I've seen so many ideas on what communism is. I've also seen many people flamed by other people who believe differantly. So here is a chance to state your beliefs without being flammed. =D
(Seriously, debate on another thread, Zealot, liche help me with this.)

The word "communism" has an origin in the workers' movements of Europe in the later half of the XIX century. What these workers movements fought for was equivalent to Marx and Engel's Scientific Socialism, therefore, Communism and Socialism, once utopic socialism had died off, became synonimous in Marxist terms.

Communism, thus has a single core meaning which is that of Scientific Socialism. What varies are the ways in which it can manifest.

As per ethymology the term "communism" is rather ambiguous and may be understood as relating to "common", to "community" or perhaps both implying a "common condition for those in the community" meaning there's no social divisions.

If you're going to employ a word, trace its meaning back to its origins instead of merely twisting the meaning at will. If what you try to mean doesn't fit to what that term stands for simply come up with another term or try searching a term that fits to what you're trying to describe.

There are things that are objective truths and others that are subjective. If you believe that communism can be a system exactly as USA's right now but with nice red color everywhere, uniformed presidents and socialist paraphernalia then you're objectively wrong for communism has a definition that goes against such a belief. It's not matter of beliefs here, its matter of true or false. Objective truths, not subjective.

And, if you're implying I flame people who claim to know what communism is yet are proven not to, then, you're wrong. I simply ask people to give foundations to their statements. If that bothers them, too bad, that's how discussions work if they don't like it why entering a discussion forum in the first place?

what i believe is communism

well communism or socialism is the next mode of production after capitalism, it is inevitable according to th e laws marx discovered about the captalist society.

there are two stages. the lower stage is as marx said stamped wth the birthmarks of capitlaism, meaning it is imperfect. but what distinguishes marxsm from utopian socialism is that marxists look how socialism will develop out of the current society, they dont just have an ideal which they try to get.

in the lower stage of socialism. there will be a state. not a state in the tradtional sense. the bourgeois state will be copmletely smased and a new state will be set up which will be like the form of workers demorcaticness like the paris communce. this is another example of how scientific marxism is, marx didnt just make up things not based on reality, he learned from the historical example of the paris commune.

the economy in socialism is controlled by the worers through their democratic system. workers are paid according to how many hours they work, and commodities are priced according to the amount of socialy necesary labour they contain.

when class antagonisms are eliminated, there will be no more need for a state to protect the existence of ocmmunism from any reactionary threats.

and gradually, through the economic tendencies of socialism, the commodity system will be withered waway just as the staets.

this ends up in the final stage of communism. there is no class no state no money. anyone does what they want prety muc. you have no set job, you are a philoopsher one day and a garderner the nex. it is the freedom of humanity is finaly come to us. and religion is gone finaly thank the lord.

Basically what Zealot said,

Communism is the ideology Marx explains in the Communist Manifesto.

Anything not that is what we call Pseudo-Communist, examples of pseudo communist are:

USSR, Cuba (which still has a chance of evolving into Marxism Id say), China, Vietnam, North Korea.

The only successful Marxist country was Spain during the Spanish revolution, their have been several small Communist communes, but they were too small, and lasted only short periods of time. Some people say the Bush societys in Central and Southern Africa are Communist, though do to Corporate expansion, the Bush are becoming more "civilized" (aka capitalist).

I belves communism is an idolagy for ppl that are agains consumerism and athoratism, like cartman

NO i'M NOT TROLLING i SRSLY BELEVE THAT
NOW RESPECT MY ATHORATH!

"Communism is a self-destructing [ collectivist ] quasi conservative movement.

When one group of people gets together to "control", and social engineer people, even is they are the "majority", to manipulate and administrate the lives and property of individuals, that is essentially a state.

The Majorities tyranny, over the minority. Communism to this day has failed in national levels, The only way it can work is in very tiny groups of people who will voluntarily surrender their reason for this." WTF MAN...... some crazy dude posted this to me when i posted on his crazy conspiracy video about communism..
zealot write something smarter then i can fuck him up :=)

communism is the workers havin equal rights as those who used to control them. and idea that marx popularized

not very good on political defenitions

basically.

A little more complex.