Communism is a political and economic system that seeks to create a classless society in which the major means of production, such as mines and factories, are owned and controlled by the public. There is no government or private property or currency, and the wealth is divided among citizens equally or according to individual need. Many of communism’s tenets derive from the works of German revolutionary Karl Marx , who (with Friedrich Engels ) wrote The Communist Manifesto (1848). However, over the years others have made contributions—or corruptions, depending on one’s perspective—to Marxist thought. Perhaps the most influential changes were proposed by Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin , who notably supported authoritarianism .

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communism

Q: Which countries are communist?

At one time about one-third of the world's population lived under communist governments, most notably in the republics of the Soviet Union . Today communism is the official form of government in only five countries: China , North Korea , Laos , Cuba , and Vietnam . However, none of these meet the true definition of communism. Instead, they can be said to be in a transitional stage between the end of capitalism and the establishment of communism. Such a phase was outlined by Karl Marx , and it came to include the creation of a dictatorship of the proletariat . While all five countries have authoritarian governments, their commitment to abolishing capitalism is debatable.

Q: What are the origins of communism?

Although the term communism did not come into use until the 1840s, societies that may be considered communist were described as long ago as the 4th century BCE, when Plato wrote the Republic . That work described an ideal society in which the governing class devotes itself to serving the interests of the whole community. The first Christians practiced a simple form of communism, and in Utopia (1516) the English humanist Thomas More described an imaginary society in which money is abolished and people share meals, houses, and other goods in common. However, communism is most widely identified with Karl Marx , who outlined the system with Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifesto (1848). Marx’s embrace of communism was motivated in part by the inequities caused by the Industrial Revolution .

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Written by Terence Ball, Richard DaggerSee All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 11, 2024 • Article History

Karl Marx

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Category: History & Society

Key People:: Vladimir Lenin; Mao Zedong; Joseph Stalin; Nikita Khrushchev; Leon Trotsky

Related Topics:: National Communism; Eurocommunism; democratic centralism; primitive communism; anarcho-communism

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What is communism?

Which countries are communist?

How is communism different from socialism?

What are the origins of communism?

communism, political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production (e.g., mines, mills, and factories) and the natural resources of a society. Communism is thus a form of socialism—a higher and more advanced form, according to its advocates. Exactly how communism differs from socialism has long been a matter of debate, but the distinction rests largely on the communists’ adherence to the revolutionary socialism of Karl Marx. (Read Leon Trotsky’s 1926 Britannica essay on Lenin.) Like most writers of the 19th ...(100 of 5426 words)

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