Communism and socialism: the difference

The terms communism and socialism are often confused or used synonymously in everyday language. Both ideologies have similar roots and goals—a more just society in which economic inequalities are overcome. Nevertheless, they differ significantly in theory and practice.

• “Communism” comes from the Latin word “communis,” which means “common.”
• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are the most important proponents of a classless and stateless society. According to them, communism should be achieved in several stages.
• This form of society is based on community and equality. In a communist society, means of production such as factories and land are collectively owned by society. There is no private ownership of these means – the goal is complete social equality.
• According to Marx and Engels, organized struggles of the labor movement are necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of communism. In this context, bourgeois democracy and the capitalist economic system are only transitional stages.
• It was not until after the First World War that a clearer distinction emerged – in particular through the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the founding of the Soviet Union. Since then, communism has stood for the goal of a classless society without private property, while socialism encompasses various currents, including both revolutionary and democratic orientations.
• According to Marx, socialism is a preliminary stage of communism. Communist countries therefore often refer to themselves as socialist.
• The first socialist ideas originated with the early socialists in the period between the French Revolution in 1789 and the publication of the Communist Manifesto in 1848. They criticized the social injustices of capitalism, which had emerged as a result of the Enlightenment and industrialization, and called for a more just social order.
• Socialism is a broader concept based on solidarity, redistribution, state regulation, and social justice—and it can be realized in various forms.
• Depending on the orientation, this can be achieved through reforms in a democracy (e.g., social democracy) or through revolutionary change (e.g., Marxism-Leninism).
• After 1848, Marx and Engels criticized bourgeois and capitalist society and laid the foundations for the development of socialism.
• Communism is the more radical model, which aims to abolish classes, property, and the state – and in practice has mostly been associated with authoritarian systems. For example, in the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China under Mao, and the GDR.
• The originally intended classless society was not achieved – instead, new power elites and restrictions on individual freedom emerged.
• Many countries that once called themselves communist now pursue hybrid forms with elements of a market economy. For example, China, Vietnam, and Cuba.
• At the same time, there are modern socialist movements – such as in European social democracies or progressive movements in the USA – that advocate higher taxes, social security, and state control over key sectors.