Not so long ago, some 20-30 years ago, any schoolboy of the senior classes could answer the question about what communism is . In a country called the Soviet Union, this term was spoken by all citizens, regardless of their social and property status. In this context, it should be noted that material wealth was shared among all living in this state equally. In any case, it was proclaimed. And such an application was not a biting phrase, not a figure of speech, but one of the principles on which the communist society was to be built. This principle is called short and attractive - equality.
Scientific communism, the foundations of which were laid in previous historical periods, as a discipline, was studied in higher educational institutions. One must at once say that many of the provisions of this science were borrowed from other theories and concepts. Today, when discussing what communism is, many people brought up in the modern spirit can not understand how private property can be dispensed with. At present, the main task of the government is the privatization of all state assets. In the opinion of liberal economists and philosophers, only in private management the production capacities give the maximum effect.
Yes, among the mandatory conditions under which this socio-economic formation will operate is the absence of private ownership of the means of production. At one time, a large majority of the population was shocked by this thesis. Ninety years ago, when communism in Russia began to be actively built, all the activists and adherents of this ideology had only theoretical training. Under the concept of "private property" very often fell objects and things of personal use. Such as shoes, razor or toothbrush. And all these attributes were subject to socialization. Is it funny? Today it's funny, but in those years it was scary.
Of course, many decades after the commencement of collectivization in the countryside, many things are seen and evaluated in a different way. The first thing to note is the vulgar interpretation of private and public. In any discussion about what communism is, the thesis is mentioned that the earth's interior is a public property. For several decades it was like that. Today they are given under various pretexts for private use. Has the standard of living of the average Russian raised from this? The question remains open. And under socialism, it could be answered positively. Communist ideology has many attractive qualities. Freedom, equality and brotherhood of peoples in the national aspect. Respect for a person who is engaged in work is morally.
Attention to the weak and care for the infirm was the policy of the socialist state. If you try to find out what communism is, you have to turn to the experience of the People's Republic of China. There, surprisingly, the communist principles and the private-property economy are combined. Of course, the process is in a dynamic state, and it is far from complete. What will communism be, our descendants will see.