Socialism and Communism

Since the mid-nineteenth century, socialist and communist ideas and governments have greatly altered politics around the globe. The political philosophy of socialism and communism was most powerfully stated by Karl Marx, a German intellectual and radical, who wrote the Communist Manifesto (1848), Capital (in German, Das Kapital), and many other works. Marx believed that all societies were fundamentally shaped by the political struggle between classes. In the era of industrial capitalism in which he lived, Marx saw European societies divided between two classes: the bourgeoisie (owners of factories and other means of production) and proletariat (workers), and believed that governments were designed to protect the property and power of owners. He believed that workers would inevitably stage a revolution and create a government more sensitive to their own needs, in which a small number of wealthy citizens would not be allowed to own the sources of wealth and exploit workers.

Socialism means that the government owns the major means of production (including, for instance, major industries such as steel mills, and perhaps other important industries, such as the broadcasting or telephone systems.) Additionally, many socialist governments create a welfare system, which provides citizens with protection against unemployment, medical care, and other benefits. Government ownership keeps private owners from controlling these vital industries, exploiting workers, and earning excessive profits. Socialism is compatible with democratic government, and, since the mid-nineteenth century, many governments have experimented with various forms of socialism.

Communism, according to Marx, would provide the final and best form of government and economic system. Communism would result in the complete elimination of private property and a government in which the will of the working people ruled (Soviet leader Nikolai Lenin would later refer to this as "the dictatorship of the proletariat.") In the twentieth century, several governments have claimed to be governed according to Marx's communist philosophy, most notably the Soviet Union (1917-1991) and the People's Republic of China, in which the Communist Party has held power since 1949. While the socialist and communist ideals of allowing working people a greater voice in their nation's affairs and a greater share of its wealth proved very appealing to many people, in practice these regimes often became repressive dictatorships or totalitarian regimes (a word that suggests nearly total government control over citizens' lives) in which working people enjoyed few liberties.