Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Argument (logic)

2010-01-09T18:15:21Z

AaronAdamicz:

In logic, an '''argument''' is a a reason given in proof or rebuttal. It consists of one or more meaningful premises along with a meaningful conclusion.

For example, the following is an argument:

* Premise 1. All Greeks are human.
* Premise 2. All humans are mortal.
* Conclusion. All Greeks are mortal.

An argument should not be confused with a statement. To create an argument, the person making the claims must offer further statements which, at least in theory, support the claims. If the claim is supported, the argument is successful; if the claim is not supported, the argument fails.

[[Category: Logic]]

Argument (logic)

2010-01-09T18:12:28Z

AaronAdamicz:

In logic, an '''argument''' is a a reason given in proof or rebuttal. It consists of one or more meaningful premises along with meaningful conclusion.

For example, the following is an argument:

* Premise 1. All Greeks are human.
* Premise 2. All humans are mortal.
* Conclusion. All Greeks are mortal.

An argument should not be confused with a statement. To create an argument, the person making the claims must offer further statements which, at least in theory, support the claims. If the claim is supported, the argument is successful; if the claim is not supported, the argument fails.

[[Category: Logic]]

Argument (logic)

2010-01-09T18:08:13Z

AaronAdamicz: Created page with 'In logic, an '''argument''' is a a reason given in proof or rebuttal. It consists of one or more meaningful premises along with meaningful conclusion. Category: Logic'

In logic, an '''argument''' is a a reason given in proof or rebuttal. It consists of one or more meaningful premises along with meaningful conclusion.

[[Category: Logic]]

Nobel Prize

2009-12-25T21:50:44Z

AaronAdamicz:

[[Image:Nobel Jorn 111207.jpg|right]]
The '''Nobel Prize''' is an often-politicized award that is criticized for increasing evidence of bias and possibly even corruption. It has been ostensibly given for achievements in [[physics]], [[chemistry]], [[medicine]] or [[physiology]], [[literature]], and [[peace]]. Named in honor of [[Alfred Nobel]], the first prize was granted in 1901. He would state, ''"To the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses."'' <ref>[http://nobelpeaceprize.org/en_GB/alfred-nobel/testament/ Alfred Nobel's Will | Nobels fredspris, Nobelpeaceprize.org]</ref> The award for [[economics]], the "Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel," was added in 1969 and is sometimes called a Nobel Prize.<ref name="NobelHistory">The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobelfoundation/history/lemmel/index.html History]</ref>

As an unwritten rule, the award is not given to a [[conservative]] (such as [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Pope John Paul II]] or [[Mother Teresa]]<ref>http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/press.html</ref>) or scientists advocating intelligent design, and it is not given to anyone who challenges the scientific establishment on the issues of the [[theory of evolution]] or [[theory of relativity]], such as standouts Raymond Damadian, [[Fred Hoyle]] and [[Robert Dicke]].

The award has repeatedly been granted in way to insult a disfavored scientist by honoring a less deserving person for the same achievement. The insult is enhanced by giving the typically three-person shared award to only two recipients, creating an embarrassing omission for the third, as in the case of the awards that should have gone to Fred Hoyle and Raymond Damadian.

Frequently the award is given as a reward to a liberal politician or diplomat, such as [[Al Gore]], given at a time to possibly boost his chances for becoming president. Most recently the award has been the subject of an investigation for corruption.

==Nomination and Selection==
To nominate somebody for a Nobel Prize, the nominating party must meet the requirements outlined for the specific category or has to be invited.<ref name="NobelNomination">The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nomination/nomination_facts.html Nomination Facts]</ref>

The Nobel Prizes are represented externally by the Nobel Foundation, a private institution entrusted with protecting the common interests of the Prize Awarding Institutions. However, the Nobel Foundation is not involved with the selection process itself. The Prize-Awarding Institutes are independent of government agencies and the Nobel Foundation itself.<ref name="NobelHistory"/> The multiple Prize-Awarding Institutes are all located in [[Scandinavia]], the homeland of Alfred Nobel (a larger country at the time of prizes' founding, but which has since split).

== Bias Against Conservative and Nationalist Achievers ==

=== [[Ronald Reagan]] ===

[[Ronald Reagan]] is widely credited for causing the peaceful elimination of short-range nuclear weapons in Europe, for demanding the destructions of the [[Berlin Wall]], and for the end of communist control over Eastern Europe. He stood for freedom at every opportunity. He lived for more than a decade after his achievement, yet the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] was repeatedly given to liberal figures who accomplished far less, including even the person Reagan defeated, [[Jimmy Carter]].

=== [[Pope John Paul II]] ===

Frequently the Nobel Peace Prize is given to non-Christian or liberal Christian religious leaders, but it refused to honor [[Pope John Paul II]] for his pivotal role in liberating his native [[Poland]] from [[communist]] control.

=== [[Edward Teller]] ===

Edward Teller was a brilliant physicist who became hated by [[liberals]] for developing the [[hydrogen bomb]], for not supporting a security clearance for the [[leftist]] [[icon]] and communist fellow traveler [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]], and advocating a strong defense against [[communism]]. Teller won numerous prestigious scientific awards, but was denied the Nobel Prize and many felt it was for political reasons:<ref>http://www.stanfordu.edu/dept/news/news/2003/september24/tellerobit-924.html</ref>

:He blamed politics and the fact he was known as the "father of the hydrogen bomb." His protégé, Lowell Wood at Livermore, said that if it were not for the bomb "chances are two to three he'd get the Nobel Prize. He's commented to me that if he reared up on his hind legs and denounced the U.S. government, he'd be a good candidate."

=== [[Mahatma Gandhi]] ===
[[Mahatma Gandhi]] was a nationalist opposed to international law and a form of globalism, which the people controlling the Nobel Prize oppose. Gandhi was nominated 12 times for the Nobel Peace Prize but never granted it.<ref name="NobelNomination"/> The Nobel Foundation has an information page detailing his nominations and the potential reasons for his lack of success.<ref>The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/articles/gandhi/index.html Mahatma Gandhi, the Missing Laureate]</ref> Among other things, these statements can be found on the page:
{{QuoteBox|The omission has been publicly regretted by later members of the Nobel Committee; when the [[Dalai Lama]] was awarded the Peace Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi".}}
{{QuoteBox|Up to 1960, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded almost exclusively to Europeans and Americans. In retrospect, the horizon of the Norwegian Nobel Committee may seem too narrow. Gandhi was very different from earlier Laureates. He was no real politician or proponent of international law, not primarily a humanitarian relief worker and not an organiser of international peace congresses. He would have belonged to a new breed of Laureates.}}

