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Everything belongs to the workers
(thelemmy.club)
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this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
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Socialism
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Capitalism is defined by private ownership of businesses.
A socialist business isn't controlled by a private owner (or major shareholders), it's controlled by its workers or by the government (or a mix of both). No one sits at the top and gets to award themself a massive chunk of the revenue just because their name is on the deed, so to speak. That's the difference.
You cannot simply slice up elements of an economy and designate them to be capitalist or socialist in a vacuum, what matters is the nature of the society itself, the class character of the state and the principal form of ownership. That's why nationalizing industry in capitalism is not necessarily an advancement towards socialism, and privatization in socialism is not necessarily an advancement towards capitalism.
I'm new to lemmy .ml and unfamiliar with Sedan so I thought they were equating social democracy with socialism
I always shy away from making both points at once -- "social democracy is not socialism, but also, socialist states do engage with capitalism to avoid embargo and build their economies" -- because it tends to segue to China, which is exhausting to talk about with western socdems but you lose credibility if you're not willing to go the distance
...but I guess my oversimplified version still implicitly comments on AES states so it could use some work
No worries! Sedan seems new too, a week old account. I think it's helpful to identify capitalism and socialism as systems, and this helps us identify the essence of that system.
There is another name for this: private ownership of the means of production.
The means of production constitute the aggregate of all material resources used to create goods and services. They comprise two main components: the instruments of labor (the tools and machinery used to work) and the subjects of labor (the raw materials and inputs worked upon).
This concept also encompasses wage labor. Under socialism, a private individual is not permitted to hire another person for employment.
However, during the Stalin era, private enterprise did, in fact, exist. These took the form of artels—small workshops, typically employing up to ten people, that manufactured light industrial goods. There were tens of thousands of such artels across the USSR. Yet, within these artels, both the workers and the managers participated on equal terms; specifically, the director of the artel was re-elected annually by the collective membership. Artels in the USSR produced items such as radio receivers, televisions, children's toys, and similar goods.
))))))
By the way, I actually had to explain to some people what that meant. I'm really glad you're in the loop! ¡No pasarán!✊ )))
I come from a place where people only speak about this in whispers.
I read your latest posts—yes, that is exactly what you are talking about there.
OK
I'll read your article first, and then we'll talk.
Hey there—maybe I'm doing something wrong? I'm new around here.
Yesterday I opened your link and saw the text, but I wanted to read it today with a fresh mind. Now, though, the link won't open. Are you able to open it?
I can certainly answer your questions, though I never actually claimed to be from Russia. However, I do have relatives and friends there—and have had them since long before the war. I know exactly what’s going on there, all the way out to the Far East... :))))
The situation there is much like it is in China right now. Some people are living the high life—somewhere like Moscow or St. Petersburg—and have absolutely no clue what’s happening east of the Urals. To them, "Russia" is just a bigger version of Moscow... :))) Yet, at the same time, I have acquaintances from beyond the Urals who complain bitterly about their lives.
And he does seem to have grounds to argue with me—after all, I don't actually live in Russia myself.
I argue with them until I’m hoarse—much in the same way I argue with Chinese people here about China... :))))
Life in Russia varies greatly, but if you compare it to the U.S. in broad terms, I believe that living conditions for the average person are actually better and safer in Russia. As for Moscow and St. Petersburg—they are magnificent cities; when I first visited St. Petersburg back in the 80s, I fell completely in love with the place. I highly recommend visiting them.
The CPRF is a hollow shell—nothing more than window dressing designed to placate that segment of the population that still believes in Stalin.
Perhaps back in the 90s, Zyuganov might have been able to effect change, but he let his opportunity slip away. Now, it is too late.
However, a new wave is currently emerging in Russia—particularly in recent times—comprising people, including the youth, who are finally beginning to see the light. It all began when modern historians with a socialist orientation debunked the myth that Stalin was a villain. Much of the information regarding Stalin had been derived from Solzhenitsyn, who wrote his books at the behest of the CIA and in pursuit of a Nobel Prize. And when Solzhenitsyn returned to the USSR during the Perestroika era, he was welcomed as a hero. Yet now that all of this has been exposed as a fabrication, the public has begun to reflect—and to realize that, all this time, they have been brazenly lied to! The most disheartening aspect of this is that, at the unveiling of the Solzhenitsyn monument, Putin was the very first person to lay flowers.
"Some Marxist-Leninists, myself mostly included, believe that the current war In Ukraine is in response to western meddling in Russia’s sphere of influence."
Operation Aerodynamic, in essence, has never been cancelled.
