Socialism is the work of John Stuart Mill, the well known English philosopher and political economist. A man who once served as a British Member of Parliament, Mill began to sympathize with the socialist movement towards the end of his life. Socialism is about exactly what the title suggests - the economic system of shared ownership. An accomplished economist, Mill's goal in writing this book was to observe and analyze the economic principals of socialism and determine how best they could be applied to the world's economic system. The book begins with an introduction to socialism that highlights the defining characteristics of the system. Mill then examines socialist objections to the economic reality of the day, the challenges associated with socialism, and the idea of private property not being fixed but variable. Mill ultimately concludes that while many of the principals of socialism are desirable, the challenge of "establishing the economic constitution of society on an entirely new basis" makes their implementation unrealistic. John Stuart Mill's writings on socialism are fascinating. As one of the great economists and philosophers of the nineteenth century, few men can provide the perspective that Mill brings to the discussion of socialism. While books about economic systems may have a reputation for being dry, the author manages to entertain while simultaneously informing in Socialism. As an examination of socialism, a window into the political and economic environment of the late-1800s, and a presentation of the personal philosophies of one the England's great modern thinkers, Socialism is a tremendous success. Both supporters and opponents of the socialist movement will find this to be an illuminating read, anybody interested in politics or economics would be wise to add this work to their personal library. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.