== Bias Against Scientists Who Criticize [[Liberal]] Theories ==

===Raymond Damadian===

Raymond Damadian developed [[magnetic resonance imaging]] (MRI), a phenomenal medical innovation deserving of a Nobel Prize. But Damadian is reportedly a [[Young Earth Creationist]], and the Nobel committee never recognizes the achievements of someone who criticizes the theories of evolution and an old earth. Accordingly, the Nobel committee insulted Damadian by passing him over and giving the the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003 to Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield "for their discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging".<ref>The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2003/index.html The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2003]</ref><ref>Creation on the Web: [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/978/ Super-scientist slams society’s spiritual sickness!]</ref>

Damadian, who had outlined the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to detect tumors in 1971, protested against his omission from the Prize and said that his "life's work has been stricken." He then took out full-page ads in several newspapers, describing his omission as a "shameful wrong". The first wave of ads appeared in [[The Washington Post]], the [[Los Angeles Times]], Dagens Nyheter (daily newspaper in Stockholm), and [[The New York Times]].<ref>The Chronicle: [http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i11/11a01401.htm Prize Fight]</ref>

=== Fred Hoyle ===

The foremost [[British]] scientist of the 20th century, [[Fred Hoyle]], was inexplicably passed over for a Nobel Prize. It was awarded to William Alfred Fowler (with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar) for "for his theoretical and experimental studies of the nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe"<ref>http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1983/index.html</ref>. Fowler had done much of his work under the direction and leadership of Hoyle, and it was in fact the apparent 'fine-tuning' of the physical constants involved that had led to Hoyle abandoning his original atheistic viewpoint<ref>Fred Hoyle, "The Universe: Past and Present Reflections." Engineering and Science, November, 1981. pp. 8–12</ref>. The prize was awarded at a time when Fred Hoyle was embarrassing [[evolutionists]] by exposing the [[archaeopteryx]] at the British Museum of History as a fraud.<ref>http://www.cf.ac.uk/maths/wickramasinghe/hoyle.html</ref> The slight of Hoyle seemed to be a punishment for his criticism of the [[theory of evolution]], which he rejected later in his career<ref>Hoyle, Fred, Evolution from Space, Omni Lecture, Royal Institution, London, 12 January 1982; Evolution from Space (1982) pp. 27–28 ISBN 0894900838; Evolution from Space: A Theory of Cosmic Creationism (1984) ISBN 0671492632</ref>, having been indoctrinated as an [[atheist]] earlier in his life.

=== Robert Dicke ===

Perhaps the foremost American physicist of the 20th century, [[Robert Dicke]] of Princeton University was a prominent critic<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943324,00.html</ref> of the theory of relativity. Dicke supported an alternative theory that had "enjoyed a renaissance in connection with theories of higher dimensional space-time."<ref>"Initially a popular alternative to General Relativity, the Brans-Dicke theory lost favor as it became clear that omega must be very large-an artificial requirement in some views. Nevertheless, the theory has remained a paradigm for the introduction of scalar fields into gravitational theory, and as such has enjoyed a renaissance in connection with theories of higher dimensional space-time."[http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Glossary/Essay_bekenstein.html]</ref>

But despite being one of the most accomplished physicists having numerous contributions, Dicke was repeatedly passed over for the Nobel Prize. In one egregious case, the prediction and discovery of [[cosmic microwave radiation|cosmic background radiation]] from the [[Big Bang]], the prize was embarrassingly given to less deserving scientists. The Nobel Prize committee has often given the award in this manner as away of punishing someone more deserving for criticizing a theory preferred by the committee.

== Biased Awards ==

Equally there have been several instances where prizes were awarded to those whom many felt did not deserve the honor. Controversy in this regard has been especially acute in the award of the Peace Prize. When [[Henry Kissinger]] was awarded the prize in 1973 the American satirist, [[Tom Lehrer]], observed that this had rendered political satire 'obsolete'. Many were outraged by the award to [[Yasir Arafat]] in 1994, who was reportedly associated with the Munich massacre of Jewish athletes in 1972.<ref>http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YzUyZjg1MTY2NjgxOTQ5Zjg2OWIwOTNjMTQxY2U4MTk=</ref> Further politicization of the award occurred in 2007 when [[Al Gore]] was given the peace prize for promoting the dubious theory of man-made [[Global Warming]], a political agenda that has no clear connection with "peace".

Bias is facilitated by the haste in awarding The Peace Prize, which in Gore's case seemed to be timed to boost a potential presidential campaign. The Peace Prize has often been awarded only a year or so after the political events that have merited the award, and often well before the long term consequences of those events have become clear (and Arafat's award is particularly controversial in this respect).

Continuing with the trend of awarding Peace Prizes to the undeserving, [[Barack Hussein Obama]] was awarded one in 2009.

<blockquote>

Does Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize? Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary" diplomatic efforts. But after less than a year in office does the US president deserve the award? Is the decision a clever political move by the Nobel committee? Will it help or hinder Obama's presidency? [http://english.aljazeera.net/your_views/general/20091091087296828.html]
</blockquote>

==Deserved Peace Prize Recipients==

Some praise the Nobel Peace Prizes given in 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi for her heroic struggle against the brutal military dictatorship in [[Myanmar]] (Burma) and the award in 1996 to Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Belo of [[East Timor]] in recognition of their struggle against the oppressive and, at times, genocidal occupation of that country by the [[Indonesia]]n government. The awarding of the prize in 1984 to Archbishop Emeritus [[Desmond Tutu]]<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1984/ 1984 Nobel Peace Laureates]</ref>, was condemned by the [[apartheid]] regime as a political ploy, but celebrated everywhere else, as was the joint award to Presidents [[Nelson Mandela]] and [[F.W. de Klerk]] in 1993 <ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/ 1993 Nobel Peace Laureates]</ref>, for their efforts in uniting [[South Africa]] in the build-up to the first fully democratic elections. <ref>Incidentally, the awards to Tutu and Mandela have resulted in Vilakazi Street in Soweto, Johannesburg, becoming the only street in the world to be home to two different laureates.</ref>

== Anti-American bias in Literature award ==
In 2008, Horace Engdahl, the head of the Swedish Academy, was reported to have said that American novelists would never win the Nobel Prize for Literature, as the American novel was "too isolated and insular."

It took 30 years for an American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, despite most of the best writing of the era coming from America. When an American finally won, it was the [[socialist]] [[Sinclair Lewis]] in 1930, whose writing often bears a strong resemblance to anti-American, socialist propaganda.

