- "whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered around common ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange that allocates products to everyone in the society based on need."
This is a political belief system that seeks to eliminate private property and establish a classless society. Many Communist countries have also suppressed or banned religion.
Marx's Philosophy: Marxism is the core ideology of Communism, and understanding Marx's philosophy is crucial to understanding Communism. Marx's ideas on class struggle, exploitation, and historical materialism are fundamental to Communist thought.
Communist Manifesto: The Communist Manifesto is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848. It is the foundational text of Communism, outlining the principles and goals of Communist theory.
Leninism: Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik Party in Russia and a key figure in the establishment of the Soviet Union. His ideas on revolutionary organization, party discipline, and the role of the state in socialism are essential to understanding Communist politics.
Maoism: Mao Zedong was the founder of the People's Republic of China and a key figure in Communist theory. Maoism emphasizes the role of the peasantry in revolutionary struggle and the importance of mass mobilization.
Stalinism: Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from the 1920s until his death in 1953. Stalinism is characterized by a centralized, authoritarian state and a focus on rapid industrialization.
Dialectical Materialism: Dialectical Materialism is a philosophical concept that Marxists use to understand historical change and the relationship between ideas and material conditions.
Political Economy: The study of political economy focuses on the relationship between political and economic systems. Communist political economy emphasizes collective ownership of the means of production and the importance of planning.
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics: Socialism with Chinese Characteristics is the official ideology of the Communist Party of China. It emphasizes economic development and modernization while maintaining the authority of the Communist Party.
Cuban Revolution: The Cuban Revolution was a Marxist-Leninist revolution led by Fidel Castro in Cuba. It led to the establishment of a socialist state in Cuba and had a significant impact on Communist movements in Latin America.
Soviet Union: The Soviet Union was the first Communist state, established in 1917 after the Bolshevik Revolution. Understanding the history and politics of the Soviet Union is crucial to understanding the development of Communism as a political and economic system.
Marxism-Leninism: This is the most prominent form of Communism that arose under the Soviet Union. It follows the tenets of Marxist theory and Leninist doctrine, emphasizing the importance of a revolutionary vanguard party that will lead the working class in overthrowing the bourgeoisie.
Maoism: It is a form of Communism that emerged in China, following the ideas of its founder, Mao Zedong. It emphasizes the importance of mass organizations and the rural peasantry as the revolutionary class. Maoism advocates for a constant revolution to keep the ruling class in check.
Trotskyism: It is a form of Communism that follows the theories of Leon Trotsky. It advocates for global revolution and permanent revolution, meaning that the revolution must continuously spread globally to prevent the revival of capitalism.
Stalinism: It refers to the policies and ideologies that were propagated under Joseph Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union. It put emphasis on strong centralization of power and consolidation of state control over the means of production. Stalinism was responsible for the implementation of purges and repression of political dissidents.
Hoxhaism: This is an offshoot of Marxism-Leninism that was adopted by Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha. It emphasized the importance of state control and self-reliance while being fiercely opposed to any form of collaboration or alliance with other Communist states.
- "entail the absence of private property and social classes, and ultimately money and the state (or nation state)."
- "disagree on the means to this end" and "a more libertarian approach of communization, revolutionary spontaneity, and workers' self-management" vs. "a more authoritarian vanguardist or communist party-driven approach through the development of a socialist state followed by the withering away of the state."
- "placed on the left-wing alongside socialism" and "described as radical left or far-left."
- "anarchist communism, Marxist schools of thought, and religious communism, among others."
- "the current order of society stems from capitalism, its economic system, and mode of production, that in this system there are two major social classes, that the relationship between these two classes is exploitative, and that this situation can only ultimately be resolved through a social revolution."
- "the proletariat, who make up the majority of the population within society and must sell their labor power to survive, and the bourgeoisie, a small minority that derives profit from employing the working class through private ownership of the means of production."
- "grew out of the socialist movement in 19th-century Europe" and "came into power, first in the Soviet Union with the Russian Revolution of 1917, and then in portions of Eastern Europe, Asia, and a few other regions after World War II."
- "one-party rule by a communist party, the rejection of private property and capitalism, state control of economic activity and mass media, restrictions on freedom of religion, and suppression of opposition and dissent."
- "China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam."
- "inherent inefficiencies of communist economies" and "the general trend of communist governments towards authoritarianism and bureaucracy."
- "several scholars posit that in practice the model functioned as a form of state capitalism."
- "a battleground between the anti anti-communist political left and the anti-communist political right."
- "mass killings under communist regimes and mortality rates" and "remain a controversial, polarized, and debated topic in academia, historiography, and politics when discussing communism and the legacy of Communist states."