1. Defining Capitalism, Communism, Fascism, Socialism
Caveat: There are some inherent pitfalls trying to offer simple, bite sized definitions of
capitalism, socialism, communism and fascism – the first being that these are complex concepts
concerning both economics and government, so short definitions will be incomplete; the second
being that these concepts are not always mutually exclusive (most modern states combine
elements of more than one); the third being that historical states defined the terms differently;
and finally, some of the terms refer strictly to economic systems (capitalism) while others
(fascism) also refer to government and economic systems (communism and fascism).
For a point of reference, the United States is a Constitutional Democratic Republic that has long
embraced both capitalism (free markets) and socialism (public schools and universities, and
public works – parks, roads and highways, sewer and water, dams, harbors, as well as social
welfare, such as worker’s comp, unemployment insurance, social security etc.).
Capitalism
In common usage, the word capitalism means an economic system in which all or most of
the means ofproduction are privately owned and operated, and the investment ofcapital and
the production, distribution and pricesofcommodities (goods and services)are determined
mainly in a free market, rather than by the state. In capitalism, the means of production are
generally operated for profit.
In a purely capitalist economy, there would be no public schools, no state owned or
maintained roads and highways, public works, welfare, unemployment insurance,
workers compensation, Social Security benefits etc.
Socialism
Most generally, socialism refers to state ownership of common property, or
state ownership of the means of production. A purely socialist state would
be one in which the state owns and operates the means of production.
However, nearly all modern capitalist countries combine socialism and
capitalism.
The University of Idaho, and any other public school or university, is a
“socialist” institutions, and those who attend it or work for it are partaking in
socialism, because it is owned and operated by the state of Idaho. The same is
true of federal and state highways, federal and state parks, harbors etc.

2. Communism
Most generally, communism refers to community ownership of property,
with the end goal being complete social equality via economic equality.
Communism is generally seen by communist countries as an idealized
utopian economic and social state that the country as a whole is working
toward; that is to say that pure communism is the ideal that the People’s
Republic of China is (was?) working toward. Such an ideal often justifies
means (such as authoritarianism or totalitariansim) that are not themselves
communist ideals.
Fundamentally, communism argues that all labor belongs to the individual
laborer; no man can own another man's body, and therefore each man owns
his own labor. In this model all "profit" actually belongs in part to the laborer,
not, or not just, those who control the means of production, such as the
business or factory owner. Profit that is not shared with the laborer, therefore,
is considered inherently exploitive.
Fascism
The word descends from the Latin ‘fasces’, the bundle of sticks used by the Romans to
symbolize their empire. This should clue you in that Fascism attempts to recapture
both the glory and social organization of Rome.
Most generally, “a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly
suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and
emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.”
Unlike communism, fascism is opposed to state ownership ofcapital and economic equality
is not a principle or goal. During the 1930s and WWII, communism and fascism represented
the extreme left and right, respectively, in European politics. Hitler justified both Nazi anti-
Semitism and dictatorship largely on the basis of his working to fight-off communism.
The church also played a major role in all of the European fascist countries (Germany, Italy,
Spain, Portugal) as the authority on religious and moral issues, which was opposed to the threat
of "godless communists".
Mussolini, the Italian father of Fascism, writes that: “..Fascism [is] the
complete opposite of…Marxian Socialism, the materialist conception of

