In 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) collapsed, and Russia became its successor. The ideological basis of the USSR was the goal of building communism - a classless society of free people who renounced private property. Ideas preaching such a society originated in ancient times.
Where and when did the first communist teachings originate
The ideas of a just society without private property appeared in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and some other regions. It is known that many elements of communism were, for example, among the Egyptian priests, Jewish prophets, Greek philosophers.
In their quest for universal equality, the then "communists" often went too far. So, for example, the ancient Greek sophists considered it necessary to have a community not only of any property, but even of wives and children. The great philosopher Plato adhered to exactly the same views. Such ideas were caustically ridiculed by the famous playwright Aristophanes in his comedy "Society of Women".
The well-known philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras was a supporter of communist ideas. He and his students lived in a large commune, all property of which was jointly owned.
Communist Ideas of the Middle Ages and Later
In the 5th century, the doctrine of Pelagius, a Christian, was widely spread, who argued that man is not sinful by nature and that the rich will not get access to the kingdom of God. Pelagius promoted the idea of complete abandonment of property. In the XI-XIII centuries. in many European countries, the teaching of the Cathars spread, which contained many signs of communism.
At the end of the 15th century, the Czech preacher Bogheim gained immense popularity, demanding the socialization of the entire land and compulsory labor even for the nobility and clergy. And in the 16th century, the English politician and philosopher Thomas More wrote the famous book "Utopia", where he depicted an ideal (in his opinion) society. The inhabitants of the island state of Utopia received everything they needed from the state, in exchange for the obligatory daily 6-hour labor.
In the early 19th century, English philanthropist Robert Owen began organizing communist communities, which, however, did not last long. And in 1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels issued the "Manifesto of the Communist Party", proclaiming its goal to abolish large private property and build a proletarian state. Marx argued that the first stage of building a new just society will be socialism, and the second, highest - communism.
On the basis of Marxism in the 20th century, new communist ideas emerged: Leninism, Trotskyism and Maoism, named after their main ideologues.
