Research Guides
Many kinds of socialist movements have flourished over the last 150 years, with roots going back at least to early Christian movements, but they all have in common a belief in a political and economic system in which the state controls (either through planning or outright ownership) all basic means of production. The aim is to produce all necessities for society without regard for profitability. The end result is an egalitarian society in which all are cared for by society and poverty is eliminated.