3. history of human civilization can be explained simply through the conflict of
interests among the various social groups and by the change and
development in the means and instruments of production.... Fascism, now
and always, believes in holiness and in heroism; that is to say, in actions
influenced by no economic motive, direct or indirect. And if the economic
conception of history be denied, according to which theory men are no more
than puppets, carried to and fro by the waves of chance, while the real
directing forces are quite out of their control, it follows that the existence of an
unchangeable and unchanging class-war is also denied - the natural progeny
of the economic conception of history. And above all Fascism denies that
class-war can be the preponderant force in the transformation of society....
After Socialism, Fascism combats the whole complex system of democratic
ideology, and repudiates it, whether in its theoretical premises or in its
practical application. Fascism denies that the majority, by the simple fact that
it is a majority, can direct human society; it denies that numbers alone can
govern by means of a periodical consultation, and it affirms the immutable,
beneficial, and fruitful inequality of mankind, which can never be
permanently leveled through the mere operation of a mechanical process
such as universal suffrage....”
A Note On Morality: Capitalism and socialism are essentially a-moral* terms: they
simply refer to economic systems – who owns what and how capital is exchanged –
regardless of any other type of moral principle or goal. Communism and fascism, on
the other hand, refer to both economics, governance, and basic moral principles: that is
to say they refer to overarching ideas about how people should live (rather than
describing how people do business), so they imply a total ideology: a morality, an
economy, a government.
* A-moral simply means neither moral or immoral. A rock is a-moral. Driving a car
is usually a-moral. Killing someone with a rock is usually a-moral. Driving drunk
is immoral.

4. Islamism (Islam+ -ism) or political Islam (Arabic: ‫سالم‬ ‫إ‬ ‫سساسس‬Islām siyāsī; or ‫سة‬ ‫سالم‬ ‫اإل‬ al-
Islāmīyah) is a set of ideologies holding that "Islamshould guide social and political as well as
personal life".[1] "Islamism" is a controversial neologism whose definition sometimes varies (see
next section). Islamists can have varying interpretations on various Quranic suras and ayahs.
Islamist views emphasize the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law); of pan-Islamic political
unity; and of the selective removal of non-Muslim, particularly Western military, economic,
political, social, or cultural influences in the Muslim world that they believe to be incompatible
with Islam.[2] Some observers[who?] suggest Islamism's tenets are less strict, and can be defined
as a form of identity politics or "support for [Muslim] identity, authenticity, broader
regionalism, revivalism, [and] revitalization of the community".[3] Following theArab Spring,
political Islamhas been described as "increasingly interdependent" with political democracy.[4]
Islamists[5] generally oppose the use of the term, claiming that their political beliefs and goals
are simply an expression of Islamic religious belief. Similarly, some experts[who?] favor the term
activist Islam,[6][7] or political Islam,[8] and some[who?] have equated the term militant Islamwith
Islamism.[9]

5. Comparison chart
Communism Socialism
Philosophy
From each according to his ability,
to each according to his needs.
Free-access to the articles of
consumption is made possible by
advances in technology that allow
for super-abundance.
From each according to his ability,
to each according to his
contribution. Emphasis on profit
being distributed among the
society or workforce to
complement individual
wages/salaries.
Economic
System
The means of production are held
in common, negating the concept
of ownership in capital goods.
Production is organized to provide
for human needs directly without
any use for money. Communism is
predicated upon a condition of
material abundance.
The means of production are
owned by public enterprises or
cooperatives, and individuals are
compensated based on the
principle of individual contribution.
Production may variously be
coordinated through either
economic planning or markets.
Religion
Abolished - all religious and
metaphysics is rejected.
Freedom of religion, but usually
promotes secularism.
Political
System
Usually takes the form of
totalitarianism as Marx described in
The Communist Manifesto.
Cronyism common.
Can coexist with different political
systems. Most socialists advocate
participatory democracy, some
(Social Democrats) advocate
parliamentary democracy, and
Marxist-Leninists advocate
"Democratic centralism".
Ideas
All people are the same and
therefore classes make no sense.
The government should own all
means of production and land and
also everything else. People should
work for the government and the
collective output should be
redistributed equally.
All individuals should have access
to basic articles of consumption
and public goods to allow for self-
actualization. Large-scale industries
are collective efforts and thus the
returns from these industries must
benefit society as a whole.
Definition International theory or systemof A theory or system of social

