Socialism, Communism, Marxism, Leninism... - What are the di

[El Revolucionist]

What are the differences between socialism, communism, marxism, leninism and possibly other forms of socialism? Thanks in advance. :)

[Nateddi]

Welcome to the board,

There is a feature called "search", use it.

Actually, I've used it for you:


this topic has been discussed atleast 5 other times

I don't particularly like dubya socialists (spoon fed). dig around for this.

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=339 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=339)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=333 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=333)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=311 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=311)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=339 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=339)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=288 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=288)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=214 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=214)

http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/top...um=13&topic=209 (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=13&topic=209)

many more.

[Dhul Fiqar]

OK, first some basics:

FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

FASCISM: You have two cows. The secret police take one of your cows to a camp for unpure cows where it is never heard from again. It confiscates the other one and forces you to take care of it for a pittance, and sells you the milk.

TOTALITARIANISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and denies they ever existed. Milk is banned.
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: The government promises to give you two cows if you vote for it. After the election, the president is impeached for speculating in cow futures. The press dubs the affair "Cowgate".


Now, for the four you mentioned:

SOVIET COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes 90% of the milk to run the aparatus that keeps track of cow farms for the Central Registry Committee. They somehow make a loss on this arrangement, several civil servants are implicated but only one peasant farmer from Chechnya is tried and executed for the embezzelment.

SOCIALISM: You have two cows. But you also have a responsibility to give milk to those who do not have any cows. You eventually start selling it to them at a small profit.

MARXISM: All the working classes have a right to two cows of their own, yet capitalism prevents them from owning the "means of milking". The only solution to this is to live in a nice house your friend pays for and write a book about how things should be.

LENINISM: You have two cows, comrade. Produce milk for the good of the Union and make big cheese statues in my honour!

Just to underscore how drunk and tired I was when I wrote this:

SURREALISM: You have two miniature giraffes with neckties. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons inside a melting piano.

CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You hire a neighbour to milk it for a pittance and make a 90% profit. Then you downsize him, sell the cows for millions and retire from the cow business in Florida where you play the real estate market.






--- G.

[bolshevik1917]

socialism, communism, marxism, leninism and trotskyism are the same thing

[HS The Whap]

God.... why even bother posting here... learn something before you come.

[Hegemonicretribution]

Differencs, well for starters some are further left on the political spectrum. It really depends if you want to know the ideoligies of the systems, or how they have turned out when put into practise. Instead of asking people why not read the history of each system, learn about examples of it, and the thinking behind it.

[chamo]

Dhul your post was great. It was like being back at primary school again. Except without the pictures.

El Revolutionistic, why dont you try and find out on your own. There's loads of stuff here and everywhere. Doubt if you even tried.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

They favor different ways of attaining socialism. Some are more authoritarian, some are more lbertarian. Some fovor different policies, some favor others. Same sort of goal, slightly different.
Che was a bit of Stalinist, yet most of us see him as more of a revolutionary hero and a great leader than a political genius.

[CBC]

nice explanation, Dhul Fiqar

[mentalbunny]

El Revolucionist, glad you asked, ignore some of the uncharitible responses of the others.

Socialism tends to be used as a blanket term covering all left wing ideologies, but is usually more libertarian in nature and also not very extreme.

Communism is to the extreme right and believes in the abolishion(sp?) of private property, it can be authoritarian or libertarian.

Marxism and Leninism are authoritarian kinds of socialism/communism, as are Stalinism and Maoism.

Social Democracy is pretty centrist, Democratic Socialism is more left and more libertarian and a more feasible option for the near future.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[bolshevik1917]

Marxism is in no way authoritarian, 'Leninism' as the adaptation of Marxsism to feudal Russia may have been slightly tougher - but it was not what id class as 'authoritarian'

Stalin and Mao should be removed from the equasion as neither were communists

[Pete]

I think it would take a screaming kicking baby who is pulling out all of its hair to find the real differences between the four, because they do exist as form of labeling varying viewpoints on socialism and are too complex for me to articulate.