There are similarities between socialism and communism. As a matter of fact, both are basically economic philosophies promoting public rather than private ownership of property and the way money is made in a society. Both systems try to fix the problems they see are created by a capitalist system. They are both, at least in theory, designed to reduce the widening gap between the rich and poor. Socialism emerged in response to the extreme economic and social inequities created as a result of the Industrial Revolution. It was not uncommon to see workers growing poorer while factory owners and other industrialists accrued massive wealth. Early socialist thinkers like Henri de Saint-Simon, Robert Owen, and Charles Fourier presented models for reorganizing society along the lines of cooperation and community, rather than the competition inherent in capitalism, where the free market controlled the supply and demand of goods. Then, came Karl Marx a German political philosopher and economist who became one of the most influential socialist thinkers in history. With his collaborator Friedrich Engels, he published The Communist Manifesto which included a chapter criticizing earlier socialist models as unrealistic “utopian” dreams. Marx argued that all history was a history of class struggles, and that the working class (proletariat) would inevitably triumph over the capital class (bourgeoisie) and win control over the means of production, forever erasing all classes. Communism, which is defined by Marx’s theories, is socialism taken to the extreme. In fact, Marxists often refer to socialism as the first, and necessary, step from capitalism to communism. Marxism predicted that one day the workers would rise and overthrow the owners for good. From their perspective history is replete with the struggles between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Theoretically, under communism, there is no such thing as private property. All property is communally owned, and each person receives a portion based on what they need. A strong central government—the state—controls all aspects of economic production, and provides citizens with their basic necessities, including food, housing, medical care and education, in theory. By contrast, under socialism, individuals can still own property. But industrial production, or the chief means of generating wealth, is communally owned and managed by a democratically elected government. Another key difference between socialism and communism is the means of achieving them. In communism, a violent revolution between the is seen as an inevitable part of achieving a pure communist state. Socialism is a less rigid, more flexible ideology. Its adherents seek change and reform through democratic processes within the existing social and political structure, not overthrowing that structure. In his 1875 writing, Critique of the Gotha Program, Marx wrote: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” By contrast, the idea of socialism is that people will be compensated based on their level of individual contribution to the economy. A socialist economic system rewards individual effort and innovation. It’s important to note that neither socialism or communism have existed in their purest state. Neither has their economic rival theory capitalism.