communism


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to communism: Karl Marx

com·mu·nism

 (kŏm′yə-nĭz′əm)
n.
1. A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.
2. Communism
a. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.
b. The Marxist-Leninist doctrine advocating revolution to overthrow the capitalist system and establish a dictatorship of the proletariat that will eventually evolve into a perfectly egalitarian and communal society.

[French communisme, from commun, common, from Old French, from Latin commūnis; see commune2.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

communism

(ˈkɒmjʊˌnɪzəm)
n
1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) advocacy of a classless society in which private ownership has been abolished and the means of production and subsistence belong to the community
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) any social, economic, or political movement or doctrine aimed at achieving such a society
3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (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 production. See also Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, socialism
4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (usually capital) a social order or system of government established by a ruling Communist Party, esp in the former Soviet Union
5. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (often capital) chiefly US any leftist political activity or thought, esp when considered to be subversive
6. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) communal living; communalism
[C19: from French communisme, from commun common]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

com•mu•nism

(ˈkɒm yəˌnɪz əm)

n.
1. a theory or system of social organization based on holding all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community or to the state.
2. (often cap.) a political doctrine or movement based on Marxism and developed by Lenin and others, seeking a violent overthrow of capitalism and the creation of a classless society.
3. (often cap.) a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single political party.
4. (often cap.) the principles and practices of a Communist Party.
[1835–45; < French communisme. See common, -ism]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Communism


Bakuninism.
a 19th-century theory of revolution in opposition to that of Karl Marx, advocating atheism, destruction of central government, and extreme individualism. Also called autonomism.
a radical wing of the Russian Social Democratie Labor party, favoring revolutionary tactics to achieve full socialization and, under the leadership of Ulyanov (Lenin), setting up from 1917-20 the present Soviet regime. — Bolshevik, Bolshevist, n., adj.
the doctrines and policies of Fidel Castro, communist premier of Cuba.
the process of forming collectives or collective communities where property and resources are owned by the community and not individuals.
1. a political and economie theory proposing the replacement of private ownership of goods or capital with common ownership and distribution upon need.
2. (cap.) the social and political system based upon revolutionary Marxist socialism and currently practiced in the U.S.S.R. — communist, n., adj. — communistic, adj.
the process of communizing or being communized.
the tolerance of or sympathy for noncommunist ideas and institutions, used as a charge against Soviet intellectuals.
a position or rationale which departs from the established dogma of a political party, especially the Communist party. Also deviationalism. — deviationist, n., adj.
the combination of traditional materialism and Hegelian dialectic as espoused in the economic and political philosophies of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. — dialectical materialist.
the form of communism found in some countries of Western Europe, independent of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
theories and beliefs of J. G. Fichte (1762-1814), German philosopher and social thinker, a precursor of socialism. — Fichtean, n., adj.
1. the political doctrines, policies, and revolutionary program of Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1928-1967), Cuban communist revolutionary.
2. adherence to or belief in Guevarism. — Guevarist, n., adj.
study of the policies, doctrines, programs, etc., of the government of the Soviet Union. — Kremlinologist, n.
the political doctrines of Vladimir llich Ulyanov (Lenin), founder of Bolshevism, architect of the current Soviet government, originator of the Comintern, and author of the imperative that the Soviets lead the proletariat of other nations to revolution and communism. — Leninist, Leninite, n., adj.
1. the political and social theories and policies of Mao Zedong (1893-1976), Chinese communist leader, especially with regard to revolution and agrarian reform.
2. adherence to or belief in Mao’s doctrines. — Maoist, n., adj.
1. the doctrines developed from the political, economie, and social theories of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and their followers: dialectical materialism, a labor-based theory of wealth, an economie class struggle leading to revolution, the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the eventual development of a classless society.
2. the contributions to these doctrines in the interpretations of Lenin; Leninism. — Marxist, n., adj. — Marxian, adj.
the minority wing of the Russian Social Democratie Labor party that in a 1903 convention split from the majority or Bolshevik wing, enabling the latter to direct and win power in the revolution of 1917-20. — Menshevik, n., adj.
the existence of a number of basic guiding principles in the political system of a Communist government. — polycentrist, n., adj.
Marxism. any deviation from Marxist theory, doctrines, or practice, especially to modify revolution to evolution. — revisionist, n., adj.
a Marxist-inspired artistic and literary theory or doctrine that calls on art and literature to promote the socialist cause and sees the artist, writer, etc. as a servant of the state or, in the words of Stalin, “the engineer of human souls.”
the establishment of socialist government; the nationalization of industry and other national resources.
a system of piecework incentives, speedup, and competition for bonuses and honors introduced into Russia in 1935 and named after A. G. Stakhanov, whose prodigious mining output is eonstantly emulated. — Stakhanovite, n., adj.
the communistic theories and practices developed by Joseph Stalin from Marxism and Leninism, especially his development of the cult of the individual with himself at its center, his advocacy of national revolution, and his extensive use of secret police and slave-labor camps to reduce opposition. — Stalinist, n., adj. — Stalinistic, adj.
a theory of revolutionary politics that, through the actions of labor unions, seeks to establish a society controlled by workers’ cooperatives and trade unions. — syndicalist, n., adj. — syndicalistic, adj.
1. the social, political, and economic theories of Tito (Josip Broz), former premier of Yugoslavia.
2. the nationalistic practices of a communist country which deviate from or oppose the directives of the U.S.S.R. — Titoist, n., adj.
the theories of Leon Trotsky on the social, political, and economic implications of communism, especially his opposition to Stalin in advocating international revolution. — Trotskyite, n., adj.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

