Socialism and Communism

[Fidel Castro]

I have been having trouble lately trying to figure out the difference between socialism and communism. I have found pleanty of books on communism but few on socialism, can anyone recommend good socialist books?

Most of you must think this is a stupid question, but I have only really just started getting into this subject.

[Jimmie Higgins]

The way I see it, socialism is a society where there is still a state and there are still the trappings of a class-system, but unlike in capitalism (where the ruling class is the business-people and the state is designed to facilitate capitalist trade and property rights and keep the working class working for the companies) the working class is the ruling class.

Communism is when, after a period of socialism working-class rule, people have made production so pleantiful and easy that you don't need any rule or state at all because there is no longer any class seperations (no one who will start privitising production and force others into wage-slavery or chattel slavery). This is what I ultimately hope for and this is what anarchists believe is possible without the "middle-man" of socialism.


The only perpose of a state is to allow some people to control the rest of society and this can be very bad (in the case of a minorety of rich people making all the rules so that they stay rich and keep the majorety poor and working for them) but it can be good when the state is controlled by the majorety of people and is accountable to them and their intrests.

That's my 2 cents on the subject... and I don't think it's a dull question at all considering how Stalinism and Western capitalist governments have deformed the meaning of socialism and communism. I think most people living in the west that don't have any familiarity with marxism or anacro-syndicallism consider socialism to be left-wing-capitalism (such as the "socialist" parties of europe) and communism to be totalitarian stateism.

[peaccenicked]

There is no difference for marx between socialism and communism, the words were interchangable.
Because Communism has become equated with Stalin and Stalinist practices such as purges,mass murder, intolerance,coruption etc
The word 'socialist' has come into vogue by those who wish to emphasise their democratic spirit.
I like the term 'communist' in its old sense,or original sense because I would consider it a victory for Stalinism if I dropped it but I use the term 'socialist ' if I want to avoid conversations that lead to a discussion of Stalin and not the end of capitalism, when I feel it is appropiate.

[Fidel Castro]

Hmmmmm, so therefore it could be said that there are no real communist states, but socialist ones, interesting.

[Maynard]

Here (http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=6&t=6365&hl=what+is+socialism) and Here (http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=6&t=6362&hl=what+is+communism) are good introductions by redstar2000.

Socialism is seen as the transition period between capitalism and communism. Communism is when the withering away of state powers comes. Most books about Communism should involve discussion about Socialism at one point.


Hmmmmm, so therefore it could be said that there are no real communist states, but socialist ones, interesting.
Yep, Indeed but there is still argument whether most of those countries were "socialism" were, was actually socialism at all but rather state capitalism. Be prepared to hear a lot of people talk about "communist governments" when the term is an oxy moron or the crimes of communism etc. It has not truly existed in any nation as of yet.

It's not a stupid question, most people new to it have trouble knowing the differences immediately. I know I did.