What Are the Differences Between Socialism, Marxism, Stalinism, Leninism, and Communism?
So close yet so different
In political philosophy, there are so many doctrines, dogmas, ideologies that seem very similar but nonetheless are considered different movements because of their subtle differences. Let us examine the intricate differences between socialism, Marxism, Stalinism, Leninism, and communism in order to obtain a better understanding of one of the most interesting themes in politics.
Marxism is a philosophical and theoretical underpinning of socialism, Stalinism, Leninism, and communism. Proponents of all these doctrines claim to be true followers of Marx when in reality they have all perverted the true meaning of Marxism.
Socialism is based on the idea of equality and justice. Socialists think that the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor is a silver bullet to the majority of society’s problems. It doesn’t promote the global proletarian revolution nor does it seek to overthrow the establishment; its proponents usually gain power through peaceful means (in fact, the 1920s conflict between socialists and communists, which some historians think contributed to the rise of fascists, was the result of the communist belief that revolution could be made only violently and not through legal democratic means, as socialists thought).
Communism is a radicalized version of socialism because, on the one hand, it maintains that equality is our primary goal, but, unlike socialists, who support all forms of property, it advocates the abolishment of private property. In addition, communists have a global vision: they aim to spread their ideology across the world with force.
Leninism is Vladimir Lenin’s (Russian revolutionary figure, founder of the Russian communism who overthrew Czar Nicolas II) practical adaptation of Marxism for overthrowing the government, and its main focus is the process of subversion and the transformation of the country into a communist society.
While Leninism focuses on the revolution and the initial period of the revolutionary rule, Stalinism is the application of communism to the realities of ruling the communist country. It aims to create a centralized economy, powerful military, omnipotent intelligence agencies, and almost Orwellian control of citizens’ actions.
If we make a comparison to physics, Marxism would be theoretical physics, Leninism — its popularized version that appeals to a large number of people, and, finally, Stalinism — engineering.
