What is the difference between a communist and a socialist?

[Binders Full Of Women]

I heard these explanations from various sources, which, if any are true, and if none of them are, what is the difference between the two?

-Communism is socialism, but with a dictatorship instead of democracy
-Communism is a political party in a socialist nation

[Mr. Smartypants]

Not exactly. People throw these words around without knowing what they mean, so it's easy to get confused.

Socialism is when a government provides goods or services at taxpayer expense. Every modern developed successful country uses some combination of socialism and capitalism. For instance, in the US we have -socialized- education, fire and police protection, roads and bridges and other public infrastructure. Because we want people to have access to these things without regard to economic status.

Communism is a total form of socialism, but a particular kind. Communism is a 'command economy'. All the means of production (factories, farms mines, etc., anything that makes money) are owned by The People, and the govt. decides what factory makes what, what farm grows what, how much, and what the prices will be. The Soviet Union did this in a series of 'five year plans'.

People tend to see communism as totalitarian, a dictatorship. But it isn't necessarily that way. The original idea of communism was that the government is supposed to be democratic, an instrument of the will of the people, just as it is here (supposed to be). In the real world, though, communism has never been democratic because it's never been tried in a country that had a pre-existing tradition of democracy. So the people of these countries ended up trading one dictatorship for another.

But neither socialism and communism are incompatible with democracy.

[Sienna]

Economically they're the same thing. They mean trying to replace freedom and private property with government control of the economy.

Ethically, they're also the same thing. They mean using force or threats by the state to stop people engaging in consensual exchanges which they are doing because they find them mutually beneficial.

[George S]

"Smartypants" is close. Communism is a form of socialism. Formal socialism is the ownership "in common" of all means of production: what Smartypants incorrectly defines as communism.

Communism is a society with no private property at all, not even homes or the things in them, except possibly for limited personal items of no special value (not many people want to share your toothbrush). Smartypants is correct that few to no societies implement the very formal versions of those.

LIke capitalism, socialism is an economic not a political philosophy. Both can exist under a variety of government types. Communism could operate even under a king but that king couldn't hold any private property or other wealth. Socialism was intended for democratic or anarchic government but capitalism almost requires them.

Private ownership and control of industry isn't likely under socialist systems. Some national socialist systems, including Italian and German fascist ones, have allowed private ownership of industry but the government strictly controlled them. The US has a lot of control over industries, regardless of the nonsense claims from more radical socialists and progressives who want a lot more.

True liberalism advocates: individual freedom, weak government, and free markets. Conservatism advocates: moral responsibility, strong government, and protected markets. Progressives advocate: social concern, omniscient government, and controlled markets. Socialism advocates: social responsibility, omnipresent government, and collective markets.