Understanding Communism: From Karl Marx to Lenin (With a Disturbing Conclusion)
Set aside your preconceptions
I must warn you that this article requires setting aside any existing beliefs about socialism and communism.
Karl Marx: The Father of Communism
Portrait of Karl Marx (1818–1883)Karl Marx, born in 1818 and considered the father of communism, emerged just 30 years after the French Revolution (1789). The social atmosphere of his time was defined by the revolutionary idea that citizens should replace monarchs as the rightful rulers of nations. Additionally, the Industrial Revolution (16th-19th centuries) had established capitalism as the dominant economic system. It’s important to note that at this time, most ordinary people didn’t clearly understand the differences between communism, socialism, capitalism, and democracy.
The Industrial Revolution and Workers’ Reality
The condition of workers across Europe was dire. Children worked over 12 hours daily, often dying from exhaustion. Men and women labored extensively yet barely earned enough to survive. What caused this disastrous situation?
In the mid-to-late 1800s, factory owners exploited desperate workers who had no alternative employment options. They paid pitiful wages while mass-producing goods. Ironically, these workers couldn’t afford to buy the very products they manufactured. This situation created numerous social problems.
Origins of Socialism: The First Ideas
Saint-Simon (1769-1825, French philosopher and economist) proposed that wealthy individuals and workers should collaborate in manufacturing environments. Meanwhile, Fourier suggested creating communal living areas with varying quality housing—better homes for productive workers and poorer accommodations for less productive ones—while ensuring weekends off for everyone.
These were the earliest socialist policies. It’s important to note that calling these ideas “socialism” is a modern perspective. At the time, these thinkers didn’t use terms like “communism” or “socialism.”
Robert Owen (1771-1858, British philosopher and socialist) introduced the concept of cooperatives (similar to modern agricultural cooperatives), finally bringing the term “socialism” into use. Gracchus Babeuf (1760-1797) argued that land should be distributed equally among people rather than concentrated among the nobility. From Babeuf came the term “communism.” During this period, “socialism” and “communism” were used somewhat interchangeably without significant distinction.
Karl Marx’s Emergence: Scientific Communism
Karl Marx and his friend Engels criticized these thinkers, dismissing their ideas as fantasy and imagination. Based on their extensive research (Communist Manifesto, Theory of Surplus Value, Das Kapital), they claimed their approach was ideal and scientific. This gave birth to Marxism—not the communism or socialism of Babeuf and Owen, but the communist ideology followed by Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Kim Il-sung. What made Marx’s ideas so compelling to these leaders?
Marx’s Historical View: Primitive Communist Society
According to Marx, human history began with primitive communist society—a period without private property, class distinctions (slaves, nobles, commoners), or states. This was followed by slavery, where humans became property. Next came feudalism, with the concept of land ownership emerging in medieval Europe, where commoners worked land rented from landowners and suffered under their authority.
After feudalism came capitalism, developing through the Industrial Revolution with numerous technological advancements and factories. This created a clear division between the rich and poor in the early 19th and 20th centuries, when impoverished people were starving to death.
Collapse of Capitalism and Revolution
Marx predicted that capitalism would naturally collapse as capitalists continued exploiting workers while mass-producing goods. Workers would become increasingly impoverished, and eventually, there would be no one left to buy the products, causing the capitalist system to fail. Simultaneously, he believed the capitalism that was killing the poor would also destroy the monarchies and feudal systems that had persisted for thousands of years.
As capitalism deepened wealth inequality, the poor population increased, but so did the number of factories owned by the wealthy. More factories meant more exploited workers. The proletarian revolution—workers overthrowing the wealthy—would occur when these numerous workers rose up against the rich. By this time, society would have developed tremendous technological advancements and numerous factories, yet the rich would remain rich and the poor would remain poor. The revolution would remove the wealthy and convert the factories into common assets. Marx called this early communism, while Lenin referred to it as socialism. For clarity, I’ll refer to early communism and socialism interchangeably.
Communist Utopia: Ideal vs. Reality
Following Marx’s vision, after the revolution, the rich would disappear, but their factories—built by exploiting workers—would remain with their technological capabilities intact. With both the wealthy and destitute gone, everyone would be equal. By expanding these factories and planning production to meet everyone’s needs for food, clothing, and necessary goods, pure communism—a paradise on earth—would emerge. In this utopia, resources would be distributed according to need, with everyone working according to their abilities. Everyone would be equal, and conflict would cease. However, this required a crucial precondition: all people would need to become wise and moral. Looking at online comments on Reddit and other platforms in 2025, I believe Marx’s communism remains impossible.
Lenin’s Alteration: The Beginning of the Soviet Union
Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet Union, diverged from Marx’s path. While Marx envisioned a progression from capitalism (with advanced technology and factories) to proletarian revolution to socialism to communist utopia, Lenin ignored this sequence.
Marx’s sequence:
Capitalism → Advanced factories and technology → Proletarian revolution → Socialism → Communist utopia
Russia (the Soviet Union) lacked proper factory infrastructure and hadn’t fully developed capitalism. It was experiencing food shortages and agricultural problems. Yet Lenin initiated a revolution, claiming they could develop factories and technology afterward.
Lenin’s sequence:
Russian monarchy → What resources? → Proletarian revolution → Build factories → Socialism → Communist utopia
Ideological Misunderstandings and Reality
Occasionally, I see concerning comments suggesting that the opposite of democracy is communism, and the opposite of capitalism is socialism. This could mislead young readers. The opposite of democracy isn’t clearly defined, but anti-democratic systems include monarchies, one-party communist states, and dictatorships. Similarly, the opposite of capitalism isn’t easily defined—it’s simply non-capitalist systems. If you desire a purely textbook version of American liberal democracy, consider that if a company monopolized the wheat supply in America and demanded you sell your house to buy wheat, you’d have no recourse. Also, a 100% free-market American government would eliminate basic living allowances, national pension systems, and unemployment insurance. I’m clearly stating this to teenage readers concerned about being influenced by adults.
Modern Ideological Debates: Mixed Politics
By 2025, ideological debates have ended. All political parties have become “cartel parties” or “mixed parties,” proposing policies that blend capitalism, liberalism, socialism, communism, and various other ideologies. What’s conservative and what’s progressive? What’s right-wing and what’s left-wing? What’s clear is that Karl Marx and Engels never once suggested creating states like the Soviet Union, China, or North Korea. Throughout Earth’s history, no nation has truly attempted to follow Marx and Engels’ prescription.
Furthermore, Mao Zedong altered Lenin’s already-altered version of Marx’s ideas:
Mao’s sequence:
Establish China → Proletarian revolution → Collective farming → Development??? → Socialism → Communist utopia
He advocated for collective farming. I’ll explain Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution in a future article. Stay tuned for more!