▲ 122 ▼ What’s the difference between communism and socialism? (lemmy.ca) submitted 4 months ago by a_gee_dizzle@lemmy.ca to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world 126 comments fedilink hide all child comments I often see these words used interchangeably, though as I understand it there is a difference between the two ideologies, no?
[–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 2 points 4 months ago (1 child) At that point it's potato, potay-toh. Marx and pretty much every communist philosopher defined it as stateless. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] nullify3112@lemmy.world 1 point 4 months ago (1 child) This makes me very confused because I believe there was nothing stateless about the USSR, even early on following the October revolution. The red army, the new economic policies, the food seizures, forced conscription, the supremacy of the politburo… weren’t they literally banning strikes in factories by claiming all the social issues had been resolved through the soviets, when it wasn’t the case at all (the small bourgeoisie/managers came back and we’re still somewhat in charge)? When I look at it, the power of the Soviet state was omnipresent. But maybe I’m not knowledgeable enough? permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 4 points 4 months ago (1 child) The USSR was not communist. They had a communist ideology, sure, but the definition essentially comes down to a communist society being stateless while also being a dictatorship of the proletariat (that is, ALL the workers are essentially the leader at the same time and they make decisions collectively through direct democracy). And the USSR could only barely fit that definition for about one or two years before Lenin essentially steered it into a regular autocratic dictatorship with communist aesthetics. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -3 points 4 months ago (2 children) So essentially, communism is defined as something that cannot exist in reality. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 5 points 4 months ago* (2 children) Human society was communist for over a hundred thousand years before the idea of empires and cities came along. Indigenous communities lived under what we would call communism in the modern day until feudalism was invented. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago Some communities, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the systems in indigenous communities were diverse (and they still are, at many places). permalink fedilink source parent [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago (1 child) No, ancient tribes were not soviets. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 1 point 4 months ago They sort of were. They just didn't have a word for it. permalink fedilink source parent [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago* Yes, not at large scales. There are too many people around nowadays for something like this to work. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] nullify3112@lemmy.world 1 point 4 months ago (1 child) This makes me very confused because I believe there was nothing stateless about the USSR, even early on following the October revolution. The red army, the new economic policies, the food seizures, forced conscription, the supremacy of the politburo… weren’t they literally banning strikes in factories by claiming all the social issues had been resolved through the soviets, when it wasn’t the case at all (the small bourgeoisie/managers came back and we’re still somewhat in charge)? When I look at it, the power of the Soviet state was omnipresent. But maybe I’m not knowledgeable enough? permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 4 points 4 months ago (1 child) The USSR was not communist. They had a communist ideology, sure, but the definition essentially comes down to a communist society being stateless while also being a dictatorship of the proletariat (that is, ALL the workers are essentially the leader at the same time and they make decisions collectively through direct democracy). And the USSR could only barely fit that definition for about one or two years before Lenin essentially steered it into a regular autocratic dictatorship with communist aesthetics. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -3 points 4 months ago (2 children) So essentially, communism is defined as something that cannot exist in reality. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 5 points 4 months ago* (2 children) Human society was communist for over a hundred thousand years before the idea of empires and cities came along. Indigenous communities lived under what we would call communism in the modern day until feudalism was invented. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago Some communities, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the systems in indigenous communities were diverse (and they still are, at many places). permalink fedilink source parent [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago (1 child) No, ancient tribes were not soviets. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 1 point 4 months ago They sort of were. They just didn't have a word for it. permalink fedilink source parent [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago* Yes, not at large scales. There are too many people around nowadays for something like this to work. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 4 points 4 months ago (1 child) The USSR was not communist. They had a communist ideology, sure, but the definition essentially comes down to a communist society being stateless while also being a dictatorship of the proletariat (that is, ALL the workers are essentially the leader at the same time and they make decisions collectively through direct democracy). And the USSR could only barely fit that definition for about one or two years before Lenin essentially steered it into a regular autocratic dictatorship with communist aesthetics. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -3 points 4 months ago (2 children) So essentially, communism is defined as something that cannot exist in reality. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 5 points 4 months ago* (2 children) Human society was communist for over a hundred thousand years before the idea of empires and cities came along. Indigenous communities lived under what we would call communism in the modern day until feudalism was invented. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago Some communities, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the systems in indigenous communities were diverse (and they still are, at many places). permalink fedilink source parent [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago (1 child) No, ancient tribes were not soviets. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 1 point 4 months ago They sort of were. They just didn't have a word for it. permalink fedilink source parent [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago* Yes, not at large scales. There are too many people around nowadays for something like this to work. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -3 points 4 months ago (2 children) So essentially, communism is defined as something that cannot exist in reality. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 5 points 4 months ago* (2 children) Human society was communist for over a hundred thousand years before the idea of empires and cities came along. Indigenous communities lived under what we would call communism in the modern day until feudalism was invented. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago Some communities, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the systems in indigenous communities were diverse (and they still are, at many places). permalink fedilink source parent [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago (1 child) No, ancient tribes were not soviets. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 1 point 4 months ago They sort of were. They just didn't have a word for it. permalink fedilink source parent [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago* Yes, not at large scales. There are too many people around nowadays for something like this to work. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 5 points 4 months ago* (2 children) Human society was communist for over a hundred thousand years before the idea of empires and cities came along. Indigenous communities lived under what we would call communism in the modern day until feudalism was invented. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago Some communities, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the systems in indigenous communities were diverse (and they still are, at many places). permalink fedilink source parent [–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago (1 child) No, ancient tribes were not soviets. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 1 point 4 months ago They sort of were. They just didn't have a word for it. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago Some communities, I'd say. I'm pretty sure the systems in indigenous communities were diverse (and they still are, at many places). permalink fedilink source parent
[–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago (1 child) No, ancient tribes were not soviets. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 1 point 4 months ago They sort of were. They just didn't have a word for it. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] SalamenceFury@piefed.social 1 point 4 months ago They sort of were. They just didn't have a word for it. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago* Yes, not at large scales. There are too many people around nowadays for something like this to work. permalink fedilink source parent