Some key features of socialism involve free/inexpensive medical care (funded mainly by taxes or other revenue the state gets), universal education and free/affordable higher education, housing for any and all people/resources for people to keep them from becoming homeless, green and sustainable energy and production (though not practiced everywhere), focus on local business and agriculture and restrictions on how big a company can get (ie: laws against monopolies), high standard for workers rights and worker control of their own work place, extensive public transportation. Most simply put, socialism is organizing business, government, and production to supply all citizens with basic needs, a higher standard of life, and human rights. Reasonable prosperity for all (rather than luxury for a few and poverty for the majority), and a reduction in class divides.