Definition of the word communism

The word "communism" has its origins in the French Revolution. It is derived from the Latin "communis," meaning "shared" or "common." The term was first used by the French thinker and philosopher Henri de Saint-Simon in his 1817 work "Organisateur," where he advocated for a new economic and social order in which the means of production were shared by all members of society. However, the concept of communism as we know it today was further developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their 1848 book "The Communist Manifesto." They defined communism as a social and economic system in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the workers themselves, rather than by the bourgeoisie (capitalists). The goal of communism, according to Marx and Engels, was to create a classless, stateless society where all members were equal and free to pursue their own goals.