Difference Between Marxism And Communism

Although the leaders of the Bolshevik revolution aimed to create a communist society in the USSR based on Marxism, however due to several reasons, the society (and state) they formed was different from the one envisioned by Marx. Marxism, in essence, is Karl Marx’s political ideology whereas communism is a society (and a political system) based on that ideology. The research paper explores this thesis by a comparative analysis of Marxist doctrines and its application as carried out by Lenin and his successors in the ‘Socialist’ USSR. In the above context, central questions that would be addressed would revolve around whether the communists were able to establish a classless society in the Soviet Union? Was the formation of a communist society …show more content…
‘Socialism’ is a transitory stage between capitalism and communism. The ultimate aim of a socialist state is the formation of a communist society. The primary difference between socialism and communism is that the former is a dictatorship of the ‘proletariat’ while the latter is a classless society. Hence, there is a state, a political party and a controlled economy in a socialist state whereas a communist state is one where the state completely ‘withers away’ and a classless society is …show more content…
He regarded the modern state executive as, ‘“the committee for managing the common affairs of the bourgeoisie” (Marx 15) Hence, Marx envisioned a stateless society organized in such a way that every member of it can develop and use all his capabilities and powers in complete freedom and without thereby infringing the basic conditions of this society (Marx 37). Marx, however, approves of an intermediary stage between capitalism and communism i.e. Socialism. Marx says, “The development of the masses cannot he ordered by decree. It is determined by the development of the conditions in which these masses live, and therefore proceeds gradually (Marx