What Is Communism?
Communism is a political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production, such as mines, mills… Part of the Socialist family.
Definition
Communism is a political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production, such as mines, mills and factories, and of a society's natural resources.
Core ideas
- Abolition of private ownership of the major means of production.
- Communal or public control of industry and natural resources.
- Replacement of the profit-based economy.
Origins
Britannica treats Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as the founders of modern (“Marxian”) communism.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh
Definition based on Britannica: Communism (checked October 20, 2026).
Where Communism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 3 | strongly toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 22 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 36 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 15 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 35 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 1 | strongly toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 37 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 15 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 24 | toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 35 | near the center |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 10 | strongly toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 95 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 35 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 17 | toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A naturalized citizen can belong to the nation as fully as someone born there. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Raising the minimum wage significantly would do more harm than good. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Left Communism, Communism sits 10 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
- Compared with Eurocommunism, Communism sits 11 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Luxemburgism, Communism sits 15 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
Comparisons
Fascism vs Communism · Socialism vs Communism
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Communism.
Sources
- Britannica: Communism
- Wikipedia: Communism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Karl Marx
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Socialism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.