Communism

Communism (from Latin communis, 'common, universal') is a philosophical, social, political, and economic ideology whose ideal goal is the establishment of a communist society, namely a socioeconomic order structured upon the ideas of common ownership of the means of production and the abolition of social classes. Communism emerged with the creation of the Communist Manifesto, a book and manifesto by Karl Marx. 
Communism includes a variety of schools of thought which broadly include Marxism and anarcho-communism as well as the political ideologies grouped around both, all of which share the analysis that the current order of society stems from capitalism, its economic system and mode of production, namely that in this system there are two major social classes, conflict between these two classes is the root of all problems in society and this situation can only ultimately be resolved through a social revolution. The two classes are the proletariat (the working class) and the bourgeoisie (the upper and middle classes). According to communist beliefs, revolution would put the working class in power and in turn establish social ownership of the means of production which is the primary element in the transformation of society towards communism.
Communism is a heavily controversial economic ideology, and throughout history it has been criticized for its involvement with heavily autocratic regimes such as but not limited to the Soviet Union, China, the puppet states of the Warsaw Pact, Cuba, and Vietnam, as well as other reasons. Critics of Marxist ideology claim that the ideology is inherently contradictory, as through the abolishment of class and the creation of a communist government, a class structure would still exist through the existence of the government. Despite its many criticisms, it is still an ideology which has gained prominence in recent times.
== List of Communist thoughts ==
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* African Socialism
* Anarcho-Communism
* Anarcho-Syndicalism
* Austromarxism
* Autonomism
* Babouvism
* Barracks Communism
* Bookchin Communalism
* Capitalist CommunismDue to communism opposition to capitalism, many view capitalist communism as not communist.
* Castroism
* Centrist Marxism
* Christian Communism
* Cliffism
* Council Communism
* Cybercommunism
* De Leonism
* DengismDengism has many capitalist and market elements, so it's status as a "communist" ideology is disputed.
== List of Communist states (ATC) ==
* Manchu CommuneMarxism is ingrained in the constitution of the Manchu Commune, however the ruling parties in the Manchu Commune are not Marxist.
*Poynt
*Doromeri
*Bassana
*Samur
*Metro City
* Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
*Zemeorilia
== Real-world examples ==
In the real world, there have been numerous examples of self-proclaimed communist countries, however most of these have ceased to exist following the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union and its sphere of influenced.
=== Current ===
* People's Republic of China - Maoism/DengismThe People's Republic of China, according to most communists, has turned away from communism after the death of Mao and Dengism is very capitalistic. However, China is ruled by a "Communist Party" and is commonly considerd communist, which is why it is listed.
* Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) - JucheNorth Korea does not fully fit within the official definition of communism, and therefore its status as a communist country is disputed.
* Republic of Cuba - Castroism
* Socialist Republic of Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh ThoughtVietnam, over the years, has made some market reforms and is no longer considered communist by some.
* Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) - Kaysone Phomvihane Thought
=== Former ===
* Paris Commune 
* Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
* German Democratic Republic/East Germany (Soviet-influenced state)
* Democratic Kampuchea
* Yugoslavia
* People's Republic of Albania
* People's Republic of Bulgaria (Soviet-influenced state)
* Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (Soviet-influenced state)
* Hungarian People's Republic (Soviet-influenced state)
* Polish People's Republic (Soviet-influenced state)
* Socialist Republic of Romania (Soviet-influenced state)
* People's Republic of Angola
* People's Republic of Benin
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
* Somali Democratic Republic (Somalia)
* People's Republic of Eritrea
* Democratic Republic of AfghanistanThe Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was formerly Marxist-Leninist, however it turned away from far-left politics for just non-Marxist Islamic socialism. (Soviet-influenced state)
* Mongolian People's Republic (Soviet-influenced state)
* People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen)
== Symbolism ==
The traditional communist symbol is the hammer and sickle, though in some variations it has a hammer, sickle, and star (Ex: USSR), or sometimes just a star (Ex: Vietnam). Red is a colour frequently used to symbolise both communism and socialism
However sometimes, red is the main symbol and the hammer, sickle and star are not present (Ex: Laos).
== Criticism ==
Communism and other varieties of socialism have been the subject of much criticism of scrutiny from historians, political opponents, scholars, economists, and the general public. Generally speaking, these criticisms encompass the historical record of Communist countries being authoritarian, the various recorded crimes against humanity committed by Communists, and issues with Communism with a system.
=== Economic Calculation Problem ===
The Economic Calculation Problem (ECP) is a popular criticism of Communism as an economic system that was originally created by Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises. According to the ECP, the lack of market prices in Communist societies makes it impossible to engage in the economic calculations necessarily to successfully allocate resources or determine the overall success of a country's economy.Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth (1920) by Ludwig von Mises The Foundation for Economic Education described this as Communist being destined to fail "because it had abolished free markets so that officials had no market prices to guide them in planning production.""Why Communism Failed" by Bettina Bien Greaves This was legitimate problem in the Soviet Union, which resorted to the problematic strategy of copying Western prices. Other Communist countries have attempted to address this problem by allowing for a limited amount of market activity (e.g. Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms in China).
== Notes and references ==
Category:Ideology
Category:Communism