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True. Unfortunately most people think of revolutions, red bandannas, AK-47s, and people marching in the streets shouting power to the people. They do not recognize (probably because they simply do not read Marxist/ Leninist literature) that the real hallmarks of the communist ideology are democracy and like you say; social economic systems. Which is why when people who have been overrun by the "red menace" (Americans for example) look around at their own country (the USA for example) and do not even understand that it has become communist!

Just like George Orwell predicted in Animal Farm.

The Russian Communists called themselves socialist, the Red Chines call themselves socialist, Castro calls himself a socialist...Communism in it's true sense doesn't exist. Having said that, socialism is the path to communism by taking over all production, wealth, industry, transportation, resources, utilities, health care, planning, social services, property, land and even thought. The Red Chinese tried it during the 50-70's and it failed. North Korea is probably the closest thing to communism in the world. The answer is YES communism is a social system and socialism is a economic system, both are total failures and unmaintainable in the long term. since one leads to the other, it is save to use them interchangeably even with the purist left wing ideologue rants.

In Germany in the 1930s, Fascism was the last refuge of capitalism after the socialist revolution failed. In Spain in 1936, Fascists took power because socialists and anarchists were fighting amongst themselves, allowing Franco to regain control of Spain - the result was a fascist dictatorship for the next 40 years. You are right that fascism is a far right movement - based on nationalism, with complete lack of respect for human rights and different races or cultures and without any democracy - instead you have the annihilation of political opponents. Under Stalin, Russia had many similar attributes. However, Stalinism is not communism. True communism would give everyone an equal voice and value everyone's contribution to society equally. It needs an international movement to kick out the parasitical bosses and run things ourselves, for our own benefit and to plan society to meet the needs of the planet. Read Trotsky's "The Revolution Betrayed" for the differences between socialism and Stalinism. Read "What is Fascism and How to Fight It" by the same author for the reasons behind the rise of Hitler. Edit - Handrober is spot on.

Communism is a theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members. It is the eaxact opposite Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned; supply, demand and price are mostly set by market forces rather than economic planning; and profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses. Socialism is an economic system that directly maximizes use-values as opposed to exchange-values and has transcended commodity production and wage labour, along with a corresponding set of social and economic relations, including the organization of economic institutions, the method of resource allocation and post-monetary calculation based on some physical magnitude; often implying a method of compensation based on individual merit, the amount of labour expended or individual contribution.

Not true. People use the terms interchangeably because they have been lied to or want to intentionally confuse others.

Today the lines between the two are completely blurred. Most civilized countries have a government with a blend of the two systems and some form of democracy.

Socialism—defined as a centrally planned economy in which the government controls all means of production—was the tragic failure of the twentieth century. Born of a commitment to remedy the economic and moral defects of capitalism, it has far surpassed capitalism in both economic malfunction and moral cruelty. Yet the idea and the ideal of socialism linger on. Whether socialism in some form will eventually return as a major organizing force in human affairs is unknown, but no one can accurately appraise its prospects who has not taken into account the dramatic story of its rise and fall.

Before the Russian Revolution of 1917, “socialism” and “communism” were synonyms. Both referred to economic systems in which the government owns the means of production. The two terms diverged in meaning largely as a result of the political theory and practice of Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924).

They are both intended to be economic systems, but communism as we have seen it has become more of an authoritarian, single party social system.

They are indeed used interchangeably, by politicians who wish to use it in a negative connotation, and by people who don't generally understand the differences. All in all, those who use them interchangeably do so to prey upon American's discomfort with they believe are the ideals of socialism and communism.

People use the term interchangeably because they are uneducated and just repeat the drivel they hear from their demagogues.

False. Communism is both an economic AND a social system.

You fail.

It gets really confusing when you look at China, they are no less capitalistic only the amount of state involvement is different.