Socialism vs Communism: Key Differences Explained
How Socialism and Communism differ, using sourced definitions and each model’s estimated position on the Atlas’s nine political dimensions.
Definitions
Socialism
Socialism is a political and economic system in which the major means of production, such as land, natural resources and factories, are owned or controlled collectively rather than mainly by private individuals or companies. Its aim is for members of society to share economic resources and wealth more fairly.
Source: Britannica: Socialism
Communism
Socialism is a political and economic system in which the major means of production, such as land, natural resources and factories, are owned or controlled collectively rather than mainly by private individuals or companies. Its aim is for members of society to share economic resources and wealth more fairly.
Source: Britannica: Socialism
Side by side on the Atlas maps
| Dimension | Socialism | Communism | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 32 | 32 | 0 |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 41 | 41 | 0 |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 40 | 40 | 0 |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 32 | 32 | 0 |
Socialism is shown as the average of the 24 socialist-family ideologies on the Atlas (including communism itself), because the Atlas has no single “socialism” model.
Map scores are estimates on the Atlas’s scale and can be debated. Read the full pages for Socialism and Communism.