== External links ==

*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/nobel_prizes/index.html Nobel Prizes]

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Nobel Prize]]

Talk:Harry Potter

2009-12-25T20:25:26Z

AaronAdamicz: /* Accusations? */

==The Onion==
I question this material:
:These claims were conflated and exacerbated by a piece in the satirical newspaper [[The Onion]] purporting to interview children who had become involved in satanism and witchcraft after reading the Harry Potter books and could now cast spells.[http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/potter.htm] [http://web.archive.org/web/20000815214418/http://www.theonion.com/onion3625/harry_potter.html] Rowling has denied such claims.[http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2001/1201-bbc-hpandme.htm] The mainstream media has not taken this claim seriously.
The Onion is a stitch and a lot of people love it, but I doubt that it was an important influence in the Harry Potter phenomenon. The (very good) article cited to support the sentence "Rowling has denied such claims" says nothing about The Onion or about claims that readers of the books learned to cast spells. I haven't bothered to check the history to see who added this, but I suspect a leg-pull. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 21:45, 3 March 2007 (EST)

: The Snopes reference particularly mentions the Harry Potter article and asserts that it was circulated as evidence. See the reference in the section you removed. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 02:36, 4 March 2007 (EST)

"The books have even been accused of promoting witchcraft."

Wow, that's pretty deep! --[[User:BenjaminS|BenjaminS]] 10:45, 4 March 2007 (EST)

::Maybe I was wrong. I ''hate'' it when that happens.

::I checked the Rowling reference but not the others, my bad.

::I'm not quite ready to put it back, though, until I'm convinced it really was influential. The ''Onion'' piece appeared in 2000. And Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversy_over_Harry_Potter#Religious_opposition_to_witchcraft_themes Controversy over Harry Potter] article says that "Since 1999, the Harry Potter books have sat atop the American Library Association’s list of most protested books, with some American churches banning the books altogether." So ''The Onion'' was clearly satirizing a controversy that was already in full swing. How much influence did the "Dear Christian" email really have in amplifying it?

::I won't put it back personally, but I won't revert if anyone else does. I'd still like to see some context to show that it was of much significance. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 10:46, 4 March 2007 (EST)

== Witch craft ==

I added some contribution to this article discussing how it deals with the topic of witches and wizards and communication between magical and non-magical people. Why was it deleted. I know what I wrote about since I have read all the 6 books several times and am eagerly waiting for the 7th :-)

This was what I wrote http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Harry_Potter&oldid=27741..

I thought it would fit in with the rest of the site ;-). Anyways can anyone tell me why those blue borders appeared and how to remove them.

== Looking for God in Harry Potter ==

I have a book, ''Looking for God in Harry Potter'' by John Granger, ISBN: 1414306342, which looks for the hidden meaning in the Harry Potter series. There are many other things in the book that would be helpful in the CP article. I would like to colloborate with someone that could integrate the book with the CP article, without plagiarizing the book. --[[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]] 20:21, 29 July 2007 (EDT)

==Accusations?==

Cut from criticisms section:

:The books have also been accused of promoting witchcraft or [[wicca]].<ref>[http://www.chick.com/catalog/videos/potter.asp]</ref> <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/1735623.stm]</ref> <ref>[http://www.chick.com/catalog/videos/0127.asp]</ref> <ref>[http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_06.htm]</ref>

The first ref I followed mentions the [[occult]] nature of the magic in the books, but I fail to see how "Carol" is accusing the books of '''promoting witchcraft'''. My understanding (as a Christian educator myself) is that the books are fantasy in the same genre as the [[Narnia]] books of [[C.S. Lewis]]. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 11:42, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

:If you take a look at the recent criticisms added to the Chronicles of Narnia entry, I think you'll see that Narnia is far from innocent and harmless itself. The whole POINT of Harry Potter is to tell a story where witches are heroes. It's hard to imagine how such a twisted perversion can do anything BUT promote witchcraft and the occult. Thousands of pages are spent glorifying people who practice magic, something forbidden by the Word of God.--[[User:AlexC|AlexC]] 22:30, 30 December 2008 (EST)

How can a book promote something that does not exist? Saying that the ''Harry Potter'' novels promote witchcraft is like saying that the ''Star Wars'' movies promote intergalactic space-travel. [[User:AngusF|AngusF]] 17:21, 29 September 2009 (EDT)

::In Harry Potter, there is a clearly defined good, a clearly defined evil, and good will ultimately triumph over evil. Those who claim Harry Potter has an underlying satanistic message clearly haven't read the book and aren't interested in the truth. --[[User:AaronAdamicz|AaronAdamicz]] 15:25, 25 December 2009 (EST)

=Heading off a possible edit war=

I have noticed recent activity on the Harry Potter page. Whilst I understand that such matters can stir strong opinion, I am also aware that this is a site that builds trustworthy articles through consensus amongst trustworthy contributors. If the current theme of editing continues, then may I suggest that we revert back to the last edit peer-reviewed and cleared by an administrator that was made before all the recent edits, such as the revert made by TK on 13:05, 24 June 2009, or by TerryH on 22:10, 22 June 2009.--[[User:DanHutchin|DanHutchin]] 18:45, 29 September 2009 (EDT)
::OK I protected it. Note that "conservative Christians" is not a theological category. All of the quoted critics have been Fundamentalists and they seem to be relying on the Old Testament warnings to Jews to avoid pagan witchcraft. The warnings are not repeated in the New Testament.[[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 03:33, 30 September 2009 (EDT)
:::Thanks Mr Jenson, I had a horrible feeling that that kind of edit warring would turn into a large troll-magnet, if it already hadn't.--[[User:DanHutchin|DanHutchin]] 13:53, 30 September 2009 (EDT)

Socialism

2009-12-19T18:28:05Z

AaronAdamicz:

'''Socialism''' is often used in 2009 to describe government programs conservatives dislike. However, as a historical term it has a more precise meaning of an economic system with state ownership or control of the all the major means of production and distribution of goods and services<ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/socialism Meriam-Webster]</ref>. The central goal is to establish a "worker's paradise"-an ideal state with perfect equality.

In practice the socialist government owns the banks, railroads, farmlands, factories, and stores, and is the only employer. (People sometimes are allowed to have small gardens.) The central goal is to destroy the "evils of capitalism" by government ownership of the means of production, usually with one party controlling the government on behalf of the working class.