6. Communism Socialism
social organization based on the
holding of all property in common,
with actual ownership ascribed to
the community or state. Rejection
of free markets and extreme
distrust of Capitalismin any form.
organization based on the holding
of most property in common, with
actual ownership ascribed to the
workers.
Key
Proponents
Karl Marx, Fredrich Engels, Vladimir
Lenin, Leon Trotsky.
Robert Owen, Pierre Leroux, Karl
Marx, Fredrick Engels, John Stuart
Mill, Albert Einstein, George
Bernard Shaw, Thorstein Veblen,
Emma Goldman.
Social
Structure
All class distinctions are eliminated. Class distinctions are diminished.
Economic
coordination
Economic planning coordinates all
decisions regarding investment,
production and resource allocation.
Planning is done in terms of
physical units instead of money.
Planned-Socialism relies principally
on planning to determine
investment and production
decisions. Planning may be
centralized or decentralized.
Market-socialismrelies on markets
for allocating capital to different
socially-owned enterprises.
Private
Property
Abolished. The concept of property
is negated and replaced with the
concept of commons and
ownership with "usership".
Two kinds of property, personal
property, such as houses, clothing,
etc. owned by the individual. Public
property includes factories, and
means of production owned by the
state but with worker control.
Political
movements
Leninism, Trotskyism, Marxism-
Leninism, Maoism, Left-
Communism, Stalinism.
Democratic Socialism, Communism,
Libertarian Socialism, Anarchism,
Syndicalism.
Free Choice
Either the collective "vote" or the
state's rulers make economic and
political decisions for everyone
else.
All choices, including education,
religion, employment and
marriage, are up to the individual.
All health care and education is
provided through a socialized

7. Communism Socialism
system funded by taxation. Citizens
have free and equal access.
Key elements
Centralized government, planned
economy, dictatorship of the
"proletariat", common ownership
of the tools of production, no
private property. equality between
genders and all people,
international focus. anti-
democratic. One party system.
Economic activity and production
especially are adjusted to meet
human needs and economic
demands. "Production for use":
useful goods and services are
produced specifically for their
usefulness.
Way of Change
Government in a Communist-state
is the agent of change rather than
any market or desire on the part of
consumers. Change by government
can be swift or slow, depending on
change in ideology or even whim.
Workers in a Socialist-state are the
agent of change rather than any
market or desire on the part of
consumers. Change by the workers
can be swift or slow, depending on
change in ideology or even whim.
Discrimination
In theory, all members of the state
are considered equal.
The people are considered equal,
laws are made when necessary to
protect people from discrimination.
Ownership
structure
The means of production are
commonly-owned, meaning no
entity or individual owns productive
property. Importance is ascribed to
"usership" over "ownership".
The means of production are
socially-owned with the surplus
value produced accruing to either
all of society (in Public-ownership
models) or to all the employee-
members of the enterprise (in
Cooperative-ownership models).
Examples
Ideally, there is no leader; the
people govern directly. This has
never been actually practiced, and
has just used a one-party system.
Examples 0f Communist states are
the erstwhile Soviet Union, Cuba
and North Korea.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR): Although the actual
categorization of the USSR's
economic systemis in dispute, it is
often considered to be a form of
centrally-planned socialism.

8. Capitalism is an economic system in which trade, industry, and the means of production are
largely or entirely privately owned and operated for profit.[1][2] Central characteristics of
capitalisminclude capital accumulation, competitive markets and wage labour.[3] In a capitalist
economy, the parties to a transaction typically determine the prices at which assets, goods, and
services are exchanged.[4]
The degree of competition, role of intervention and regulation, and scope of public ownership
varies across different models of capitalism.[5] Economists, political economists,
and historianshave taken different perspectives in their analysis of capitalismand recognized
various forms of it in practice. These includelaissez-faire capitalism, welfare capitalism, crony
capitalism andstate capitalism; each highlighting varying degrees of dependency on markets,
public ownership, and inclusion of social policies. The extent to which different markets are
free, as well as the rules defining private property, is a matter of politics and policy. Many
states have what are termed capitalist mixed economies, referring to a mix
between planned and market-driven elements.[6]Capitalismhas existed under many forms of
government, in many different times, places, and cultures.[7] Following the demise offeudalism,
capitalismbecame the dominant economic systemin the Western world.
Capitalismwas carried across the world by broader processes ofglobalization such
as imperialism and, by the end of the nineteenth century, became the
dominant global economic system, in turn intensifying processes of economic and other
globalization.[8] Later, in the 20th century, capitalismovercame a challenge by centrally-planned
economies and is now theencompassing system worldwide,[9][10] with the mixed economybeing
its dominant form in the industrialized Western world. Barry Gills and Paul James write:
“ The process remains uneven, but notwithstanding the continuing importance of
national and regional economies today, global capitalismis undoubtedly the dominant
framework of economics in the world. There are many debates about what this means,
but across the political spectrum ‘capitalism’ has become the taken-for-granted way of
naming the economic pattern that weaves together the current dominant modes of
production and exchange.[11] ”
Different economic perspectives emphasize specific elements of capitalismin their preferred
definition. Laissez-faire and liberaleconomists emphasize the degree to which government does
not have control over markets and the importance of property rights.[12][13] Neoclassicaland
Keynesian macro-economists emphasize the need for government regulation to
preventmonopolies and to soften the effects of the boom and bustcycle.[14] Marxian economists
emphasize the role of capital accumulation, exploitation and wage labor. Most political
economists emphasize private property as well, in addition topower relations, wage
labor, class, and the uniqueness of capitalismas a historical formation.[6]

