Socialism:
Socialism is any economic or political system based on government ownership and control of important businesses and methods of production.
Socialism is derived from the Latin word socialist which means social. Socialism is based on:
- Equality
- Solidarity
- Justice
The main idea of socialists is that all people are equal. Everybody has the same rights. Nobody should be poor. Socialism is a social form where people believe that all companies should belong to the state. The state is ruled by socialists. Their duty is to take care of everybody and to make sure everybody is well.
Elements of socialism:
- Abolition of private property
- Fair work distribution
- Against free market economy for social market economy or planned economy
- Social group removal (class removal)
- Same political rights and freedom for everybody
History of socialism:
The political ideology of the socialism came up in the 19th century. It evolved from the criticism of the capitalism. Socialists wanted to change the economic system.
The basis is the abolition of private ownership. In that way socialists want to prevent negative social effects of the economy. Their goals are to overcome social differences in the economy and to improve the situation of the working population. The well-known socialists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wanted to justify the theory scientifically. In their mind socialism is the necessary result of the collapse of capitalism and working-class revolution, as well as the precursor of the classless and imperial society – communism.
Communism:
Communism is a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
Communism is derived from the Latin word communis which means together, communal.
History of communism:
Communism has developed out of socialism. It`s goal is living together without any differences between classes and a society without domination. The basis are the established theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
According to Marx, communism is a form of society which isn`t able to develop immediately. It takes a few steps which has to be passed before reaching the goal: A transitional period of capitalism has to collapse. The next step is the phase of socialism.
Marx sees collective ownership as the means of production in socialism as the economic basis of the higher phase of the community society that is gradually emerging from socialist society through the development of all human capacities.
At the end everything should belong to everybody. There would be no poverty. Nobody would have to starve or be homeless.
Differences between socialism and communism:
- Socialism is derived from the Latin word socialist which means social.
- Communism is derived from the Latin word communis which means together, communal.
- Both theories mean nearly the same.
→ Socialism describes the way of how the political ideology could work
→ Communism is the goal of socialism
Valentinas Blog 