Communism as an idea was originally thought up in 1848 in The

Communist Manifesto. It was not until 1917 that communism as a

government existed. Since then, it has led to several wars and the division of

the world. Now, it is slowly diminishing. Communism was an idea, or a

lifestyle, that spread around the world and majorly effected people, politics

and society as a whole.

The origin of communism is The Communist Manifesto. It was written in

1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The word communism comes

from the Latin word for communis, which means common or belonging to all

(Vontz). They had the idea of a classless society that was run by workers.

Marx believed that the only way that this could happen was if the oppressed

class revolted and took power. The purpose was to avoid the concentration of

wealth in a few people (Vontz). The first time that communism was actually

used in a government was in the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. The

Provisional government took over power after the czar was dethroned. This

government remained in the war and was unpopular. The Bolshevik

revolution was led by V.I. Lenin against the Provisional government. When

the Bolsheviks took power, Lenin installed a communist government (The

Bolshevik Revolution).

Communism had an enormous impact on society. After World War II,

Germany and the rest of Europe was divided. The eastern half was controlled

by communist governments and the western half was not. This was

ultimately due to the different ideologies and interests between the Soviet
Union and the West (The Cold War Museum). These communist nations

formed the Warsaw pact to counter the capitalist alliance called NATO. These

hostilities led to the Cold War. This also started a huge arms race. The first

time that communism was really tested was in the Korean War. The

communist North Korea invaded the capitalist South Korea. The United States

became involved on opposite sides as the Soviet Union and China. The

United States also tried to prevent communism in Vietnam. They were

unsuccessful and communism spread throughout Asia (The Cold War

Museum).

Communism may not have much of a future. The citizens of many

communist nations were unhappy with their government and sought out

change. Previous attempts to speak out against it were met with military

force, but now some nations were breaking out of it. Multiple Eastern

European countries that were previously under the control of the Soviet

Union were dropping communism and turning to a democracy. The Berlin

Wall was demolished and Germany was reunited. On December 25, 1991, the

Soviet hammer and sickle flag lowered for the last time over the Kremlin (Fall of

Communism in Eastern Europe, 1989 1989-1992 - Milestones Office of the

Historian). The Soviet Union no longer exists. Now, people in China are

reaching out for change. In 1989, protesters in China came to Tiananmen

Square. The government killed hundreds of them. Although it is unfortunate,

it illuminates the desire for change in several of the remaining communist

nations (Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1989 1989-1992 -

Milestones Office of the Historian).

Communism has a long and often complicated history that changed

the world as a whole. It has been filled with harsh ruling parties oppressing

the citizens. There were multiple wars to spread communism and to contain

it. After all of this, the future of communism is uncertain. No one can say how

long it may last. After all, the entire concept of communism was based off of

one simple book.