In practice however the socialist system never manages to establish this "paradise" because management for the benefit of the employees leads to featherbedding and lack of investment or economic growth, at the expense of consumers. Collective farming (operating farms like factories) sharply reduced the food supply. The most thoroughgoing efforts by Communist regimes turned into authoritarian dictatorships. The government controls all investments, production, distribution, income, and prices, as well as all organizations, schools, news media and formerly private societies. Churches and labor unions are suppressed or controlled by the government. Socialism is the antithesis of [[capitalism]], opposes private ownership of capital or land, and rejects the free market in favor of central planning. It also rejects "civil society" and makes sure that all organizations are controlled by the government.

Theoretically socialist regimes can have multiple parties. In practice there is only one political party, and it controls the government. The leaders of the party choose the government officials and set all policies for the nation and for cities and localities. Opposition parties are not allowed access to the media or to meeting halls or to funding, and their leaders are often arrested as "enemies of the people."

As a political ideology based on the redistribution of wealth, socialism stresses the privileges of the many over the rights of the few, but in practice when socialist economic principles are forced onto a nation by a totalitarian government a new Upper Class appears which is much better off than the Lower Class.

{{cquote|'''<big>Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.</big> <small>- Winston Churchill</small>''' <ref>[http://www.quotesdaddy.com/quote/280995/winston-churchill/socialism-is-a-philosophy-of-failure-the-creed-of Churchill; Quotesdaddy.com]</ref>}}

There are three main kinds of Socialism, but all of them are built on the premise that social control of the means of production ensures that a community's resources are used in a positive and uplifting manner.

==Leninism==
[[Image:Backrdv12n2.jpg|right|400px|thumb|The Russian caption reads, "Long live the great unbeatable flag of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin!" This is Leninism, a nasty version of socialism]]

First there is Marxian Socialism or '''Leninism''' as revised by Lenin and practiced in the Soviet Union by [[Stalin]] (and his successors) and in China by [[Mao Zedong]] (but not by his successors), as well as Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam in the 21st century. Lenin defined socialism as a transitional stage between capitalism and communism.<ref>"In striving for socialism, however, we are convinced that it will develop into communism", Lenin, State and Revolution, Selected Works, Progress publishers, Moscow, 1968, p. 320. (End of chapter four)</ref> Leninism is totalitarian, with no [[democracy]] and all decision made by the leaders of the Communist party. Lenin saw the Communist Party as an "elite" that was committed to ending capitalism and instituting socialism in its place and attaining the power by any means possible, including violence and revolution. Virtually all property (apart from some personal possessions like clothing) is controlled by the Party, as are all jobs and all economic activity. Conservatives have been very hostile. China after Mao's death remained politically totalitarian under the Communist party, but allows a vibrant capitalism and free enterprise system.

Socialism in Communist countries such as the old [[Soviet Union]], [[China]] in the 1949-1980 period, [[Cuba]], [[North Korea]] and [[Vietnam]] had government ownership practically everything. That led to severe inefficiency and widespread shortages of basic goods and services. These Communist countries used an "[[Iron Curtain]]" to keep their citizens from emigrating and an elaborate, brutal secret police to ensure there was no freedom of ideas or action.

==Democratic Socialism==
The second form (sometimes called "Revisionism") prevailed in Western Europe down to the 1970s, and is typified by the British Labour Party. It was democratic and closely linked to labor unions that had real power. The goal was for the government to own ("nationalize") major industries such as coal mining, railways, steel making, shipbuilding, airlines, and banking. Small businesses remained private. The idea was that labor unions controlled the government and therefore unions controlled working conditions and wages for the benefit of workers, regardless of the damage to long-term economic growth.

The Socialists were well organized and after 1918 they bitterly fought the breakaway faction that became the [[Communist]] movement. In recent years major Socialist parties (in Europe and Canada) have largely dropped the long-standing demands for state ownership of the means of production and have mostly accepted capitalism. However they remain tied to labor unions and favor liberal policies regarding high taxes and public spending. Conservatives have been negative toward the economics of the second form of socialism, but they have praised its vigorous anti-Communism. Conservatives complain socialists use government power to redistribute wealth.

In countries such as [[Sweden]], a form of democratic socialism has been much more successful, leading to high social equity and a burgeoning economy, as well as general content. Although this acts as a drag on the economy, in democratic countries of the industrialized west, some socialist ideas have been put into practice with varying degrees of success.

==Communal Socialism==
The third form of Socialism has nothing to do with Marx or government ownership, and emphasizes the importance of the community over the individual. Usually it means small communities sharing most of their possessions. The most famous examples are the religious [[Shakers]] of the 19th century (a conservative group), and the new-left communes that briefly existed in the 1960s and 70s.

==Controversy==
The ideology of '''Socialism''' is subject to a variety of interpretations. From a conservative perspective, Marxist socialism is an economic system whereby the means of production are seized and monopolized by the government sometimes without compensation to the builders of the [[capital]]. Investments, production, distribution, income, prices, and economic justice are administered by a government [[nomenklatura]] that regulates the transfer of money, goods (including capital goods), and services primarily through taxation, regulation and aggressive institutionalized coercion.

However, some socialists reject this description. Democratic socialists advocate a system of governance based on the principles of [[solidarity]], [[equality]] and [[liberty]], viewing these principles as interconnected. They believe increased socio-economic equality is associated with increased practical freedom to fulfill human potential. In many countries, such as Britain, socialist movements have been built on Christian, democratic and co-operative bases, embracing the notion that individuals should 'treat others as they would wish to be treated', and arguing that all individuals have a moral responsibility for the welfare of other members of their society. Socialism seeks to prioritize human welfare over other goals, such as profit and wealth accumulation by elites; it views increased redistribution of wealth as vital to securing greater freedom and happiness for the bulk of the people. Though this rosy picture of socialism is appealing to many, it ignores what Hayek called "the road to serfdom." Though in theory socialism is an idealized, egalitarian form of economics, in practice it means rule by labor bosses who minimize individualism and economic growth in the name of equality and benefits for the working class.

[[Marx, Karl|Karl Marx]] considered socialism to be a transitory stage between capitalism and communism. In his view, socialism is summed up by the expression: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." A major criticism of socialism is that it infringes individual rights in favor of the populace. In a very real sense, politics in the western world throughout the 20th century was shaped by the conflict between socialist and capitalist governmental policies.

Although socialist parties are common in Europe, the leading examples all currently embrace some free enterprise, individual property rights and certain other aspects of capitalism although leading European Socialists are very critical of America. In many European countries socialism has been changing to [[Social democracy]].

==Key elements==

As a political ideology based on the expropriation of wealth, socialism stresses the privileges of the nomenklatura over the rights of workers and earners. Many of the most notoriously oppressive dictatorships have been socialist, such as the [[Soviet Union]] and China under Mao Zedong. Private wealth was seized and the owners executed.
===Welfare state===
As an economic theory, democratic socialism calls for equalization of incomes, through taxation of private wealth coupled with welfare state spending. The [[nationalization]] of major industries is primarily a device to allow the unionized workers to control their own wages and working conditions, cutting out the capitalistic owners.