communism

A political belief that there should be no classes in society, that there should be no private ownership, and that the people should collectively control the means of production.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.communism - a form of socialism that abolishes private ownershipcommunism - a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership
socialist economy, socialism - an economic system based on state ownership of capital
Bolshevism, collectivism, sovietism - Soviet communism
2.communism - a political theory favoring collectivism in a classless society
ideology, political orientation, political theory - an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation
Castroism - a form of communism developed in Cuba by Fidel Castro
Leninism, Marxism-Leninism - the political and economic theories of Lenin which provided the guiding doctrine of the Soviet Union; the modification of Marxism by Lenin stressed that imperialism is the highest form of capitalism (which shifts the struggle from developed to underdeveloped countries)
Maoism - a form of communism developed in China by Mao Zedong
Marxism - the economic and political theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that hold that human actions and institutions are economically determined and that class struggle is needed to create historical change and that capitalism will ultimately be superseded by communism
Trotskyism - the form of communism advocated by Leon Trotsky; calls for immediate worldwide revolution by the proletariat
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

communism

noun (usually cap.) socialism, Marxism, Stalinism, collectivism, Bolshevism, Marxism-Leninism, state socialism, Maoism, Trotskyism, Eurocommunism, Titoism the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe
Quotations
"We Communists are like seeds and the people are like the soil. Wherever we go, we must unite with the people, take root and blossom among them" [Mao Tse-Tung]
"A spectre is haunting Europe - the spectre of Communism" [Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto]
"Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country" [Lenin]
"One strength of the communist system of the East is that it has some of the character of a religion and inspires the same emotions of a religion" [Albert Einstein Out of My Later Life]
"Far from being a classless society, Communism is governed by an elite as steadfast in its determination to maintain its prerogatives as any oligarchy known to history" [Robert F. Kennedy The Pursuit of Justice]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
الشُّيوعِيَّهشُيُوعِيَّة
комунизъм
komunismus
kommunisme
kommunismi
komunizam
kommunizmus
kommúnismi
共産主義
공산주의
komunizmaskomunistas
komunisms
comunism
komunizmus
komunizem
kommunism
ระบบคอมมิวนิสต์
комунізм
chủ nghĩa cộng sản

communism

[ˈkɒmjʊnɪzəm] Ncomunismo m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

communism

[ˈkɒmjʊnɪzəm] ncommunisme m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

communism

nKommunismus m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

communism

[ˈkɒmjʊnɪzm] ncomunismo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

communism

(ˈkomjunizəm) noun
(often with capital) a system of government under which there is no private industry and (in some forms) no private property, most things being state-owned.
ˈcommunist noun
(often with capital) a person who believes in communism. He is a Communist; (also adjective) a Communist leader.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

communism

شُيُوعِيَّة komunismus kommunisme Kommunismus κομουνισμός comunismo kommunismi communisme komunizam comunismo 共産主義 공산주의 communisme kommunisme komunizm comunismo коммунизм kommunism ระบบคอมมิวนิสต์ komünizm chủ nghĩa cộng sản 共产主义
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
A spectre is haunting Europe -- the spectre of Communism. All the Powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope and Czar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.
Where the Opposition that has not hurled back the branding reproach of Communism, against the more advanced opposition parties, as well as against its reactionary adversaries?
Communism is already acknowledged by all European Powers to be itself a Power.
It is high time that Communists should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the Spectre of Communism with a Manifesto of the party itself.
.and I thank the millions of men and women whose steadfastness and sacrifice triumphed over depression, fascism and communism.
Communism's collapse has called forth old animosities, and new dangers.
Primitive communism, chattel slavery, serf slavery, and wage slavery were necessary stepping-stones in the evolution of society.
Then, too, his brother's talk of communism, which he had treated so lightly at the time, now made him think.
I mastered the notion of their communism, and approved of their iron money, with the poverty it obliged them to, yet somehow their cruel treatment of the Helots failed to shock me; perhaps I forgave it to their patriotism, as I had to forgive many ugly facts in the history of the Romans to theirs.
The third division (3) consists of the fifth, sixth, and seventh books, in which philosophy rather than justice is the subject of inquiry, and the second State is constructed on principles of communism and ruled by philosophers, and the contemplation of the idea of good takes the place of the social and political virtues.
Of intellectual and moral things, on the other hand, there was no limit, and one could have more without another's having less; hence "Communism in material production, anarchism in intellectual," was the formula of modern proletarian thought.
Socialism, Communism, or whatever one chooses to call it, by converting private property into public wealth, and substituting co-operation for competition, will restore society to its proper condition of a thoroughly healthy organism, and insure the material well-being of each member of the community.