definitions

communism

[ kom-yuh-niz-uh m ]
/ ˈkɒm yəˌnɪz əm /
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noun

a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
(often initial capital letter) a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.
(initial capital letter) the principles and practices of the Communist Party.
communalism.

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RELATED WORDS

totalitarianism, socialism, Leninism, Bolshevism, collectivism, Marxism

Nearby words

communion rail, communion sunday, communion table, communionist, communiqué, communism, communism peak, communist, communist china, communist international, communist manifesto

Origin of communism

From the French word communisme, dating back to 1835–45. See common, -ism

Related forms

an·ti·com·mu·nism, nounpro·com·mun·ism, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for communism

British Dictionary definitions for communism

communism

/ (ˈkɒmjʊˌnɪzəm) /

noun

advocacy of a classless society in which private ownership has been abolished and the means of production and subsistence belong to the community
any social, economic, or political movement or doctrine aimed at achieving such a society
(usually capital) a political movement based upon the writings of Marx that considers history in terms of class conflict and revolutionary struggle, resulting eventually in the victory of the proletariat and the establishment of a socialist order based on public ownership of the means of productionSee also Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, socialism
(usually capital) a social order or system of government established by a ruling Communist Party, esp in the former Soviet Union
(often capital) mainly US any leftist political activity or thought, esp when considered to be subversive
communal living; communalism

Word Origin for communism

C19: from French communisme, from commun common
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for communism

communism

An economic and social system envisioned by the nineteenth-century German scholar Karl Marx (see also Marx). In theory, under communism, all means of production are owned in common, rather than by individuals (see Marxism and Marxism-Leninism). In practice, a single authoritarian party controls both the political and economic systems. In the twentieth century, communism was associated with the economic and political systems of China and the Soviet Union and of the satellites of the Soviet Union. (Compare capitalism and socialism.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.