Here is a better explanation:
The Difference Between Socialism and Communism
Socialism is liberal. More people (preferably everyone) have some say in how the economy works. Democracy is liberal. More people (preferably everyone) have some say in how the government works. "Democracy," said Marx, "is the road to socialism." He was wrong about how economics and politics interact, but he did see their similar underpinnings.
Communism is conservative. Fewer and fewer people (preferably just the Party Secretary) have any say in how the economy works. Republicans are conservative. Fewer and fewer people (preferably just people controlling the Party figurehead) have any say in how the government works. The conservatives in the US are in the same position as the communists in the 30s, and for the same reason: Their revolutions failed spectacularly but they refuse to admit what went wrong.
A common mistake is to confuse Socialism, the economic system, with Communism, the political system. Communists are "socialist" in the same way that Republicans are "compassionate conservatives". That is, they give lip service to ideals they have no intention of practicing.
While not all conservatives are authoritarians; all highly authoritarian personalities are political conservatives.
Robert Altmeyer - The Authoritarians
Exactly the kind of bogus post one would expect of a Leftist/socialist/communist/progressive/Democrat....i.e., you.
The truth hurts doesn't it PC?
What Mao Zedong said about liberalism
Conservatives like to suggest that communism, socialism and liberalism are the same thing. According to Wikipedia:
Communism is a sociopolitical structure that aims for a classless and stateless society with the communal ownership of property.
Socialism is an economic and political theory based on public or common ownership and cooperative management of the means of production and allocation of resources.
Liberalism (from the Latin liberalis, "of freedom" is the belief in the importance of liberty and equality. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but most liberals support such fundamental ideas as constitutions, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights, capitalism, free trade, and the separation of church and state.
Most social scientists consider communism to be a political system while socialism is an economic system. Capitalism is to fascism is what socialism is to communism. In the real world, most country's have mixed economic systems that have both elements of capitalism and socialism.
Of interest, liberal ideas actually developed before conservative ideas.
Is liberalism like socialism and communism? The great Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, didn't think so.
"Liberalism is extremely harmful in a revolutionary collective. It is a corrosive which eats away unity, undermines cohesion, causes apathy and creates dissension.
It robs the revolutionary ranks of compact organization and strict discipline, prevents policies from being carried through and alienates the Party organizations from the masses which the Party leads.
Combat Liberalism - Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung
and Socialist coeditor Leo Huberman were asked to explain the difference between Socialism and Communism, they gave the following response:
