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[[Image:HammerAndSickle.png|thumb|left|180px|The [[hammer and sickle]], the international symbol of communism, stand for the uprising of the peasants (the sickle) and the workers (the hammer). In certain countries, it is considered to be offensive in the same manner as the [[swastika]] is.]]   

[[Image:HammerAndSickle.png|thumb|left|180px|The [[hammer and sickle]], the international symbol of communism, stand for the uprising of the peasants (the sickle) and the workers (the hammer). In certain countries, it is considered to be offensive in the same manner as the [[swastika]] is.]]   

Communism is based upon a [[socialist]] economy in which the public, whether the state or other group, owns the "[[means of production]]" and in which the wealth of the nation is rationed among the Party's beneficiaries. In many cases, members of the ruling party have special stores in which ordinary people are barred, stores which are immune to the shortages which the lower class must endure (see [[queuing]]).  

Communism is based upon a [[socialist]] economy in which the public, whether the state or other group, owns the "[[means of production]]" and in which the wealth of the nation is distributed accordingly. Many occasions have developed in countries commonly described as "communist" where members of the ruling party have special stores in which ordinary people are barred, stores which are immune to the shortages which the lower class must endure (see [[queuing]]).  However, this is antithetical to the actual theory of communism which seeks to abolish class divisions and give control of the state directly to the citizens.  

Various communist doctrines have evolved or been adapted to the time and place they have been implemented. Marxism, developed by [[Karl Marx]], and its modifications under [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin| Vladimir Lenin]], [[Joseph Stalin]], and [[Mao Zedong]], advocates the overthrow of the existing order by a revolution of the proletariat, the social group which does not control the means of production. The goal of Marxism is supposedly to create a classless society which would result in no longer the need for any [[government]].

Communism describes a classless society in which the means of production are commonly owned. Like most political systems, there is significant debate among its proponents about how exactly this should take place, and several different streams of communist theory have been developed. The most common variants derive from Marxism, developed by [[Karl Marx]] and [[Friedrich Engels]], in [[The Communist Manifesto]] which asserts that the overthrow of the existing order by a revolution of the proletariat, the social group which does not control the means of production (or in layman's terms, the working class) is inevitable. The political philosophies of [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin| Vladimir Lenin]], [[Joseph Stalin]], and [[Mao Zedong]] are are derived from Marxism.  Other schools of communist thought apart from Marxism also exist such as [[Anarcho-communism]] and [[Christian Communism]] which draws its inspiration from scripture, particularly Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2:

The most famous government to label itself "communist" is the former [[USSR]] or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; the Communist Party controlled its government from 1922 to 1991. This government was officially [[atheist]] and attempted to suppress all religion. Like many authoritarian regimes, it tried to cultivate reverence for the state as a psychological substitute for religion. Left-wing critics of the USSR charged that it was communist in name only, and had betrayed the revolution which founded it. George Orwell expressed this viewpoint eloquently in his 1945 fable ''[[Animal Farm]]''.  

    '''42''' And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and in fellowship [...] '''44''' And all that believed were together, and had all things in common; '''45''' And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Marxist theory is intended to appeal to its adherents with the phrase, "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs", which essentially states point blank a worker does not get paid according to his abilities, and there is no [[incentive]] within the economic theory. Another quote by Marx was, "The theory of the Communism may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property," or as some have phrased it, legalized theft.

 

Marxist theory is often summed up with the phrase, "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs".  In Marxist theory, the collective good is valued at a level above the [[incentive]] of personal gain.  While this is often is interpreted by critics to mean that wages are fixed regardless of the work performed, in practice this is not the case.  For instance, the USSR experimented with many different wage systems. <ref>[[http://www.jstor.org/pss/1822695 Russian Wage Systems under Communism]] Amy Hewes, The Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr., 1922), pp. 274-278</ref> In the [[Communist Manifesto]], Marx and Engels state "The theory of the Communism may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property." While some have characterized this as legalized theft, the text of the Communist Manifesto itself reveals that this is not a reference to personal possessions, but in the context of Marx's conception of property as [[captial]] refers to a gradual systematic shift in the way property is generated, as Marx felt that capital was generated by the unfair exploitation of workers.  "When, therefore, capital is converted into common property, into the property of all members of society, personal property is not thereby transformed into social property. It is only the social character of the property that is changed. It loses its class character." <ref>[http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html The Communist Manifesto]</ref>

== Communism and militant atheism ==

== Communism and militant atheism ==