Abstract

According to a widely held position in academia and the mainstream press, capitalism has proven superior to socialism in responding to human needs. However, analysis of health conditions of populations continent by continent shows that, contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have, for the most part, been better able than capitalism and capitalist forces to improve health conditions. In the underdeveloped world, socialist forces and regimes have, more frequently than not, made greater improvements in health and social indicators than have capitalist forces and regimes. In the developed world, countries with strong socialist forces have been able to improve health conditions better than those countries without, or with weak, socialist forces. The socialist experience has, of course, also included negative developments that have negated important components of the socialist project. Still, the evidence shows that the historical experience of socialism has not been the failure of which it is accused. Quite to the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving people's health.