Communism – From Revolutionary Ideology to the Challenges and Alternatives of the 21st Century

Definition of the Term Communism

Communism is a social and political idea centered on abolishing class divisions and transferring ownership of the means of production from the individual to the collective, in order to distribute output and power fairly.

The writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th century positioned class struggle as the key to understanding history, and the vision of an egalitarian society as the ultimate goal. The term itself describes not only an economic system but also a moral conception of social justice, solidarity, and reduction of alienation in the labor market.

Fundamental principles:

• A classless society and reduction of economic and social inequality.

• Abolition of private ownership of the means of production and their transfer to public or cooperative management.

• Partnership in social output and distribution of resources based on needs.

• Expectation of gradual withering of state coercive mechanisms when conditions of equality mature.

It is important to distinguish between Marxism as a historical theory that outlines a future goal of a classless and stateless society, expected to emerge only when appropriate socio-economic conditions mature, versus "communism" as a name given in the 19th and 20th centuries to regimes that attempted to implement nationalization and centralization.

This distinction explains the gap the world experienced between the normative idea of equality and solidarity and state practices that were created under conditions that did not match the theoretical vision.

Philosophical and Historical Sources

Before Marx, there existed a tradition of social criticism of industrial capitalism and cooperative experiments. Thinkers and entrepreneurs tried to establish communities for shared learning and work, managed by members rather than owned by capitalists.

Partial failures and local victories revealed two things: the problem of power and hierarchy within a centralized economy on one hand, and the ability of cooperative organization to generate a sense of belonging and purpose on the other. These insights prepared the ground for a revolutionary idea that sought to change not only institutions but the fundamental relations between labor, capital, and the state.

Communism as Political and Economic Theory

Marxist theory describes a history of conflict between owners of the means of production and those who sell their labor. According to Marx and Engels, the structural crisis of capitalism would lead to a revolution that would establish joint ownership of resources, abolish exploitation, and enable liberation from alienation. Alongside the vision, intermediate steps in the spirit of the era were also proposed, such as progressive taxation and nationalization of strategic sectors.

Ultimately, gaps were revealed between the theoretical idea and revolutions made in its name:

• A vision for a cooperative and pluralistic society versus one-party centralized states.

• A promise to liberate humans from the yoke of exploitation versus expansion of surveillance and punishment mechanisms.

• Rational planning aimed at efficiency and abundance versus scarcity, weak incentives, and instability.

Implementation in Reality – The Soviet Union, China, and Other Countries

The Soviet Union

The most comprehensive attempt to realize communism was based on rapid industrialization and five-year plans. Leaps in industrial production, education, and science were recorded, but also forced collectivization, famine, and political repression. The impressive military and scientific achievement existed alongside a heavy human cost and a planned economy that suffered from inflexibility. Ultimately, the system contributed greatly to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

China

A fateful effort to boost production and agriculture in China turned into mass famine. Subsequently, the leadership adopted market reforms that reduced poverty on an extraordinary scale, while maintaining one-party rule. The result is a dynamic economy with concentration of political authority and constant tension between economic openness and social control.

Eastern Europe

In 1989, most communist regimes in Europe collapsed, opening processes of transition to democracy and market economy. Some countries grew rapidly, others fell into crises. The shared legacy includes social gaps created during privatization.

Cuba

In Cuba, health and educational achievements stood out alongside severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association. Other experiments around the world ranged between community cooperativism and state centralization, with mixed results regarding welfare, freedom, and growth.

Israel

Here too, an example of implementing the idea (on a small scale) can be found. In the early days of the state, communist kibbutzim were characterized by shared ownership, distribution according to needs, and community democracy. Alongside social and agricultural achievements, starting in the 1980s, a severe debt crisis erupted that led to state debt arrangements and a wave of reforms, privatizations, and abandonment of full equality. Over the years, most kibbutzim transitioned to a cooperative-privatized model with a social safety net, while few continued with the classic structure.

Criticism of Communism

• A planned economy struggles to respond to dispersed information and incentivize entrepreneurship and innovation.

• Harm to individual freedoms, freedom of expression and organization, and tendency toward personality cult in leadership.

• Human cost of revolutions, collectivization, and forced re-education.

• Weak incentives for efficiency, bureaucratic corruption, and institutional stagnation.

• While Marxism conceived the power of the working class, communism transferred power to leadership, as usual.

On the other hand, some point to a genuine attempt to address extreme inequality, ensure universal services, and restrain concentrated corporate power.

Communism in the 21st Century

• Ideas of public ownership and resource sharing continue to appear in left-wing parties and socialist movements.

• Modern democratic tools adopt elements of equality, progressive taxation, and universal services without identifying as communism.

• Frameworks of participatory democracy, such as participatory budgeting that began in cities and spread worldwide, offer a practical alternative to increasing public influence.

Modern democratic implementation is not based on abolishing the market but on designing mechanisms that reduce gaps, improve transparency, and connect decision-making to data from the field. This creates the possibility of directing resources more fairly, while maintaining civil liberty and pluralism.

The goal: to make public service and public budget truly public – belonging not to leadership but to the people.

Technology, Society, and Ideas of Sharing

• Ownership of information has become a strategic asset. The question of who controls data and algorithms is already a political question.

• Platform economy highlights corporate concentration, but opens the door to digital cooperatives where workers and users hold ownership.

• Digital democracy enables continuous voting, ongoing feedback, and trend analysis, but requires encryption, anonymity, identity management, and institutional trust.

• Regulation on privacy, algorithmic transparency, and data security is a condition for effective public participation.

Summary – Modern Alternatives

We at JustSocial offer a practical way to address the challenges of inequality and trust crises, without falling into the centralization of communist regimes and without giving up democratic rules of the game.

Our goal is continuous direct democracy that expands the influence of citizens on the agenda. To this end, we work on two complementary fronts: developing technological tools that enable daily involvement, and collaborations with public institutions in a B2G model to turn these capabilities into an accessible public service.

Instead of replacing capitalism with an alternative doctrine, we connect values of equality, responsibility, and transparency with digital infrastructure that measures consensus in real time. This allows embedding principles of fair resource distribution within existing democratic frameworks, giving consistent weight to the public voice, and building trust around open data rather than around slogans.

We aspire to operate in this arena soon, with a variety of technological tools that can make a big impact. We support campaigns that promote full transparency, citizen empowerment through technology, and educational reform, because without participatory education, participatory democracy cannot be built.

Communism was born from a real need for justice and equality, but in many places became a centralized mechanism that stifled freedom and prevented renewal. The 21st century offers us other tools such as participatory democracy, responsible digital platforms, and sharing models that respect pluralism – which can bring libertarian communism as Marx conceived, without forcing the doctrine into tyranny.

You are warmly invited to join the effort, to influence, and to give all our voices real weight in public policy.