Communism is a political and economic ideology that aims for a classless society in which the means of production are owned and controlled collectively, with private property largely eliminated. In practice, it has been associated with centralized planning, state ownership of key industries, and a single-party political system in many historical implementations. Key points (simple, direct):
- Goal: a classless society where wealth and production are shared rather than privately owned.
- Means of production: owned communally or by the state on behalf of the people.
- Property: private ownership of productive assets is minimized or abolished in favor of collective ownership.
- Political aspect: often linked to a one-party system or strong state control aimed at achieving economic equality.
- Historical examples: various 20th-century states labeled as communist (e.g., the Soviet Union, Maoist China) pursued centralized planning and state ownership; some countries today describe themselves as socialist or communist in ideology but have mixed economies.
If you’d like, this can be broken down further into:
- Origins and core texts (e.g., Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels; The Communist Manifesto)
- How communism differs from socialism and capitalism
- Pros and criticisms
- Real-world implementations and their outcomes
Would you prefer a concise definition only, or a brief comparison with capitalism and socialism?
