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Bret Baier looks at socialism and Lenin's Red Terror Watch the complete episode of 'The Unauthorized History of Socialism' on Fox Nation.
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Radical？progressives are trying to convince Americans, especially young Americans, that？socialism is the solution？to？America’s socio-economic problems.？They？are？banking？on millennial ignorance of？the？repeated failures？of socialism？and？the？proven ability？of free enterprise？to？produce？opportunity and？prosperity for the greatest number.？
To？camouflage their？intent,？progressives？speak of "democratic" socialism. They promise a？tranquil？land of collective ownership and equal distribution. But in every case,？for more than a century, the socialist？"paradise"？has turned out to be a centralized state administered by？political elites.？？
For a realistic understanding of socialism, educators must first dismantle the most egregious myths about this pernicious system.？？
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Myth #1: Karl Marx, the founder of？socialism, was one of？the？great thinkers of the 19th？century.
Karl Marx, circa 1865, philosopher and German politician. (Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images)
In truth, Marx was wrong about nearly everything. Nearly 200 years after？"The？Communist Manifesto" was published, the nation state has not withered away？and capitalism rules most of the global economy.？Workers have preferred to turn into entrepreneurs rather than revolutionaries, to their great benefit. Private property is a cornerstone of every prosperous？country (including the Nordic countries).？As the respected economist？Paul Samuelson has written: Marx’s "scientific socialism" is "colossally useless."？
Myth #2: Socialism places power in the hands of the people.
In truth, socialism cedes power to？the government and the political elites who run it. After more than 60 years,？the Cuban people are still waiting for the free and open elections？that Fidel Castro promised. According to a leading Latino？economist, Venezuela’s？economic catastrophe—brought on by？its experiment in socialism--"dwarfs" any in U.S., European？or Latin American history. Socialism has so devastated this once prosperous country that, today, 90% of Venezuelans live in poverty.？？
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Myth #3: Socialism is working in Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries.？
In truth,？Denmark has a？free-market？economy—and it is capitalism that enables the Danish government？to finance a bountiful welfare state？through top-to-bottom personal income and VAT taxes.？A frustrated Danish prime minister？told a shocked Washington audience, "I would like to make one thing clear …. Denmark is a market economy."？Denmark (along with？the other Nordic countries) has relatively few business regulations and no minimum wage, leading one economist to say, "Denmark is probably more capitalist？than the United States."？
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Myth #4: Socialism has never failed because it has never been truly tried.
In fact, socialism？has failed everywhere it has been attempted for over a century, from the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 to present-day？Chavez-Maduro socialism in Venezuela.？Nowhere？has democratic socialism been more？faithfully practiced and then rejected by public demand than in Israel, India and the United Kingdom following the end of World War II.？？
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Israel’s first settlers sought？to create an economy in which market forces？were controlled for the benefit of all. Socialism worked until Israel？suffered its first major recession despite extensive government controls. The government reversed course and adopted a market economy.？A high-tech revolution swept the country, transforming？Israel into a major global player in technology.？
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Following independence？in 1948, India adhered strictly to a socialist？ideology. But wars, drought and the oil price crisis of 1973 shook the country—half of the population？lived in poverty.？The government？abandoned？socialism？and India’s middle class expanded enormously, becoming the largest in the free world.？Never before in recorded history, wrote an Indian journalist, have so many people risen so quickly.？？
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After three decades of socialism, the United Kingdom？experienced？a socio-economic revolution in the 1980s？with the election of Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.？Privatization？was a core Thatcher？reform. The？government sold off government-owned airlines, airports, utilities, and phone, steel and oil companies.？Turning from Keynes to Hayek, the once "sick man of Europe"？quickly responded, recovering robust economic health.？？
Whether it was a small Middle Eastern？country, a large agricultural country with a population of？1.3？billon, or the nation that sparked the industrial revolution, capitalism topped socialism every time.？？
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This is the true story of socialism, a pseudo-religion posing as a pseudo-science？and run by political elites. It could only be adopted？in America if we repudiated every？principle？of the founding, did away with federalism, regulated the 33 million small businesses that produce nearly half the jobs in America, and？heavily？taxed everyone, not just the top 1%,？to pay for the government？needed to run the lives of 330 million Americans from the cradle to the grave.？？？？？？
Millennials？do？have a choice: the suffocating embrace of socialism, under which individual freedom and responsibility？are surrendered, or？the freedom of？democratic capitalism,？under which？people of all？colors？and？classes can work to be whatever they want to be.？
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