Communist is a two-gender adjective that indicates something belonging to the communism. It can also be a noun, referring to a person with communist tendencies or that belongs to a communist party.
In the context of sociology, a communist mentality it contributes to the formation of a society in which goods belong to the community and each element receives what they need to live, working according to their abilities.
Furthermore, a communist can also be a person who is part of this revolutionary movement, which aims to establish a communist society through the extinction of the capitalist system.
One of the goals of communism in its revolutionary strand is to institute a dictatorship of the proletariat, as a tool of the revolution of the proletariat, which is based on Marxism enhanced by the Leninism.
The word "communism", originating in Latin communis (which means common), refers to a social doctrine in which all people would have the same right to everything. For this to be possible, private properties would cease to exist.
The rise of communism
Communist ideals have been present since very early periods of world history. In the prehistoric period, the so-called "primitive communism" was based on the idea that everything belonged to everyone and that the goods produced would be divided up sufficiently to ensure that the needs of the community were supplied.
Communism, more modernly, was greatly influenced by the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. The main motivations were the struggle against economic liberalism and the consequences of capitalist abuses in this period.
Other revolutions that also influenced and established communism were the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Cuban Revolution of 1959.
The accumulation of goods, the division of society into social classes, possession of the means of production and private property are ideas not accepted in communism. With the elimination of these characteristics, belonging to capitalism, social classes and inequalities would cease to exist.
From the end of the separation of society into social classes, communist society would come into being.
The main communist ideals are:
- the means of production must belong to the whole society,
- the production must be divided among all,
- the right to private property must not exist,
- the production should only be in sufficient quantity to guarantee the functioning of society,
- there must be no accumulation of goods.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were responsible for the conception of communist ideas, which were described in the Communist Party Manifesto, published in 1848.
Communist Party Manifesto
The Communist Party Manifesto is the most important document of communism and was written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. This Manifesto reveals the theory of class struggle with the aim of definitively suppressing the ruling bourgeois class, initiating a society without class division.
The Manifesto severely criticizes the organization of society around capitalist ideals, in addition to of criticism of the bourgeoisie, which is described as the social class responsible for the oppression of the proletariat.
The Manifesto defends ideas such as the end of the right to private property, the non-accumulation of goods and the delivery of the means of production to the State.
Marx and Engels argued that the unity of the working class would be strong enough to overthrow capitalist ideals and end the bourgeoisie's oppression of the proletariat.
communist countries
Currently, the communist countries in the world are: China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam.
These countries are officially defined as communist nations. However, communism does not happen fully, in the mold of what is foreseen in the communist doctrine.
It can be said that in these countries communist ideals exist, but they are adapted to coexistence with capitalist characteristics.
see the difference between communism and socialism and meet 6 characteristics of communism.