▁commonly ▁as ▁state ▁capital ism . ▁Democratic ▁and ▁libert arian ▁social ists ▁claim ▁that ▁these ▁states ▁had ▁only ▁a ▁limited ▁number ▁of ▁social ist ▁characteristics . ▁However , ▁others ▁maintain ▁that ▁workers ▁in ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁and ▁other ▁Marx ist – Len in ist ▁states ▁had ▁genu ine ▁control ▁over ▁the ▁means ▁of ▁production ▁through ▁institutions ▁such ▁as ▁trade ▁un ions . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁classification ▁within ▁the ▁social ist ▁movement , ▁state ▁social ism ▁is ▁held ▁in ▁contrast ▁with ▁libert arian ▁social ism ▁which ▁reject s ▁the ▁view ▁that ▁social ism ▁can ▁be ▁constructed ▁by ▁using ▁existing ▁state ▁institutions ▁or ▁by ▁government al ▁policies . ▁By ▁contrast , ▁pro ponents ▁of ▁state ▁social ism ▁claim ▁that ▁the ▁state — through ▁practical ▁consider ations ▁of ▁gover ning — must ▁play ▁at ▁least ▁a ▁temporary ▁part ▁in ▁building ▁social ism . ▁It ▁is ▁possible ▁to ▁conce ive ▁of ▁a ▁dem ocr atic ▁social ist ▁state ▁that ▁own s ▁the ▁means ▁of ▁production ▁and ▁is ▁internally ▁organized ▁in ▁a ▁particip atory , ▁co oper ative ▁fashion , ▁thereby ▁ach ieving ▁both ▁social ▁ownership ▁of ▁product ive ▁property ▁and ▁work place ▁dem ocracy . ▁Today , ▁state ▁social ism ▁is ▁mainly ▁advoc ated ▁by ▁Marx ist – Len in ists ▁and ▁others ▁supporting ▁a ▁social ist ▁state . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁philosophy ▁of ▁state ▁social ism ▁was ▁first ▁explicitly ▁exp ounded ▁by ▁Ferdinand ▁L ass alle . ▁In ▁contrast ▁to ▁Karl ▁Marx ' s ▁perspective , ▁L ass alle ▁rejected ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁state