Communism what is the definition

More Definitions for communism. Nglish: Translation of communism for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: Translation of communism for Arabic Speakers.

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Essential Meaning of communism. Full Definition of communism. Frequently Asked Questions About communism What is the difference between communism and socialism? What exactly is communism?

What countries are communist? Examples of communism in a Sentence On one side stood Hitler, fascism, the myth of German supremacy; on the other side stood Stalin, communism , and the international proletarian revolution. In Lawrence, Kansas, people felt the cold war as something real and very close. The transition to such a system is often thought to involve the elimination of capitalist society and the introduction of a one-party state that is supposed to ensure that everyone has equal wealth and equal access to any of the things that they need.

However, there are many varying interpretations as to what communism truly entails, and many common misconceptions related to it. Communism is often compared to or confused with socialism. Communism is based on socialism and is often seen as an extreme or the ultimate form of it.

Socialism is also based on community ownership of the means of production , often in the form of a centralized government. However, individuals can own the products created by the community. Communism, on the other hand, is generally based on the elimination of private property. Politically, Communism does not allow for a democratic form of government. Communism is associated with and often developed from the theoretical system of Marxism , in which socialism is considered a middle stage in the transition from capitalism to communism.

Communism is a controversial and divisive concept and practice, and it has had a significant and lasting impact on modern history and global politics. The first records of the word communism come from around Radical socialists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels heavily influenced the modern understanding of communism.

Specifically, their book The Communist Manifesto influenced many political thinkers and leaders. Communism is associated with violent revolution, which many communists view as necessary to end capitalist systems they view as unjust.

All of the above examples of Communist leaders are associated with such revolutions. They are also associated with their oppressive regimes, which are often cited as examples of the dangers of communism by those who oppose it. Relatedly, communism is often viewed as the opposite of capitalism. The clash between Communist nations and those that oppose Communism has led to wide scale conflicts, notably the Cold War. Communism has historically been associated with the color red.

Communist parties have often used red flags. This association has led to use of the word Red to describe things involving communism including, sometimes, in a derogatory way by those who oppose it.

Historians and economists debate about what societies and systems constitute examples of Communism. Publications Pages Publications Pages. Recently viewed 0 Save Search. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Subscriber sign in You could not be signed in, please check and try again.

Username Please enter your Username. Password Please enter your Password. The rise of factories, the reliance on machines, and the capability of mass production created conditions that promoted oppression and encouraged the development of a proletariat, or a working class.

Simply put, in a capitalist system, the factories fueled the economy, and a wealthy few owned the factories. This created the need for a large number of people to work for the factory owners. In this environment, the wealthy few exploited the laborers, who had to labor in order to live.

So, Marx outlined his plan to liberate the proletariat, or to free them of the burden of labor. His idea of utopia was a land where people labored as they were able, and everyone shared the wealth. If the government controlled the economy and the people relinquished their property to the state, no single group of people could rise above another. Marx described this ideal in his Manifesto, but the practice of communism fell far short of the ideal. For a large part of the 20th century, about one-third of the world lived in communist countries—countries ruled by dictatorial leaders who controlled the lives of everyone else.

The communist leaders set the wages, they set the prices, and they distributed the wealth. Western capitalist nations fought hard against communism, and eventually, most communist countries collapsed. However, as of , five proclaimed communist countries continue to exist: North Korea, Vietnam, China, Cuba, and Laos. Photograph by J. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society.