According to Kari Marx, socialism is the prelude to

Karl Marx believed that socialism was a transitional stage between capitalism and communism. He argued that capitalism would eventually give way to socialism, where workers would have control over the means of production and wealth would be distributed more equally. Marx believed that socialism would create the conditions necessary for communism to emerge, which would be a classless society where everyone worked for the common good and there was no private property. So, according to Marx, socialism is the prelude to communism.