State [[pension]]s and unemployment insurance were not brought in by Socialists--they were first introduced by arch-conservative Chancellor [[Bismark]] in Germany in the 1870s. In Britain they were introduced about 1910 by [[Winston Churchill]] and [[David Lloyd George]] of the [[Liberal Party]], and in the U.S. were part of Democratic President, Franklin D. Roosevelt's,[[New Deal]] in the 1930s. Welfare state ideas such as [[universal health care]], and state control of key industries have been common throughout the developed world in the modern era. However, the United States has always rejected socialism as an ideological position, with a few exceptions such as the [[TVA]].

===Religion===
Some forms of socialism have often been [[atheistic]] in character, and many leading socialists (most prominently Karl Marx) have been critical of the role of religion - and conservative religion in particular - which they criticize for lending support to an unjust social order. Other Socialists have been Christians, and there has been considerable interplay between Christian and Socialist ideas. [[Christian socialists]] have asserted that early Christian communities, in particular, displayed certain traits, such as the holding of possessions in common,<ref>Acts 2:44: "Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need."</ref> the rejection of conventional sexual mores and gender roles, the provision for communal education, etc., that could be considered similar to socialism. See, for instance, Arnold Toynbee, the British historian, has responded to this,
:"the Marxian excerpt from a Christian Socialism is an experiment which is doomed to failure because it has denied itself the aid of the spiritual power which alone is capable of making Socialism a success. ….'Christianity', they say, 'is the opiate of the People'; and, in the [[Soviet Union]]… Christianity or of any other theistic religion have been debarred… from admission to membership of the All-Union Communist Party. In fact, Communism has been definitely and militantly anti-Christian. Thus the campaign against Christianity which is to-day an integral part of the propaganda of [[Marxian Socialism]] is a challenge to the living generation of Christians …we latter-day Christians may still turn a Marxian attack upon Christianity to good account … a re-awakening of the Christian social conscience has been the one great positive practical achievement of Karl Marx" <ref>Arnold Toynbee, ''A Study of History'', Annex II to Vol. V, Part C (i) (c) 2, p. 585-586, Marxism, Socialism, and Christianity.</ref>

====New Testament socialism====
The earliest Christians were decidedly living in a manner consistent with basic aims of socialism, albeit with critical requirements and distinctions from its secularist expressions. Luke 14:33 requires the forsaking of all one has if one will be a disciple of Christ, and Acts 2:44 states that the communal believers "had all things common", while Acts 4:32-5:11 describes community redistribution of property, and details the Divine punishment of a husband and wife for hypocrisy, in keeping proceeds from the sale of a piece of property while opening pretending that they gave it all, as others voluntarily did.<ref>Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 5:1-11)</ref> However, forsaking all is shown to be that of first surrendering oneself and life to the God of the Bible, with literal giving as a result being as He directs, and voluntary. (2Cor. 8,9) In addition, in the early organic church, the "administrators" were humble servants who were examples of self-sacrifice, and who worked with their own hands as needed, (1Cor. 4:9-16) and were accompanied by manifest Divine attestation, including the pro-active exercise of church discipline being only by supernatural or otherwise spiritual means, not carnal force.<ref>(Acts 2:43; 5:5,9,10; 1Cor. 4:19-21; 2Cor. 13:2,3; 2Thes. 3:14,15; 2Tim. 4:2)</ref> Furthermore, while the early organic community provides a noble model of communal life, and of a "seminary" type experience, it was also soon dispersed by persecution (thus greatly expanding the church: Acts 8:1-5; 11:19), and it is later indicated that believers retained ownership of property after conversion. (Acts 16:14,15,40; 1Cor. 11:22) Rich Christians are evidenced to have been part of the early church, but are commanded not to be lofty in mind, but to be ready and willing to share, out of faith in God. (1Tim. 6:17-19) Moreover, in both Testaments capitalism is clearly supported,<ref>Gary North, ''Capitalism and the Bible''</ref> and indolence is not subsidized, but penalized by poverty, while diligence in work is rewarded by its fruits. (Prov. 6:6-11; 13:4; 20:4; 2Thes. 3:10-12; 1Tim. 5:17-18) Although holy widows over 60 years old who were without familial support were taken in by the church, a man is clearly required to provide for his own family, if able. (1Tim. 5:2ff)

While the success of the early church as an organic community is often invoked is support of modern socialism, and many communes of the 1960s evoked the Bible, one critic of modern-day socialism argues:
<blockquote>Socialism, unfortunately, completely disregards Biblical teaching about the fallen nature of human beings and assumes that human beings will act in a morally upright fashion if their basic needs are met. This is at the heart of why socialistic systems never work: because human nature does not work in this fashion.<ref>[http://www.dakotavoice.com/2009/06/capitalism-and-socialism-in-light-of-the-bible Bob Ellis, ''Capitalism and Socialism in Light of the Bible''] Dakota Voice, June 23rd, 2009</ref></blockquote>

== Britain, the Labor Party and Socialism ==

At its inception, the [[Labour Party]] borrowed socialist ideas by committing itself to a program of nationalization under 'Clause 4' of their Constitution, but was always fundamentally committed to the British system of parliamentary government. Clause 4 was formally dropped after the election of [[Tony Blair]] as Party leader, signaling the creation of 'New' Labour.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/21/newsid_2515000/2515825.stm</ref> The British governments of 1945-1950 and 1950-1951 under [[Clement Attlee]] implemented the nationalization of several industries and utilities, including coal, steel, water, railways and electricity. Former owners of nationalized industries were compensated. The best known example is the nationalization of health care to create the [[National Health Service]] (NHS). This made - literally overnight - health care "free" at the point of delivery for everybody in Britain, and it remains so today.

In the 1980s under Conservative Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] most of the nationalized industries were returned to the private sector, and public housing has been sold to the residents. These conservative decisions were endorsed by the "New Labour" of Tony Blair, to the annoyance of elderly radicals who fondly remember the poverty and inefficiencies of the old system.

== Criticism of socialism ==

[[Friedrich Hayek]] and [[Ludwig von Mises]] were important critics of socialism, particularly regarding what is known as the Socialist Calculation Debate. Hayek and Mises argued that a socialist economy would face information constraints that would prevent even well intentioned planners from efficiently allocating resources. That is, the planners would not know how much a battleship or a hospital cost, and could not efficiently allocate resources among different choices. This criticism should be considered as compatible with, but independent of, criticisms based on [[Public choice theory]] that bring into consideration the incentives of political actors.

