Copernicus: the man who changed the world

Financial Times of London ^ | Friday, September 2, 2011 | Dava Sobel

[SunkenCiv]

...but of course they never were in a position of political power.

Socialism has always followed one path after it has gained power, so we're lucky on that score. And Stalin didn't invent that kind of big fist government, he just added in and made systematic use of the tools available in the modern age. In parliamentary systems, there's nearly always one party that is entirely or mostly in charge; if needed, a coalition partner is coopted via a cabinet post or two, or temporary adoption of one of their agenda items. But the party functions as a majority, cleaving together to avoid the loss of power to the opposiition. This is a means of softening the edge of socialism and reconciling people to single party state rule. It's a peculiarity that multiple parties remain in legitimate contention, but it should also be noted that rarely does any winner have even a majority of the votes -- almost always it's a minority government, another compatibility with socialism.