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OK I think I may have mentioned before on this site that I am a great fan of utopias indded all nineteenth century speculative literature. It is often very refreshing and optimistic compared to the cynical depression inducing stuff we get today. Now in these books there is an idea I have come across more than once and have never even heard mentioned outside of them.
Basicly in the first decade of the twentieth century (back when an American could still be a respectable socialist) there was some frustration among some American Socialists at the slowness at which goverments seemed to be implementing anything like socialist policies but unwillingness to contemplate revolution. So the idea they suggest instead is that a trust should be set up to run businesses on cooperative lines. This trust should then attempt to aquire larger and larger sections of the economy buying up businesses and land etc. Once it has aquired a decent amount of property (starting from donations from sympathetic rich and the money made from the publication of the book that put forth the idea) it should attempt to entirely take over areas by the people boycotting other businesses. Thus this trust should gradually but completely take over the entire American economy by the people refusing to buy from anyone else and going on strike for other companies. Once this trust owns all of America it should use its wealth to set up hospitals, schools etc and run the economy on a cooperative basis.
Now when I first read this idea it struck me as spectacularly unlikely to succeed. Not to mention the enourmess amount of public support such an enteprise would require would probably make it a lot simpler simply to get elected and take power by the goverment. The trust that was set up to accomplish this sank without a trace But it did fascinate me in that at the end of the process one would have the goverment and the economy entirely seperate and yet a centralised socialist economy. So you brainy people hereI challenge you to findany way under any circumstances that this plan could succeed.
Edit What an awfull title I gave this thread.