An ideology based essentially on the idea expounded by Karl Marx, that in an ideal society everyone would receive what they needed and would produce according to their capacity. From this idea was elaborated a doctrine whereby a Socialist state would be established that would in time subsume the economic structure of society into itself. At this point the State itself would wither and the new ideal Communist society would emerge. It's surely a beautiful idea on paper, and may even work with small tribal bands ... but just try to apply it to a society made of millions of us naked apes and see what happens.

Marx incidentally suggested that agrarian societies would be more likely to develop in time along such lines; the adoption of Communist doctrine by industrial societies like Leninist-Stalinist Russia may arguably be in itself a perversion of Marx's idea.

Communism is the final stage of the political reform started witha revolution, according to Marx. First masses of workers will rebel in a industrialezed country; they will implant a socialist government in order to adapt the country for later changes. After private property is banished, and the people possess everything, thenthere will be no need for government, thus the state will be destroyed, to form a society with no social classes. It important to remember that Marx knew that the mentality of man needed to change in order of this to work. He believe in the concept of the "new man" who was humble and just. It is also important to remeber did not believe in a country alone with this structure, but he believed that the whole world adapt to this change. Given this, it is safe to say that no country has ever achieved communism, and anyone who has a sense of equality do agree with this utopia.

A nice idea (Everyone is equal, everything is shared) but one that falls to bits when greedy humans get in the way.

Communism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general.

Something that, in theory, is a good idea. Communism is an ideal that believes that everyone should share everything, so that poverty wouldn't exist, and there wouldn't be a gap between richer and poorer classes. The problem is, communist governments become corrupt, because people are greedy, so it doesn't work.

Communism, though recently associated with corrupt totalitarian states such as China and The Soviet Union is one of the natural states of human existance, the idea of living in a self-sustaining group that cares for its members, like they did in the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), which is increasingly hard in the modern world. Most families live in A SORT of communism, as parents USUALLY don't make the kids work for what they eat.

Many societies, such as the Shakers in America, the Incas in Peru, the Essines in Israel, and many Early Christian groups, have practiced forms of communism.
But Communism with Das Kapital C didn't come about until the mid 1800s when Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, which stated that Society was always going through transitions (the last two being Feudalism, and Capitalism), and that now was the time for a transition into ...

An established form of government in which all men are created and treated as equals... except I'm more equal than you.

The life span of communism= 1. valuable observations about the short comings of the free market system.
2. Stupid hypothesis formed to address these observations.
3. Conclusion= David Hassellhoff atop the Berlin Wall and Vladimir Putin's oversized bank account.