Socialism Definition: A form or system of government which champions the equal sharing of land and equal return of the product of the land and industry to all citizens. Socialism is said to have evolved from the industrial revolution that shook Europe in the first half of the 19th century. Taken to be an affiliate - but distinct from the Marxist form of government and law-making (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who created the concept of Marxism, called it "scientific socialism"). Bogdanor commented that the common features of socialism include: ".. condemning the concentration of wealth that was associated with capitalism.... (and) public ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange...." REFERENCES: Bogdanor, Vernon, The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Science (Oxford, Blackwell Publishers, 1991), p. 578-579 Duhaime, Lloyd, International Law Dictionary Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Communism Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Government McLean, I., and McMillan, A., Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 337-338. Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!