define communism

Communism is a political and economic ideology that aims to create a classless society in which the major means of production are commonly owned and wealth is distributed according to need, not private profit.

Quick Scoop: Define Communism

Core idea in one line

At its core, communism is about abolishing private ownership of big productive resources (like factories and mines) and replacing it with collective ownership, so no social classes exist and goods are shared based on people’s needs.

Key features

• Classless society: No division between rich owners and poor workers; everyone is formally in the same social class.

• Common ownership: Major means of production (factories, large farms, natural resources) are owned collectively by society rather than by private individuals.

• Distribution by need: In the ideal communist vision, things are allocated according to people’s needs, not their market income or wealth.

• No private property in the economic sense: Personal items remain, but private ownership of productive assets (like big businesses) is abolished.

• Goal of no state and no money (in theory): In its final form, communism imagines a society where the state “withers away,” money is unnecessary, and people coordinate production and distribution cooperatively.

Where the idea comes from

Most modern uses of “communism” trace back to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, especially to their 1848 work The Communist Manifesto , which argued that capitalism inevitably produces class conflict between owners (bourgeoisie) and workers (proletariat) and that this would lead to a revolutionary transformation into socialism and eventually communism.

• Communism is usually described as part of the broader socialist movement, sometimes framed as a more “advanced” or radical form of socialism focused on revolutionary change.

• In Marxist theory, socialism is a transitional stage where the state still exists and controls major industries, while full communism is a stateless, classless, moneyless society.

Theory vs. real-world practice

In theory, communism describes an end-state society with:

• No classes
• No private ownership of productive property
• No state, or at least a minimal one
• Distribution according to need

In practice, governments that called themselves communist in the 20th and 21st centuries typically:

• Established one-party rule led by a communist party
• Put most or all major industries under state ownership and planning
• Limited or banned political opposition and private enterprise

Critics argue that this has often produced authoritarian or totalitarian systems that concentrate power in the ruling party instead of truly empowering the whole community. Supporters respond that many of these states were transitional forms (more accurately “socialist” or “state- socialist”) rather than the final communist ideal.

Multiple viewpoints in current discussion

When people say “communism” today, they may mean different things:

1. The ideal theory
   • A stateless, classless, cooperative society with common ownership and strong equality.

2. Historical regimes
   • States like the Soviet Union, Maoist China, or others that claimed a communist goal but relied on centralized party control and state ownership.

3. A critique of capitalism
   • A framework arguing that capitalism inherently creates inequality, worker exploitation, and crises, and that a different system is needed.

Because of this, debates on forums and in current news often revolve around whether it’s fair to judge “communism” by the ideal theory, by historical regimes, or by contemporary movements that still use the label.