What is the difference between Socialism and Communism ? Both somewhat means equal distribution of wealth !?

Answer 1

But in reality can't truly exist under human nature.

Answer 2

Socialism is an economic policy. It can be used by a variety of government forms as a means of wealth distribution. Communism is merely one of the government forms that has adopted a Socialist form of economy. Communism in its purest form is Utopian. Everyone is the same and needs the same things. Reality is, of course, quite different. As such there is no true pure Communism and it has developed into a dictatorship by committee. The governing committee, called the Supreme Soviet, when the Soviet Union existed, was made up of senior level leaders from around the country. They would basically debate and decide on what the law was to be. The Party Secretary and the Premier were heads of state often the Party Secretary was the Premier (Nikita Kruschev) and they would countermand the committee if they disagreed with them. In essence that made them no more than Fascists just like the ones they so vehemently were opposed to.

Answer 3

Very little difference because Communism is distinct political theory that is a subset of the broader Socialism movement. Both believe the following:
1. Abolition of Private Property.
2. Heavy Progressive Income Tax.
3. Abolition of Rights of Inheritance.
4. Confiscation of Property Rights.
5. Formation of a Central Bank.
6. Governmental Ownership of Communication and Transportation.
7. Governmental Ownership of Factories and Agriculture.
8. Governmental Control of Labor.
9. Corporate Farms and Regional Planning.
10. Governmental Control of Education.
It is not just about redistribution of wealth but community ownership where everyone has equal share. Part of the reason why it fails is because not everyone has equal need.

Answer 4

Socialism is the political aspect of collectivist ideas. Communism is the economic theory and application of the same collectivism.

I would say the biggest difference is in a communist country there is a command economy -central planning of the economy.

There can be socialist countries that have capitalistic economies. The best examples are probably the Scandinavian countries. The government supplies health care, pays for education (including college) but there is still a market driven economy. Also China is increasingly looking capitalistic/market orientated yet the political system remains staunchly communist, this is a new, strange phenomenon.

Answer 5

Socialism is the slow transitional phase between Capitalism and Communism, taking over 100 years for the transition to take place. Socialism is needed to slowly change the economy from private enterprise to government controlled enterprises. It is also needed to change the public attitudes from being selfish and self-centred to being community orientated. Under socialism people receive wages according to their abilities -- a doctor earns much more than a street sweeper. Communism is the ownership by the majority (through the government) of the means of PRODUCTION (factories, farms etc), DISTRIBUTION (road and rail transport, planes, ships etc) and EXCHANGE (shops, markets etc). People are paid according to their needs -- a doctor and a street sweeper earn the same wage. ----------- Many countries that Americans and others call "communist" are actually Socialist with socialist economies. Most countries that Americans call "Socialist", like Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Britain, Australia etc are actually capitalist countries but with governments that pursue "Social Democrat" (Social Reformist) policies. Americans have a warped sense of political viewpoint.. Even the left liberals of the "Democrats" are actually politically to the right of centre by international political positioning and would be considered by Australians, British and other Europeans as moderately conservative.. The ultra conservative of the Republicans and the Tea Party are neo-fascist by international standards.

Answer 6

In classical Marxist theory, communism is the final stage of history where the state has withered away and a return to Jeffersonian democracy has occurred.

In Marxist theory, socialism is the stage after capitalism, but before communism, where the state tries to manage economic affairs through democratic, collective principles.

The world is currently at the stage of differing degrees of socialism everywhere (including the U.S.) because capitalism failed during the Great Depression (but democracy survived).

So far, the path of Marxian history seems to be on track; from primitive communism (American Indians, early Christian communism), to capitalism, to socialism.

Unfortunately, all the terms have been misused for political purposes as conservative use of "socialism" and "communism" daily demonstrates. But, the reality is Lenin corrupted Marxism into Marxist-Leninism (a vanguard party is the political force, not democracy) which was followed by Stalin corrupting Marxist-Leninism with his despotism (dictatorship).

Conservatives have never understood the difference because their leaders don't want them to KNOW the difference.

Answer 7

Socialism is a utopianist form of government in which everybody is equal and shares equally in everything.

Communism is what happened when human beings attempted to force socialism on other human beings. Under the typical communist government, everybody was equal, but some select few were more equal than all the others. Read "Animal Farm" by George Orwell for a terrific allegory of what communism was all about.

The problem is that, while socialism SOUNDS really good, in practice is is inevitably perverted to the benefit of a select few, while the remainder starve.

Answer 8

Communism is the total abolition of private property. All jobs are government jobs, and everything that is produced goes to the government so that it can be shared out equally among everyone. It is essentially impossible to amass large amounts of wealth compared to other people under communism, and even if you did you would not be able to buy anything with it (in fact, it might be taken from you and shared out again, depending on how the government wants to run its communist policies).

Socialism is much less extreme. All it does is give the government ownership of the means of production. In other words, the government owns all the land, all the natural resources, all the factories and office buildings and fishing boats and so on, and rents them out to people and/or corporations for their use. However, the actual products, the things that people use the government-owned factories to make, do belong to the people who make them and they are able to trade them normally. This is why currency is highly valuable in socialism while it is not so useful in communism.

Very few truly communist states have actually existed in history, and most of them were very small. The large 'communist' states such as Russia and China were actually closer to being socialist than anything else.

Answer 9

Socialism is run by Dictators in Communism. You become Equally poor and told what to do, how to think, what to eat, what doctors to see, what you can and cannot learn in school and absent of religion or freedom of speech.....For an up close experience, move to Cuba, Russia or Venezuela, let us know what you think of it when you get back will you?

Answer 10

Communism controls all production and distribution in the society.

Socialism controls the amount each individual takes from the production and distribution of the society.

Answer 11

Different as night and day.

Communism is where the government (the people) own everything. (Communism always fails.)

Socialism is where everything is privately owned, but people pay into the system according to what they earn and entitled to according to what they NEED if and when they NEED. (Always succeeds)

Jesus Christ was a great proponent of this economic system.