The difference between socialism and communism is that the socialism seeks to improve the social conditions of the working class. He communismIn addition to that, it seeks the elimination of social classes.
Socialism and communism gained strength as political movements thanks to Marxism, a theory that analyzes the development of political, social and economic relations in capitalist society.
Marxism is named after the German Jewish philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883). He opened the debate on what was the best way to deal with the struggle between the bourgeois class (the owners of the means of production) and the proletarian or working class, whose survival depends on their work.
As a result of the Marxist debate, socialist and communist movements were formed, which although they have a common root, present multiple differences in terms of their ideological focus.
What is socialism?
Socialism is a political, social and economic system, which is concentrated in the common welfare and in the concept of collective organization. It raises the administration of State resources through a community order and a distribution of wealth generated according to the effort of each individual.
For some specialists, socialism is an exclusively economic doctrine. It has the flexibility to adapt to multiple systems of political organization, such as parliamentary democracy, centralized democracy, and participatory democracy.
A example Vietnam has a socialist form of government, which, after the Doi-Moi reforms, maintains a liberal economic system, in which the basic needs of the population are covered (education, health, housing, etc.) while allowing the economic growth.
See also:
What is communism?
Communism is a political, social and economic doctrine that takes the class struggle as a problem for the social equality, which would be eliminated with the destruction of social classes. Through the suppression of private property (of the means of production) and other measures that, once they reach a high level of development, would eventually abolish the existence of the State.
Communism proposes a State that owns and manages all the means of production and an equitable distribution of wealth, regardless of the effort of each individual.
According to the communist approach, political power is bound together, in principle, by the State (single party), until the elimination of social classes generates a system governed directly by the people. However, this idea has not materialized in any of the cases in which it has been applied.
A example of a form of communist government was the establishment of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1922, with a Marxist-Leninist regime governed by a single party: the Communist Party. The USSR was finally dissolved on December 8, 1991.
What is the difference between socialism and communism?
Communism and socialism not only have differences, but each has also changed over time.
Communism today is identified as a political ideology represented by the communist parties in the world. On the other hand, socialism today is often identified as a reformist but moderate left-wing political trend.
These are some of the most prominent differences between socialism and communism.
Socialism and communism regarding the class struggle
Socialism proposes a healthy social coexistence through public policies. Communism promotes the elimination of social classes until there is a society made up of the working class.
Socialism and communism regarding the role of the state
For socialism, the State is a regulatory entity of the political and economic system, including the means of production. For communism, the State is the one that has political control, through the single party, and economic control, by taking over the means of production.
Socialism and communism regarding private property
Socialism promotes the idea of a State that regulates the strategic means of production, while the rest can fall to private enterprise. Communism, for its part, proposes total control of the economic system.
Socialism and communism regarding political participation
In socialism it is possible for various political tendencies to coexist and there is an opening to citizen participation at multiple levels (referendum, vote, etc.). Under communism, political power is united in a single party, which leaves little room for political participation and dissent.
Socialism and communism with respect to capitalism
Socialism, especially in recent decades, has made a moderate turn toward the free market, without relinquishing control of its strategic areas.
Communism promotes the elimination of capitalism in exchange for an economic system controlled only by the State, which, in addition, would take care of an equitable distribution of wealth.
References:
Durkheim, E. (1987). socialism (Vol. 175). AKAL Editions. Marx, C., & Engels, F. (2010). the communist manifesto. Madrid: Acal. Paniagua, J. (2010). Brief history of socialism and communism. Nowtilus.
See also: