king natural resources "the property of the Mexican people" have been
far-reaching. One socialist country after another has written into its
constitution a provision that its natural wealth is the inalienable
heritage of its people. This provision has two important results: it
establishes natural resources as part of the public sector of the
national economy; it also limits the possibility of handing out
concessions to foreign exploiters, private or public.

During the opening years of the present century socialist parties and
other forward looking organizations were demanding social ownership of
natural resources, public utilities and other social means of production
as the next logical step toward a more equitable distribution of wealth
and income. There was a possibility that such revolutionary changes
could be made under bourgeois law by exercising the right of eminent
domain, upon the payment of reasonable compensation to former owners. At
least in theory, the democratic majority in any bourgeois country could
put an end to private enterprise capitalism and establish socialism by a
constitutional amendment, legislative enactment, and a caretaker
political apparatus to administer and supervise the transition.

Socialist parties were making "reformist" demands for better working
and living conditions and "revolutionary" demands for changes in
property and class relationships. Increased productivity and growing
affluence made it possible for a progressive bourgeois state to meet the
reformist demands, establishing a welfare state legally and
constitutionally.

Under the bourgeois constitutions generally existing at the beginning of
the present century, a popular majority could adopt necessary
constitutional amendments, pass the necessary enabling laws and launch a
program of socialist construction.

Such a program was part of the thinking of European and other socialist
leaders during the opening years of the present century. Inspired and
encouraged by the successes of socialist construction in the Soviet
Union and other socialist countries, middle of the road socialists
proposed to move gradually and legally from capitalism to socialism.

Conservative socialists who were members of coalition governments in
parts of Eurasia, described such welfare states as victories for
socialism, despite the fact that they left the essentials of state power
in bourgeois hands.

Between 1920 and 1950 the western world found its