Svetlana Kunin, who lived in the Soviet Union until 1980 explains how the system worked:
<blockquote>
Life in the USSR modeled the socialist ideal. God-based religion was suppressed and replaced with cultlike adoration for political figures....Only the ruling class of communist leaders had access to special stores, medicine and accommodations that could compare to those in the West. The rest of the citizenry had to deal with permanent shortages of food and other necessities, and had access to free but inferior, unsanitary and low-tech medical care.
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
USSR, 1959: I am a "young pioneer" in school. History classes remind us that there is a higher authority than their parents and teachers: the leaders of the Communist Party.
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Those who left Russia found a different set of values in America: freedom of religion, speech, individual pursuits, the right to private property and free enterprise....These opportunities let the average immigrant live a better life than many elites in the Soviet Communist Party...
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
The slogans of "fairness and equality" sound better than the slogans of capitalism. But unlike at the beginning of the 20th century, when these slogans and ideas were yet to be tested, we have accumulated history and reality.<ref>[http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/SpecialReport.aspx?id=512665 ''The Perspective Of A Russian Immigrant''], ''Investors Business Daily,'' 09/10/2009 </ref>
</blockquote>

==Past Socialist Countries==
===Chile===
Marxist socialist leader [[Salvador Allende]] was popularly elected in Chile in 1970 in a minority government run by the Popular Unity Party. Allende's economic policy, known as the Vuskovic Plan, sought to achieve transition to socialism. The Vuskovic Plan involved nationalization of large foreign enterprises, land redistribution to farmers, and redistribution of income. The majority in Parliament never supported it and the plan was never carried out as Allende was overthrown by the military.

==Other Socialist Countries (Current )==
===[[Cuba]]===
Communist leader [[Fidel Castro]] violently overthrew the Cuban government in the 1950's and has declared Cuba to be Communist since then. Today, Cuba faces copious economic problems and the people lack their Fundamental Rights. ([[Raul Castro]] now runs the country, having taken it over from his ailing brother Fidel.)

===North Korea===

North Korea's form of communism is in the form of "Juche" - a doctrine established by Kim Il Sung and carried on by current leader Kim Jong Il. Although it is investing heavily in nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, extreme poverty on the verge of starvation is the fate of the people, who are very tightly controlled. The country has little to no electrical power at night outside the capital, which can be verified by looking at nighttime satellite photos. <ref>http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=87488</ref>

===Venezuela===

The socialist policies of president-for-life Hugo Chavez have destroyed the economy of that oil-rich nation. In 2009, he seized the Venezuelan operations of U.S. based Cargill in order to tighten his grip on the shrinking food supply in his country. <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/venezuela/4938993/Venezuelas-Hugo-Chavez-tightens-state-control-of-food-amid-rocketing-inflation-and-food-shortages.html</ref>

==Bibliography==
* Busky, Donald F. ''Communism in History and Theory: From Utopian Socialism to the Fall of the Soviet Union'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Communism-History-Theory-Utopian-Socialism/dp/027597748X/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232396722&sr=1-24 excerpt and text search]
* Dougherty, Jude P. "Socialist Man: A Psychological Profile," ''Modern Age'' Volume 46, Number 1-2; Winter/Spring 2004 [http://www.mmisi.org/ma/46_1-2/dougherty.pdf online edition], a conservative critique
*Laslett, John, ed. ''Failure of a Dream: Essays in the History of American Socialism'' (1984)
* Lindemann, Albert S. ''A History of European Socialism'' (1984)
* Lipset, Seymour Martin, and Gary Marks. ''It Didn't Happen Here: Why Socialism Failed in the United States'' (2001), Lipset was a leading conservative scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Happen-Here-Socialism-Failed/dp/0393322548/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232396722&sr=1-21 excerpt and text search]
* Malia, Martin. ''Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia'' (1995) [http://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Tragedy-History-Socialism-Russia/dp/0684823136/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761853&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]
* Muravchik, Joshua. ''Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism'' (2003) by conservative historian [http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Rise-Fall-Socialism/dp/1893554783/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761601&sr=1-21 excerpt and text search]
* Novak, Michael. ''Capitalism and Socialism: A Theological Inquiry '' (1988) [http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Theological-Michael-Novak/dp/0844721549/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228761601&sr=1-19 excerpt and text search], bu leading conservative scholar
* Nove, Alec. ''An Economic History of the USSR 1917-1991'' (3rd ed. 1993)
* Pipes, Richard. ''Communism: A History'' (2003), by a leading conservative
* Suny, Ronald Grigor. ''The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States.'' (1998) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24265044# online edition]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mises.org/etexts/hayekintellectuals.pdf The Intellectuals and Socialism], By F.A. Hayek, ''The University of Chicago Law Review'', (Spring 1949), pp. 417-420, 421-423, 425-433.
*[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9109587/socialism Socialism] Encyclopædia Britannica.
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/socialism/ What Liberals Say - Category: Socialism], [[Accuracy In Media]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_countries]

[[Category:Socialism]]

Encyclopædia Britannica

2009-12-18T18:30:39Z

AaronAdamicz:

'''Encyclopedia Britannica''' is the oldest English-language general encyclopaedia. The first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica was a three-volume set published one section at a time over a three-year period, beginning in 1768. The company developed Britannica Online, the first [[encyclopedia]] for the Internet in 1994. <ref>[http://corporate.britannica.com/company_info.html History of Encyclopædia Britannica and Britannica Online ]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External Links==
http://www.britannica.com/ Official website

[[Category:Books]]

Talk:Debate

2009-12-17T20:48:30Z

AaronAdamicz: Created page with 'Conservapedia doesn't have an article about what an argument means in logic, but the current article "argument" is basically the same as the article on the topic of ...'

Conservapedia doesn't have an article about what an argument means in logic, but the current article [[argument|"argument"]] is basically the same as the article on the topic of debate here. Should I change it? --[[User:AaronAdamicz|AaronAdamicz]] 15:48, 17 December 2009 (EST)

Debate

2009-12-17T20:45:06Z

AaronAdamicz:

A '''debate''', in common parlance, means a discussion of a particular subject in which people express different opinions. An organized debate is a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides, generally ending with a vote or other decision. Debate improves one's public speaking and [[critical thinking]] abilities and is considered to be the only intellectually [[honest]] way of solving a problem (other than [[revelation]]).<ref>Debate has been inextricably intertwined with the concept of the open society, as democratic societies depend upon the free and open exchange of ideas, providing a contrast to the totalitarian regimes where a limited set of ideas are imposed as absolute truths.</ref>

Organized debate has become an organized [[sport]] in [[high school]]s and [[college]]. Different types of debate take place in these competitions, including Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglass Debate, Parliamentary Debate, and Public Forum Debate.*

Policy Debate is the most common High School debate. It is set up into eight [[speech]]es, structured as followed.

