Definition of communism
1a
: a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed
b
: a theory advocating elimination of private property
2
capitalized
a
: a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Soviet Union
b
: a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production
c
: a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably
d
: communist systems collectively
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for communism
The first known use of communism was in 1840
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