Throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries Socialism had a fairly precise definition, a somewhat clear program, and a generally agreed-upon goal. The definition of Socialism was some variant of Karl Marx's well known statement, "From each according to the ability to each according to their need." Socialism's program was the nationalization of all means of production, exchange, and distribution. Socialism's goal was the use of all three in a comprehensive plan to bring about some chimera of social justice.
