Why do people confuse socialism with communism?

The terms “socialist” and “communist” are often confused, thanks in large part to the Cold War. Layer on top of that the nuance of the term “democratic socialist,” which is how Sanders describes himself, and it's easy to see why people might generally be confused. read more

Because certain political factions have a vested interest in fomenting opposition to social programs. If they can convince people that supporting social programs equals being socialist, and that socialism equals communism, they can use the slippery-slope rationale to oppose social programs. read more

Socialism is more the middle ground between Capitalism and Communism, but governments don’t necessarily have to cross through it to go from capitalism to communism or the other way around. The chart is correct, though it’s still a common misconception that socialism is “on the road” to communism. read more

socialism & communism = bad: Russia will destroy us all being a favorite statement capitalism & democracy = good: Somehow I missed the part about the societal infrastructure being provided by capitalism, like roads, water, electricity, sewer, gas. read more