1 Affirmative constructive(1ac) - in the 1ac, the affirmative team reads all of there affirmative evidence. There is an eight minute time limit.

1 Negative constructive(1nc) - in the 1nc, the negative team will read negative evidence. There is an eight minute time limit.

2 Affirmative constructive(2ac) - in the 2ac, the affirmative will attempt to counter all of the negative evidence. The 2ac is often considered the make or break moment for the affirmative. There is an eight minute time limit.

2 Negative constructive(2nc) - in the 2nc, the negative will argue half of there negative arguments, as the negative also has the next speech. There is an eight minute time limit.

1 Negative rebuttal(1nr) - in the 1nr, the negative will argue the other half of there arguments. There is a five minute time limit.

1 Affirmative rebuttal(1ar) - the 1ar is considered by many to be the hardest speech in policy debate, as the affirmative has five minutes to rebutt the thirteen minute neg block.

2 Negative rebuttal(2nr) - the 2nr is the negatives last speech and they will usually take half of there argument against the affirmative. There is a five minute time limit.

2 Affirmative rebuttal(2ar) - The affirmative will take all advantages and attempt to win. There is a five minute time limit.

Due to the revealing nature of debate, [[ACORN|dishonest organization]]s will avoid engaging openly with their opponents in debate. Some sites who criticise Conservapedia, for example, have been known to refuse to engage in open debate out of fear that their stance would be exposed as hollow [[rhetoric]]. Conservapedia is a perfect example of [[democratic]] debate at work, with the views of all openly welcomed and debated without bias or prejudice. [[Wikipedia]] is well known to lack any decent standard of debate, and instead enforces [[liberal]] views on its articles.

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Political Terms]]

Manfred Kyber

2009-12-16T17:18:11Z

AaronAdamicz: Created page with ''''Manfred Kyber''' (March 1, 1880 – March 10, 1933) was a German writer, theater critic, playwright and poet (born in Latvia). == Quotes == * Your earthly body is after all ...'

'''Manfred Kyber''' (March 1, 1880 – March 10, 1933) was a German writer, theater critic, playwright and poet (born in Latvia).

== Quotes ==

* Your earthly body is after all nothing more than a dress and inside it is a finer dress, and you yourself are in this finer dress.
** The Three Candles of Little Veronica

[[Category: Authors]]
[[Category: Poets]]

Family

2009-12-16T14:36:38Z

AaronAdamicz:

A '''family''' is a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption. More broadly it can be defined as those who have common ancestry. In normal usage the term refers to the typical [[nuclear]] family, that consists of a [[mother]], a [[father]], and [[children]]. An extended family includes grandparents, aunts, uncles nephew, nieces and grandchildren. A single-parent family is one in which only one parent raises the children, often less effectively than in a nuclear family.<ref>Mackay, Ross (2005) "The impact of family structure and family change on child outcomes: a personal reading of the research literature" (Social Policy Journal of New Zealand)</ref>

Children without families are known as [[orphan]]s. They reside in orphanages, and they generally want to be [[adoption|adopted]] by [[love|loving]] parents.

The family group should be distinguished from a household, which may include boarders and roomers sharing a common residence.

==External Links==
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/family/ What Liberals Say - Category: Family], [[Accuracy In Media]]

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Culture]]
[[Category:Reproduction]]

Vladimir Lenin

2009-12-16T14:17:47Z

AaronAdamicz: Typo

[[Image:Khvhkgfiy.jpg|right|thumb|Lenin]]
'''Lenin''' (born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov <ref>"Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (Russian: Владимир Ильич Улянов, Ленин) was the pseudonym he used after 1900 to disguise his identity.</ref>) (1870-1924) was the leader of Russian Communism and an important theoretician of Marxism. Coming to power in 1917 he became dictator of the [[Soviet Union]]. All over the Soviet Union there were statues and paintings honoring his memory; they were removed when Communism collapsed in 1991.

==Early Life==
Lenin was born in 1870 to a middle class Russian family; his parents were school teachers. In 1889, he became a [[Marxist]] after his older brother was hanged for the murder of Tsar Aleksandr II. Lenin obtained a law degree shortly afterwards, and by 1895 was a [[subversion (political)|subversive]] who was arrested and sent to a prison in [[Siberia]] as punishment. He was in exile 1900-1917. He collaborated with Georgy Plekhanov and others to set up the clandestine newspaper ''Iskra'' (The Spark), designed to "ignite" radical consciousness. In the pages of ''Iskra'', Lenin denounced any alliance with liberals or other elements of the bourgeoisie because they would keep power in the hands of the middle class. He emphasized social democracy--equality of condition, rather than political democracy, as the basis for individual freedom. His major theoretical publication was the pamphlet "What Is to Be Done?" (1902). In 1903 he organized and controlled the '''"Bolshevik"''' wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labor party, fighting the opposition "Mensheviks." Lenin, like his populist predecessors in the Russian radical movement, stressed the need for a small elite vanguard to lead the revolution

Despite disapproval of the Mensheviks, Lenin's followers continued to raise money through a mixture of bank robberies, kidnapping, extortion, terrorism, and murder. Unlike the leaders of other Marxist organizations, Lenin did not spent the money on his own lifestyle and carefully strengthened his movement.

With German help he returned to Russia after the [[Tsar]] abdicated in March 1917 and a short-lived liberal democracy allowed for free elections. At the time, most Bolsheviks were more interested in using the ballot box to gain political power. Lenin rejected elections,and declared, "History will not forgive us if we do not take power now."

==Revolution==
In 1917 Lenin opposed Russia's continued participation in World War I and advocated proceeding directly to a socialist revolution, bypassing bourgeois rule. He rejected cooperation with the Provisional Government and drove some old Bolsheviks out of the party, while coopting many younger, more radical members. [[Joseph Stalin]], [[Grigori Zinoviev]], and others rallied to Lenin's side during the elections to the party's Central Committee during the 7th Party Conference in April 1917 and became the new leadership. The Bolsheviks were allowed free expression of disagreements until a decision by the Central Committee was reached, and then no opposition or disagreement was permitted. Lenin now ruled the Bolsheviks from his base in Petrograd (St. Petersburg).

