Communism, a concept or system of society in which the major resources and means of

production are owned by the community rather than by individuals. In theory, such societies
provide for equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits, according to need.
As such, all members of society would be equal, with everyone having access to the products
of the community’s work. Some conceptions of communist societies assume that, ultimately,
coercive government would be unnecessary and therefore that such a society would be
without rulers.

Marxism is an economic and political theory named for its originator, Karl Marx (1818-
1883). Marx was a German social philosopher and revolutionary who in 1844 in Paris met
another German philosopher, Friedrich Engels (1820- 1895), beginning a long collaboration.
Four years later they wrote the Communist Manifesto, laying the foundation for socialism
and communism. The cornerstone of Marxism, to which Engels greatly contributed, is the
belief that history is determined by economics. Based on this premise, Marx asserted that
economic crises will result in increased poverty, which in turn, will inspire the working class
(proletariat) to revolt, ousting the capitalists (bourgeoisie). According to Marx, once the
working class has seized control, it will institute a system of economic cooperation and a
classless society. In his most influential work, Das Kapital (The Capital), an exhaustive
analysis of capitalism published in three volumes (1867, 1885, and 1894), Marx predicted the
failure of the capitalist system, based on his belief that the history of society is "the history of
class struggle." He and Engels viewed an international revolution as inevitable.

Socialism is an economic and social theory that seeks to maximize wealth and opportunity
for all people through public ownership and control of industries and social services.

The general goal of socialism is to maximize wealth and opportunity, or to minimize human
suffering, through public control of industry and social services. Socialism is an alternative to
capitalism, where the means and profits of production are privately held. Socialism became a
strong international movement in the early nineteenth century as the Industrial Revolution
brought great changes to production methods and capacities and led to a decline in working
conditions.