Communist movements spread throughout europe after the bolshevik revolution in russia. the leaders of the new soviet union made known that one of their goals was to spread communism throughout the world. communism is an economic system in which the government owns most businesses and property and shares the wealth created by that property equally among the people. (of course, the sharing part never quite happened the way it was supposed to.)

socialism is the belief that government should be active in a role as regulator of the economy and should provide services (health care and education, for example) with tax money. a small socialist movement rose in the united states during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but soon ran afoul of the red scare that swept the nation in the 1920s. socialists, as a political movement, represent only a small percentage of americans today.

answer the following questions:

why do you think socialism never found widespread support in the united states?
what good might come from more government programs and regulations?
what negative aspects can result from more government involvement in the economy?