Difference between Marxism, Socialism and Communism
Basis |
Marxism |
Socialism |
Communism |
---|---|---|---|
Meaning |
A socioeconomic theory that supports the proletariat’s ultimate destruction of capitalism and the creation of a classless society. |
A political and economic structure that supports democratic management and collective ownership of the means of production, exchange, and distribution. |
An economic and political philosophy that seeks to create a society without states and classes, in which all property is owned jointly and people are compensated for their labour based on their needs and talents. |
Origin |
Developed in the 1800s by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. |
Developed from many socialist groups and intellectuals of the 19th century. |
Developed as a separate ideology in the late 19th and early 20th century from socialist movements and Marxist philosophy. |
Role of the State |
Believes that the state is an instrument used by the ruling class to uphold capitalist oppression; supports the establishment of a proletariat dictatorship as a transitional state to ease the shift to communism. |
Believes that the state should be used to enact social welfare programmes and redistribute wealth; frequently supports public control of important companies. |
Aims to create a society without a state, in which community ownership takes over and class divisions eventually disappear. |
Economic System |
Envisions a planned economy in which the proletariat owns the means of production collectively and goods are distributed based on necessity. |
Supporters of a mixed economy that is owned by the public and the private sectors, but that places governmental authority over important industries and resources. |
Envisions a completely community-based economy in which all property is owned jointly and productivity is distributed based on the tenet of “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.” |
Transition Phase |
Supporters of a socialist interlude between capitalism and communism, marked by the proletariat’s dictatorship to stifle counterrevolutionary forces and erect socialist institutions. |
Socialism is frequently viewed as the stage between capitalism and communism, during which the state is crucial in dispersing power and wealth to establish social and economic equality. |
Communism is viewed as the socialist revolution’s ultimate goal, where the state has vanished and society is governed by the ideas of voluntary collaboration and common ownership. |