Comments by "Akira Nakamoto (中本 明)" (@AkiraNakamoto) on "PolyMatter"
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There are TWO canon definitions of SOCIALISM, the one in the English-speaking world, and the other in the non-English-speaking world (originated in Continental Europe, for example, China is always ideologically a follower of Continental Europe).
SOCIALISM in the English-speaking world refers to COLLECTIVISM or GOVERNMENTAL SOCIALISM. Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Socialism = any of various economic and political theories advocating COLLECTIVE or GOVERNMENTAL ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.
Not only the Anglo-American Five-Eyes nations define SOCIALISM in this way. The English-speaking India also uses the term in this way. For example, the "socialist" term in the 1st sentence of India's Constitution refers to GOVERNMENTAL socialism, NOT the Soviet-style socialism.
SOCIALISM in the non-English-speaking world refers to Soviet-style socialism, i.e., a regime led by a Marxist-Leninist party. As mentioned previously, India's Socialism clearly refers to GOVERNMENTAL socialism, NOT the Soviet-style socialism, because India has never been led by a Marxist-Leninist party.
The Soviet-style Socialism is a sub-type of Governmental Socialism, indeed an EXTREME case of Governmental Socialism where the government has a complete control of the politics and economy. In the extreme case of Governmental Socialism, the totalitarian government CAN control anything it wants to control, the reason why there are something "seemingly" not controlled by the government is that the government DOESN'T WANT to control it. If the government wants, anything can be put under government's control. For example, the totalitarian government normally decides WHAT and WHEN a product should be made, but leave the annoying HOW part to the manufacturers because the HOW part is very technical and the government's politicians are NOT interested in technical details. This is exactly what happened in Hitler's Nazi Germany and Deng's "reformed" CCP China. They can control HOW to produce a merchandise if they want to, but they are NOT interested in the annoying HOW.
The English-speaking definition of Socialism makes more sense, thus is the better definition.
A few simple equations may be helpful to illustrate the overall picture based on the English-speaking definition of Socialism.
COMMUNISM = extreme GOVERNMENTAL SOCIALISM (in domestic policy) + pretended INTERNATIONALISM / GLOBALISM (in foreign policy)
FASCISM = extreme GOVERNMENTAL SOCIALISM (in domestic policy) + NATIONALISM (in foreign policy)
Nazism = Fascism + extreme racism
Therefore, Soviet and Mao's China were of communism. Mussolini's Italy and Xi Jinping's China are of Fascism.
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