What is the difference between a Communist and a liberal?

A communist is from the old days, a liberal is from modern days. 

The difference is between delivering a baby and being six months pregnant - the same end result.

In practical not theoretical terms, a Communist is a wannabe totalitarian who uses the alleged equality of collectivism to recruit useful idiots to bring them to power. A Liberal is a useful idiot who might actually believe the collectivist Utopian rhetoric of the power mongers. And will be exterminated when the totalitarians obtain the power they seek. 

No one suffered greater than the Mensheviks, Viet Cong, etc. when the regime they wished to bring about met their goals and no longer needed them. Heck on the other side of the isle, the SA fared no better. 

In principle a communist would be someone who follows the philosophy of Karl Marx, and a liberal would follow the philosophy of John Locke.  The two are incompatible.  

A Communist is a follower of Marx or some other "commie philosopher" They believe in collectivism, Ownership of the means of production by "the people" which in practice means the "dictators" and not the proletariat.

Liberals: Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law. 

I hope this clears this up for you Liberals are not Communists. Most conservatives are not NAZIs.  Thanks for the fish.

the communist is just a bit further to the left, the lib hasn't made it there yet ...............

Less and less each day.