Difference Between Socialism and Communism

By: | Updated: Oct-31, 2021
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History and politics have been influenced by the struggle between the two systems, socialism and communism. In the struggle, there were several victories and defeats of these two systems. As a result, there are still some people who have some problems with the two systems. Therefore, it is necessary to explain the difference between socialism and communism in order to solve these problems.

Summary Table

Socialism Communism
A philosophy A system of government
Intended to reach equality Intended to make everyone rich
Emphasizes the social class Emphasizes the economic class

Difference Between Socialism and Communism

When we talk about the difference between socialism and communism, we can see that the two systems have different origins. Socialism has been a system of production for a long time. This system is also known as the “welfare state”. Communism, on the other hand, is a new system of production which was invented by Karl Marx. In contrast to socialism, communism does not care about the social aspects of production. Communism is also known as the “dictatorship of the proletariat”. The two systems are different in terms of history, ideology, political structure and economic structure.

But what exactly is the difference between socialism and communism? Is there really a difference between these two systems? Or is it just a kind of propaganda? Let’s find out the differences between socialism and communism in this article.

In this article, we will talk about the origin of socialism and communism, their ideological systems, political structure and economic structure. The article will also give you a detailed explanation of the difference between socialism and communism. We hope that this article can help you to understand the difference between socialism and communism better.

What is Socialism?

Socialism is a political ideology that advocates for the abolition of private property and profit making, in favor of the community. The primary aim of socialism is to create a society in which each individual has equal opportunities to enjoy life and participate in political and economic affairs.

The term socialism was first used by the French philosopher, Saint-Simon, who in 1816 wrote a book titled “Socialism”. The main theme of the book was that in order to be prosperous, an individual must participate in the economy. It also stated that in order to achieve a prosperous society, the state must have the power to regulate the economy.

In this sense, socialism can be regarded as a form of economic thought that advocates for the government to control the economy and social life. However, there are several types of socialism. There is Marxist socialism, which is based on the ideas of Karl Marx. And there is liberal socialism, which is based on the ideas of John Locke. The idea of liberal socialism is that the government should be limited in the extent of its power. The power of the government should be limited to defense, public order and justice.

What is Communism?

Communism is a political ideology that advocates for the abolition of private property and profit making, in favor of the community. This means that all production should be owned by the government, so that everyone can be provided with everything they need without paying for it.

The idea of communism was first introduced by Karl Marx in his book “Das Kapital”, where he introduced the theory of “materialism”. In the book, he also discussed a society in which there is no private property and profit making. He claimed that this would lead to a new form of classless society. He further claimed that such a society would be more equitable and just.

He described the capitalist economy as an exploitative system where the workers are exploited by the owners of capital. This is because the owners of capital get profits from their employees through selling their labor and purchasing products made by those employees. He argued that communism would be a better alternative to capitalism because it will lead to a more equitable society.

How are They Related?

The origin of socialism and communism is in the Marxist ideology. In 1848, he published a book named “Communist Manifesto” in which he stated that the society must be transformed from capitalist to communist system. Now, to understand the differences between socialism and communism, we need to know how they are related. Let’s look at the similarities of the two ideologies.

Both are planned economies.

The Marxist ideology is based on the idea of a planned economy. According to Marx, the economic system must be planned because it is only by the planning that human beings can be happy and satisfied. For example, if the system is a free market, it is difficult for human beings to have full economic welfare. Because there are always some people who can get rich, while others are poor.

Both advocate equal distribution of wealth.

Marxists are the ones who advocate that all people must have equal access to economic resources. They also believe that it is wrong for some people to have more wealth than others. The Marxist ideology advocates that wealth must be distributed equally among all members of the society.

Both want to destroy capitalism.

The capitalist system in the world today is not working well for most of the people. The capitalists in the capitalist system only think about making money and wealth for themselves. The Marxist ideology wants to destroy the capitalist system.

What are the Differences?

The differences between socialism and communism are very big. Let’s take a look at the main differences between socialism and communism.

Socialism is a philosophy while communism is a system of government

Socialism is a philosophy that believes in the fair distribution of the world’s resources, that is, to use the world’s resources equally. This philosophy believes that all people should have equal opportunities to develop and progress. The government must be controlled by the people. The government should not be an instrument for private interests.

Communism is a system of government. The government should control the economy and the people. The government must not be an instrument for private interests. The purpose of communism is to realize the ideals of socialism.

Socialism has the intention of reaching equality while communism has the intention of making everyone rich

The main intention of socialism is to make people’s lives more equal. The main goal of socialism is to eliminate the social inequalities, the gaps between rich and poor. The purpose of communism is to make everyone rich and give them equal opportunities to develop and progress.

Socialism emphasizes the social class while communism emphasizes the economic class

Socialism stresses on the equality of all social classes. In socialism, the class is not as important as the individuals. But in communism, the economic class is more important than the social class.

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