Principles of Communism and Marxist Political Theory

The Definition of Communism

Communism is a socio-economic and political utopian ideology^[1] that seeks to promote the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, and stateless society based on the common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general.^[2][3][4]

Marxist Theory and the Proletarian Revolution

Karl Marx posited that communism would be the final stage in human society, which would be achieved through a proletarian revolution. The concept of "pure communism" in the Marxist sense refers to a classless society and an oppression-free state where decisions about what to produce and what policies should be pursued are made democratically. This allows each member of society to participate in decision-making within both political and economic life.

Historical Context and Ideological Branches

As a political ideology, communism is generally regarded as a branch of socialism—a broad group of philosophies and economic policies that refer to many political movements and intellectuals with roots in the work of theorists from the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution.^[5] Communism attempts to offer an alternative to the problems of the capitalist market economy and the legacy of imperialism and nationalism.

The Struggle Between Proletariat and Bourgeoisie

Marx argued that the only way to solve these problems would be for the working class (proletariat)—who, according to Marx, are the main producers of wealth in society and are exploited by the capitalist class (bourgeoisie)—to replace the bourgeoisie in order to establish a free society without classes or racial divisions.^[3] The dominant forms of communism, such as Leninism, Stalinism, Trotskyism, and Maoism, are based on Marxism, but non-Marxist versions of communism (such as Christian communism and anarchist communism) also exist.

Economic Systems and Modern Political Movements

Karl Marx never provided a detailed description of how communism could work as an economic system, but it is understood that a communist economy would consist of the common ownership of the means of production, culminating in the denial of the concept of private ownership of capital. In modern usage, communism is often used to refer to Bolshevism or Marxism-Leninism. As a political movement, some communist regimes were authoritarian and coercive governments historically involved primarily with preserving their own power without concern for the fundamental welfare of the proletariat.^[4]