The word socialism and communism once meant about the same thing--a society based on public ownership of the means of production. Today, people draw sharp distinctions between the two terms.

Members of Communist parties consider socialism as a stage in the development of Communist societies. During this stage, a Communist party is in power in a country, most private property has been eliminated, and the economy is run on the basis of a national production plan. However, the nation is not yet rich enough to give its citizens all the material benefits they need, and the government must coerce (force) people to work hard for little reward. In a later stage, the nation will be wealthy enough to satisfy everyone's economic wants. That stage of development is Communism. Communists claim government coercion will disappear under Communism.

The Socialist Party has been the most successful socialist political group in the United States. The party reached its greatest strength in 1912, when it had more than 118,000 dues-paying members. In the 1912 presidential election, the Socialist candidate, Eugene V. Debs, received almost 900,000 votes. In the 1920 election, Debs received about 920,000 votes. After Deb.'s death in 1926, Norman Thomas became the party's leading spokesman. He was the party's candidate in every presidential election from 1928 through 1948.

No countries today are purely socialist. Even countries governed by Communist parties have some free enterprise, though most resources are in public hands.

Socialists disagree over how much wealth should be left in private hands and how to deprive the rich of their excess property. Many socialists call for redistribution of wealth through taxation. They favor laws to help the aged, the unemployed, disabled people, widows, dependent children, and other people in need. Many socialists believe that the government should also provide free education and medical service to everyone and should help all citizens obtain safe and sanitary housing at rents they can afford.

Socialism proposes to fulfill its aims by placing the major means of production in the hands of the people, either directly or through the government. Ownership may be by national or local government or by cooperatives. Many socialists favor a mixed economy--government ownership of basic industries and private ownership of many other businesses. The government, however, would regulate the private businesses.

Socialists believe that a country's resources should be used according to an overall economic plan formulated by manufacturers, farmers, workers, and government officials working together. By such planning, socialists hope to adjust production to the needs of the people. Although the forces of supply and demand may influence production and prices under the socialist economic plan, political authorities will make many decisions regarding how much to produce and what to charge.

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Approximate Word count = 2379
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)