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/AERODYNAMIC%20%20%20VOL.%201_0113.pdf
By now, this is no longer a secret to anyone. I knew about it from the very beginning—since 2014. I’ll go even further: not only did I know about it, but I witnessed it all personally. All this time, Ukraine was preparing for war; the propaganda was insane—it would make Goebbels look like an amateur.... In the end, a generation of zombies emerged—people who are only just now beginning to come to their senses and see the light. But this awakening won't change a thing!
"While we don’t support the form of the current Russian government and we are disgusted by its internal repression of women’s and queer rights"
That’s an astonishing story, Comrade! This is the first I’ve heard of women’s rights being infringed upon in Russia.
As for your second point, you’re unlikely to change the Russian mentality. In case you didn’t know, for Russians, the gravest insult—one that will get you into a fistfight—is that very word.
Both Russians and Ukrainians on the front lines refer to their enemies using that exact term. Have you seen Budanov’s diary?
Just recently—literally a few days ago—they held a parade in Odessa; the police had to provide security because nationalists were trying to break it up.
The overwhelming majority of people—in both Russia and Ukraine—view this extremely negatively. I’m telling you this as a matter of fact.
"I’ve seen macroeconomic reports pointing to an increase in salaries in Russia since the beginning of the conflict, mostly attributed to the reduced workforce due to both mobilization and emigration."
It all seems a bit jumbled—are you referring to the wage increases and the shortage of jobs?
https://news-kharkov.ru/society/2026/05/06/204459.html
Russia certainly faces economic challenges linked to the war; were it not for Iran and Russia's ability to sell more oil, the country would be running a budget deficit. Additionally, the VAT was raised by 4 percent—again, a measure taken in response to the war and the associated economic difficulties.
The casualties from the war are not significant enough to have a major impact on demographics. Yes, there is an observed outflow of migrant workers and a shortage of labor for physically demanding jobs, but I do not believe this will lead to a crisis comparable to the one in Ukraine.
That source is from the Ukrainian press:
https://24tv.ua/business/ru/trudovye-migranty-v-ukraine-migrantov-iz-indii-mozhno-zamenit-pensionerami-rynok-truda-2026_n3065552
In reality, the problem is far more serious. Right now, everyone is in hiding; those who were able to flee have already done so.
Please give me the link again
I prefer St. Petersburg because it's a cultural city. Moscow is a crazy city. I don't feel very comfortable there. Everyone there is always running somewhere, empty-eyed, afraid of being late. I worked there for a year once.
As for abortions, the problem probably isn't the government's brutality, but Russia's demographic crisis. It's much simpler. There's only one child per family. You know the risks. Right-wing views have nothing to do with it.
And yes, they recently increased benefits for large families in Russia.
As for the punishment for violence, everything remains the same as in the USSR. If you rape or attempt to rape a girl, if it's proven, you're in prison in any case. The punishment for violence is very severe, one of the heaviest sentences in the Russian Criminal Code.
Domestic violence: it's treated the same way now as it was in the USSR. The state intervenes in the family only in extreme cases. It was the same in the USSR. It's the same in Ukraine, for both cases.
Yes, but it didn't start in the 2000s, but with the collapse of the USSR. Such individuals began appearing like mushrooms after rain. Both on the streets and on TV. Some trendy pop artists made no secret of the fact that they were those guys. It was fashionable, you could say, back then. When Europe seemed like a blooming garden.
Then, when the West began to shed its masks and reveal its brutal face, everything began to change. First, they banned that organization among children, then, with the outbreak of the war, they banned it completely. Before that, no one paid attention to these people.
I already told you that mentally the people will not accept this without state propaganda, both in Russia and in Ukraine.
Then you will be interested to know that in the USSR there was a prison term for this very thing.
I already understand that you are for Russia, because you have relatives there. I also have relatives in Russia, especially my wife. In St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Crimea.
Read here
https://www.fontanka.ru/2026/05/07/76408145/
I haven't heard anything about salary increases, except maybe on paper.
This is about Russia
https://www.gazprombank.ru/pro-finance/safety/chto-takoe-deficit-federalnogo-byudzheta/
What about in the USSR?
"My point was actually the opposite. I don’t believe Russia faces a big crisis in the immediate future, I’m asking whether in your experience salaries are actually rising and bettering the purchase power of people!"
I don't think it has. They've raised VAT and utility bills. A friend of mine from Russia recently complained about a high electricity bill. Grocery prices are also going up.
I don't think it has. They've raised VAT and utility bills. A friend of mine from Russia recently complained about a high electricity bill. Grocery prices are also going up.
https://ab-centre.ru/news/ceny-na-produkty-pitaniya-v-rossii-i-ih-izmenenie-za-mesyac-i-god-dannye-na-12-maya-2026-goda