who created communism

Communism, as a modern political and economic theory, was created by the German philosopher and economist Karl Marx, together with his close collaborator Friedrich Engels, in the mid‑19th century.

The Founders: Marx and Engels

Karl Marx (1818–1883) is widely regarded as the principal founder of modern communism. While living in exile in England, he developed a systematic critique of capitalism and laid out the theory of a classless, stateless society based on common ownership of the means of production.

Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), a German industrialist and writer, was Marx’s lifelong partner in developing and promoting communist ideas. Engels provided financial support and co‑authored key works, most famously The Communist Manifesto (1848), which became the foundational text of the communist movement.

Key Texts That Defined Communism

The core ideas of modern communism were first clearly laid out in:

• The Communist Manifesto (1848), written by Marx and Engels, which called for the working class (proletariat) to overthrow the capitalist class (bourgeoisie) and establish a classless society.

• Marx’s later works, especially Das Kapital (1867), which analyzed capitalism in depth and described communism as the historical successor to capitalism after a revolutionary transition.

These texts introduced concepts like class struggle, historical materialism, and the “dictatorship of the proletariat” as steps toward a fully communist society.

Earlier Ideas of “Communism”

While Marx and Engels created the modern doctrine, earlier thinkers and communities had similar ideals:

• In the early Christian Church, some groups practiced a simple form of communal living where property was shared, which some historians describe as a primitive form of communism.

• In 1516, Thomas More’s book Utopia described an imaginary society without private property, where goods and housing were held in common.

However, these earlier visions were moral or religious ideals, not systematic political theories like Marxism.

How Communism Spread as a Movement

After Marx and Engels, later revolutionaries adapted and applied their ideas:

• In Russia, figures like Georgi Plekhanov and Vladimir Lenin developed Marxist theory into practical revolutionary strategy, leading to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the creation of the Soviet Union.

• In the 20th century, leaders such as Mao Zedong in China and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam further modified Marxism to fit their own national contexts, creating what are often called “Marxist–Leninist” or “communist” states.

So, while many people shaped communist movements and regimes, the theory itself was created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 1840s–1880s.

TL;DR
Modern communism was created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th century, especially through The Communist Manifesto (1848) and Marx’s later writings. Earlier communal ideas existed (like in early Christianity or Thomas More’s Utopia), but Marx and Engels are rightly seen as the founders of communism as a political and economic doctrine.