Socialism to communism is meant to be the trajectory, socialism meaning working class control of the economy/ society which leads to communism, communism meaning a classless society, forget what you were taught about the USSR being communist it wasn't for many reasons two of which I'll go into no.1 there was a bureaucratic caste above everyone and no.2 the USSR had to compete in trading with the rest of the capitalist world selling and buying from capitalists in other countries suiting the capitalist's interest instead of worker's. Stalinists program of socialism in one country is an oxymoron because these systems flourish on an international scale and definitely not in a backward poor country like Russia. It was a worker's state in the Trotsky and Lenin era but they were holding the fort for the revolution to spread to richer countries so socialism could be started.

@Ian-Duggan My impression of socialism is the government providing programs that aid it's citizens (we the people should mean we all support each other through our government). National health care is a product of socialism. Countries have different levels of socialism Europe being a lot higher level than we are.
Whenever there is a program (that takes additional taxes) conservative get upset and immediately call it socialism. I support higher taxes if they are used to provide additional support for the citizens.

@JackPedigo Nationalisation has nothing to do with socialism if the means of production aren't owned by the working class.

@Ian-Duggan As I said, my impression. Having lived in Europe for 15 years I constantly heard the term as being a more socialistic state. There the governments have more control over business and enforce fair business practices. Also, who are the working class? Blue, White or some particular color collar?
I think anything that is about government subsidizing any social issue is deemed socialism by the conservatives. They are the me and mine party.

@Ian-Duggan I read an editorial in the paper about this very issue. [limaohio.com]
I joined this site not only to give information and opinions I also want to learn and this was a learning lesson for me. There is a big difference between socialism and social democracy and I now see this. Unfortunately, I think too many of us don't understand those differences, I didn't. Thanks for the remarks and lesson.

@JackPedigo the working class are about the bottom 90% in any given country this is why I don't trust upper middle class fake left with slogans such as "we are the 99%" and "people power" which lead to class collaboration with these petit bourgeois forces ( upper middle class) who have their own class interest which aligns with capitalism, the working class are the only class raised through capitalism without a stake in the system and as such are revolutionary and the gravediggers of capitalism.

Northern Europe isn't socialist