Socialism & Communism: What's the Difference?

[an apple]

I've been told (mainly by teachers throughout high school) that socialism is a non-violent version of Communism.

Is this so? I always thought that the difference might be a bit more deeper than that.

I look it up on Dictionary.com and get the same thing for both:

"Socialism
A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole."

"Communism
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole."

It's quite confusing.

[Communist Theory]

It seems your teachers are a bunch of idiots waving around a degree.
Socialism is what was in the USSR having a government and such.
While Communism is a classless, stateless society in which we would have no leaders shared ownership and such.

[Idealism]

I've been told (mainly by teachers throughout high school) that socialism is a non-violent version of Communism.

Is this so? I always thought that the difference might be a bit more deeper than that.

I look it up on Dictionary.com and get the same thing for both:

"Socialism
A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole."

"Communism
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole."

It's quite confusing.

The state, in the marxist sense of the word, is one class suppressing the other classes. Under socialism, the need for suppression of the bourgeoisie (the former ruling/upper class) by the working class (the majority) in order to achieve democracy for all people; still exists, because classes still exists, and thus the state still exists. Communism is achieved when there are no more classes and thus no more need for suppression and no more state; and a truly democratic society for all people. "socialism" today when thought of "like sweden" is actually social democracy, which is a mix of the principals of socialism and parliamentism ; making it still a class and state society forever, unlike genuine socialism, which exists only for the temporary suppression of the minority in the trasition to communism.

[GPDP]

There's basically no difference. Only Leninists really make the distinction of them being separate phases or stages.

[mikelepore]

Go to marxists.org and see the document "Principles of Communism" by Engels. It's written in the form of a FAQ. This is one of the questions that he answers. You will note that it's NOT the same as the distinction between the two words that Lenin proposed in his "State and Revolution."

[robbo203]

The state, in the marxist sense of the word, is one class suppressing the other classes. Under socialism, the need for suppression of the bourgeoisie (the former ruling/upper class) by the working class (the majority) in order to achieve democracy for all people; still exists, because classes still exists, and thus the state still exists. Communism is achieved when there are no more classes and thus no more need for suppression and no more state; and a truly democratic society for all people. "socialism" today when thought of "like sweden" is actually social democracy, which is a mix of the principals of socialism and parliamentism ; making it still a class and state society forever, unlike genuine socialism, which exists only for the temporary suppression of the minority in the trasition to communism.

This is not what socialism means or, at any rate, what it traditionally meant in Marxian terms. Socialism meant the same thing as communism. It was Lenin, above all, who introduced the false distinction but note that he also further confused matters by calling socialism the lower phase of communism - in other words a classless society. But then he also called "socialism" , state capitalism run (allegedly) in the interests of the workers - in other words a class-based society. Perhaps that is why Leninists are such a confused lot;)