Com|mu|nism

com|mu|nism «KOM yuh nihz uhm», noun.

1. a system in which most or all property is owned by the state and is supposed to be shared by all. Communism comes from a philosophy based on the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 1800's and seeks the overthrow of noncommunist societies in behalf of the laboring class, usually as the result of a series of struggles of class conflict.

2. a political, social, and economic system in which the state, governed by an élite party, controls production, labor, and distribution, and, largely, the social and cultural life and thought of the people: »

Communism is expressed in various movements, but Russian sovietism [was] often referred to as a fair sample. In Communism ownership and control of everything would be in the hands of a small group presumably representing the common people (Emory S. Bogardus).

3. a social order in which property is held in common by the community or the state; communalism.

╂[< French communisme < commun, Old French comun; see etym. under common (Cf. ↑common)]

Usage Communism and socialism are systems of social organization under which the means of production and distribution of goods are transferred from private hands to the government. The classic difference between the two systems lies in the different means they take to establish themselves: communism emphasizes the impracticability of replacing the existing social order by any means other than armed force or outside intervention; the advocates of socialism seek to establish it by peaceful means, through election and legislation rather than force. The practical differences between the two systems are varied and great.

Com|mu|nism «KOM yuh nihz uhm», noun.

the political principles and practices of members of a Communist Party, especially of the Communist Party of the former Soviet Union.