9. Proponents of capitalismargue that it creates more prosperity than any other economic
system, and that its benefits are mainly to the ordinary person.[15] Critics of capitalismvariously
associate it with economic instability,[16] an inability to provide for the well-being of all
people,[17] and an unsustainable danger to the natural environment.[18] Socialists maintain that,
although capitalismis superior to all previously existing economic systems (such as feudalismor
slavery), the contradiction between class interests will only be resolved by advancing into a
completely social systemof production and distribution in which all persons have an equal
relationship to the means of production.[19]
The term capitalism, in its modern sense, is often attributed to Karl Marx.[7][20] In his magnum
opus Capital, Marx analysed the "capitalist mode of production" using a method of
understanding today known as Marxism. However, Marx himself rarely used the term
“capitalism”, while it was used twice in the more political interpretations of his work, primarily
authored by his collaboratorFriedrich Engels. In the 20th century defenders of the capitalist
system often replaced the term capitalism with phrases such asfree enterprise and private
enterprise and replaced capitalist withrentier and investor in reaction to the negative
connotations associated with capitalism.[21]
Islamism (Islam+ -ism) or political Islam (Arabic: ‫سالم‬ ‫إ‬ ‫سساسس‬Islām siyāsī; or ‫سة‬ ‫سالم‬ ‫اإل‬ al-
Islāmīyah) is a set of ideologies holding that "Islamshould guide social and political as well as
personal life".[1] "Islamism" is a controversial neologism whose definition sometimes varies (see
next section). Islamists can have varying interpretations on various Quranic suras and ayahs.
Islamist views emphasize the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law); of pan-Islamic political
unity; and of the selective removal of non-Muslim, particularly Western military, economic,
political, social, or cultural influences in the Muslim world that they believe to be incompatible
with Islam.[2] Some observers[who?] suggest Islamism's tenets are less strict, and can be defined
as a form of identity politics or "support for [Muslim] identity, authenticity, broader
regionalism, revivalism, [and] revitalization of the community".[3] Following theArab Spring,
political Islamhas been described as "increasingly interdependent" with political democracy.[4]
Islamists[5] generally oppose the use of the term, claiming that their political beliefs and goals
are simply an expression of Islamic religious belief. Similarly, some experts[who?] favor the term
activist Islam,[6][7] or political Islam,[8] and some[who?] have equated the term militant Islamwith
Islamism.[9]
Central and prominent figures of modern Islamisminclude Ata Abu Rashta, Sayyid Qutb, Hasan
al-Banna, Abul Ala Maududi[10]and Ruhollah Khomeini.[11] Other important figures who inspired
various Islamist movements are Jamal-al-Din al-Afghani,Muhammad 'Abduh, Rashid
Rida, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Asad, Said Nursî, Taqiuddin al-Nabhani, Ali
Shariati, Navvab Safavi, Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Rashid al-Ghannushi.