As part of the health care debate, the words socialism, Communism, Fascism and Nazism are often used to describe certain proposals. In many cases it seems like these words are used interchangeably, despite the fact that they have very different meanings. What do the words socialism, communism, fascism and Nazism actually mean, and where did they come from?

The concept of socialism has been around since the 1800s. In its ultimate form, it means that the community (usually expressed as the community’s government) controls every aspect of the economy. Therefore all land, factories, farm machinery, etc. are owned by the community rather than privately. However, there are many degrees of socialism.

In the United States, for example, there are many organizations that can be described as socialist. The postal service, police and fire departments, public schools, etc. are owned and managed by the community, in the form of local or national governments. These organizations sometimes stand alongside private enterprises that deliver identical services. For example, FedEx and UPS deliver letters and packages just like the postal service does. People are free to choose between private schools and the public school system. Many businesses, schools, hospitals, airports, etc. have private police forces. This kind of socialism is routine and seems to be acceptable to a large majority of U.S. citizens.

The word communism, with a lower-case “c”, means approximately the same thing as socialism. Its foundation is communal ownership. The word Communism, with a capital “C”, adds a single-party, totalitarian system of government to socialism. There was a time in the latter part of the twentieth century when up to a third of the world population lived under the Communist system. Today the Communist Party of China is the largest remaining presence of the Communist system.

When people talk about Marxism, they are talking about forms of government derived from the writings of Karl Marx. Marx was a critic of the capitalistic system, especially the capitalistic system born out of the industrial revolution, seeing it as a system that exploits workers and benefits the wealthy. Marx felt that a socialistic system, brought to its highest level, would eliminate the ideas of class, state and religion. He believed that workers, through revolution, could take control from the wealthy and achieve the dream of communism.

Fascism is something altogether different. Fascism originated in Italy under Benito Mussolini during World War I. It sees both capitalism and communism as incorrect. Fascism uses a totalitarian government to implement the “Third Way”, where the state controls corporations.

Fascism in Italy began to look remarkably like a dictatorship under Mussolini. It was accompanied by a number of atrocities that included the sometimes brutal suppression of all criticism. A powerful form of nationalism was also a big part of fascism.

Nazism was essentially the German version of Italian Fascism, with Adolf Hitler acting as the dictator in this case. Nazism under Hitler added components such as racism and antisemitism, along with world domination, to the mix. Like Italian Fascism, the German version sought the “Third Way” economically, with the state owning all means of production. The German version also included powerful nationalism.

Nazism became whatever Adolf Hitler said it was, and ultimately led to World War II after Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Nazism and Fascism took a nosedive when World War II ended.

To summarize, socialism in its fundamental form means community ownership. Socialism is practiced to varying degrees throughout the world, including the United States. When you visit the post office or pull your mail out of the mailbox, you are participating in a type of socialism. Most people seem to consider socialism harmless, and often beneficial (for example, when your house is on fire). Communism is socialism combined with a single-party government that controls most aspects of the economy and society. China is the best example of Communism today, although it has successfully adopted some capitalistic principles to improve its economy. Fascism and Nazism are dictatorships with brutal, racist, nationalistic, world-dominating tendencies.

See also: How the public option works