In October 1917, Lenin masterminded a [[coup d'etat]] which overthrew the [[Provisional Government]] which had replaced the [[Russian Empire]]. In what historian [[Simon Sebag Montefiore]] has described as a comedy of errors, the Winter Palace was shelled and the Provisional Cabinet was placed under arrest by a mixture of Red Guards and radical sailors from the Kronstadt Naval Base.
==Dictator==
Lenin ruled the [[Soviet Union]] under Marxism-Leninism, until 1922, when he had a debilitating stroke and retired.

{{Cquote|A wide campaign of "education" was undertaken to show the people why "workers' rule" meant, in practice, [[Nomenklatura|managers]]' rule. Where necessary, the education by the word was supplemented with education by [[firing squad]] or [[concentration camp]] or forced labour battalion. <ref>James Burnham, ''The Managerial Revolution'', (1940).</ref> }}

==Death==
Lenin, a workaholic who avoided vacations and downtime, died in 1924 following a series of progressively more serious strokes. [[Joseph Stalin]] was his even more brutal successor.
==Interpretations==
===Lenin on revolution===
Before 1917 lenin thought that revolution was more likely to break out in Russia than in any other country on the continent, and he expected the outbreak of other revolutions in Europe, or at least in Central Europe, after the Russian Revolution. During the Civil War he considered a short period of War Communism as an extension of the revolutionary situation from which a direct path might open toward socialism. However, after the failure of War Communism he returned to his earlier viewpoint, that is, to the necessity of a transition period. This was reflected in the New Economic Policy (NEP) - which meant a transition including both private enterprise and a market economy. Stalin deemed the transition favored by Lenin to be too dangerous, because it carried with it the threat of a defeat and an eventual restoration of capitalism
===Dictatorship of the proletariat===
see also [[Dictatorship of the proletariat]]
Lenin saw the Marxist concept of the "Dictatorship of the proletariat" in terms of a dictatorship exercised not by a democratically chosen majority but by a vanguard minority revolutionary party, ruthlessly controlled by a few leaders like himself. He eventually accepted the need for a state bureaucracy, and his more extreme opposition to the bourgeoisie led him to favor their exclusion and disenfranchisement to the benefit of the urban working class.

==Leninism as a religion==
Lenin's utopian design of a revolutionary community of virtuosi was a typical political religion of an intelligentsia longing for an inner-worldly salvation, a socialist paradise without exploitation and alienation, to be implanted in the backward Russian society at the outskirts of the industrialized and modernized Western Europe. The Russian Revolution of October 1917 accomplished the institutionalization of a political religion combining a political and sacral monopoly of power and belief. Consequently, the Leninist policy of social extermination of political opponents, ideological rivals, and stigmatized social classes became a sacral obligation to be fulfilled by the new ideological orthodoxy. The beginning iconography of a Leninist sacral tradition praised Lenin as a messianic and numinous leader. This process of iconographic work in progress culminated after Lenin's death in the sacral Lenin cult. The Lenin mausoleum served as the monumental centerpiece of sacral rites and practices to be enacted by the Stalinist orthodoxy. Joseph Stalin's invention of a sacral tradition of Marxism-Leninism qualified him as the only true disciple of Lenin. Therefore, Stalin claimed the monopoly of the infallible interpretation of the holy scriptures, summarized in his own dogmatic performances. In this sense, Stalin's Leninism became itself the religion of the Soviet state.<ref>Klaus-Georg Riegel, "Marxism-Leninism as a Political Religion," ''Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions'' 2005 6(1): 97-126 in [[EBSCO]]</ref>

==Image and memory==
After his death in 1924 Stalin portrayed Lenin as an infallible humanitarian; his writings were viewed as gospel. Museums were devoted to his life and work, cities were named for him, and huge statues and monuments honored his memory. Beginning in 1985, however, the Lenin cult began to crumble. Party chairman [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] was a faithful disciple of Lenin, but he now faced the reality that the economically bankrupt Communist state was rapidly decaying. As the Communist nation unraveled, so did the Lenin personality cult. Leningrad residents voted to restore the St. Petersburg name; the once-crowded museums attracted few visitors; and Lenin's philosophy and actions were found less than perfect. In 1991 as Communism fell, the statues and paintings went into cold storage. By 1995 plans were being made to bury Lenin's corpse, which was finally acknowledged to be putrefying just as the remains of any other mortal, as the cult itself fell into "the dustbin of history."<ref> Trevor J. Smith, "The Collapse of the Lenin Personality Cult in Soviet Russia, 1985-1995," ''Historian'' 1998 60(2): 325-343, in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
== See also ==
*[[Karl Marx]]
*[[Joseph Stalin]]
==Further reading==
===Biography===
* Clark, Ronald W. ''Lenin'' (1988). 570 pp.
* Service, Robert. ''Lenin: A Biography'' (2002), 561pp; standard scholarly biography; a short version of his 3 vol detailed biography
* Volkogonov, Dmitri. ''Lenin: Life and Legacy'' (1994). 600 pp.
===Specialized scholarly studies===
* Anderson, Kevin. ''Lenin, Hegel, and Western Marxism: A Critical Study'' (1995) 311 pp.
* Copleston, Frederick Charles. ''Philosophy in Russia: From Herzen to Lenin and Berdyaev'' (1986). 445pp. by a conservative
* Debo, Richard K. ''Survival and Consolidation: The Foreign Policy of Soviet Russia, 1918-1921'' (1992).
* Marples, David R. ''Lenin's Revolution: Russia, 1917-1921'' (2000) 156pp. short survey
* Pipes, Richard. ''A Concise History of the Russian Revolution'' (1996) [http://www.amazon.com/Concise-History-Russian-Revolution/dp/0679745440/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232393501&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search], by a leading conservative
* Pipes, Richard. ''Communism: A History'' (2003), by a leading conservative
* Pipes, Richard. ''Russia under the Bolshevik Regime.'' (1994). 608 pp.
* Pomper, Philip. ''Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin: The Intelligentsia and Power.'' (1990). 446 pp.
* Schapiro, Leonard and Reddaway, Peter, eds. ''Lenin: The Man, the Theorist, the Leader - a Reappraisal'' (1987). 317 pp.
* White, James D. ''Lenin: The Practice and Theory of Revolution'' (2001) 262pp.

===Primary sources===
* Desai, Meghnad, ed. ''Lenin's Economic Writings.'' (1989). 363 pp.
* Pipes, Richard, ed. ''The Unknown Lenin: From the Secret Archive.'' (1996). 185 pp.
==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Russian History]]
[[Category:Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Dictators]]
[[Category:Communism]]
[[Category:Socialism]]