In Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck...?

Question

The government camp that the Joads stay in. Would that be considered socialist or communist? The difference between the two is unclear to me. Help appreciated. Gracias.

Answer 1

The following are definitions and a comparison of communism and socialism:

"Communism is the idea of a free society with no division or alienation, where mankind is free from oppression and scarcity. A communist society would have no governments, countries, or class divisions. In Marxism-Leninism, Socialism is the intermediate system between capitalism and communism, when the government is in the process of changing the means of ownership from privatism, to collective ownership."

A socialist society seems to me to be the more accurate description of the government camp in "The Grapes of Wrath". The U.S. Government was the actual owner of that camp but it was really run by the people who lived there. If it were a communist camp then the government would not be involved at all.