socialism
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Socialism, communism, and social democracy share a concern for economic equality, but differ sharply in method and scope. Socialism advocates community or state ownership of major industries and shared distribution of wealth. Communism, in its Marxist-Leninist form, goes further by seeking to abolish private property entirely and replace the state with a classless society — in practice, this has meant one-party rule and central planning. Social democracy keeps capitalism and private ownership but uses strong government regulation, taxation, and welfare programs to reduce inequality. Collectivism is a broader cultural and philosophical concept that values group goals over individual ones; it underpins all three political systems but is not itself a political program. For example, a social democrat might support free healthcare and higher taxes on the wealthy while still working in a private-sector job, whereas a socialist would argue the hospital itself should be publicly owned.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word socialism comes from the Latin socius, meaning 'companion' or 'ally,' combined with the French suffix -isme, which forms nouns naming a doctrine or system. It was first used in the early 19th century by European thinkers who wanted to describe a new way of organising society around cooperation and shared ownership, rather than individual competition. The term was popularised in the 1830s and 1840s by followers of the French philosopher Henri de Saint-Simon and by British reformer Robert Owen, among others.