Socialism isn't the transitional stage between communism and capitalism, it's the transitional stage between either capitalism or communism and what comes next.
What comes next is either more socialism, or some other form of government with various things in common to previous forms but different in new and interesting ways.
Governments that started off communist have moved towards socialism. Governments that started off capitalist have moved towards socialism.
Pure capitalism or communism fail for many reasons, not least of which is human fallibility. Also, as ideologies go they both have faults that make them impractical and unobtainable in the real world.
Socialism is communism with managers and intrinsic protection of the minorities. Socialism is capitalism with a conscience and intrinsic protection of the poor.
If you live somewhere where you pay taxes that go to paying for things like roads, schools, garbage collection and so forth then you're living somewhere socialist, not capitalist. If you live somewhere where you can become a manager and direct the means of production so it is more productive than if you had merely helped produce directly then you're living somewhere socialist, not communist.
Facts: The USA feared the USSR as it was the only super-power big enough and unfriendly enough to compete. Fear helps keep a populace under control. The easiest way to demonise the USSR was to highlight the ideological and political differences, hence the Red Scare. Communism isn't inherently "evil", neither is capitalism, they just fail in the real world.
Socialism isn't the transitional stage between communism and capitalism, it's the transitional stage between either capitalism or communism and what comes next.
What comes next is either more socialism, or some other form of government with various things in common to previous forms but different in new and interesting ways.
Governments that started off communist have moved towards socialism.
Governments that started off capitalist have moved towards socialism.
Pure capitalism or communism fail for many reasons, not least of which is human fallibility. Also, as ideologies go they both have faults that make them impractical and unobtainable in the real world.
Socialism is communism with managers and intrinsic protection of the minorities.
Socialism is capitalism with a conscience and intrinsic protection of the poor.
If you live somewhere where you pay taxes that go to paying for things like roads, schools, garbage collection and so forth then you're living somewhere socialist, not capitalist.
If you live somewhere where you can become a manager and direct the means of production so it is more productive than if you had merely helped produce directly then you're living somewhere socialist, not communist.
Facts:
The USA feared the USSR as it was the only super-power big enough and unfriendly enough to compete.
Fear helps keep a populace under control.
The easiest way to demonise the USSR was to highlight the ideological and political differences, hence the Red Scare.
Communism isn't inherently "evil", neither is capitalism, they just fail in the real world.
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As far as I can tell there has never been true capitalism or communism in history, although some regimes have come close.
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