist system. Not because of some inherent weakness in socialism, but because capitalists are willing to exploit their fellow man to get ahead. This and the fact that USSR government was inept doomed them to failure.
BTW: I take back that thing about China. Sure, no coup has taken place, but they are becoming capitalist just like Russia. It isn't amazing they haven't turned, because they have.
None.
