1. What is Communism?
A Simple Lesson

2. Sickle for the Peasants – the farmers
What is Communism?
This is the symbol of Communism – The Hammer and the Sickle
Hammer for the
Workers
Sickle for the Peasants – the farmers
Who are these blokes?

3. This is his good friend, Frederick Engels.
What is Communism?
These two wrote the ‘Communist Manifesto’
in It’s a short book – but billions of people have read it….
This is Karl Marx, the ‘Father of Communism’. People who believe in his ideas are called ‘Marxists’
This is his good friend, Frederick Engels.

4. What is Marx’s idea of Communism?
Marx and Engels studied the history of the world’s economies.
This means the way that power, industry and finance are controlled.
They saw the way countries developed in stages.
Communism
Socialism
Capitalism
Feudalism
Primitive
Communism

5. Primitive Communism
This is how humans first lived together – in small tribes. Primitive means ‘not very advanced’ e.g. hunting and gathering. Communism means that everything was shared amongst the tribe – food, jobs, belongings. No-one owned land. Eventually a group comes to power – this leads to Feudalism…
Primitive
Communism

6. Feudalism
Under feudalism, a king or emperor or chief becomes the ruler over all the people.
He gives land and privileges to ‘nobles’ who rule the people for him.
The people are kept uneducated and told that god chose the king to rule. The church helps the king this way.
Feudalism
As trade develops, some people get richer. This leads to Capitalism…..
Primitive
Communism

7. Capitalism
The capitalists get more power to serve their own interests.
The business owners or capitalists get richer while the workers do all the hard work actually making the goods.
Capitalism
Feudalism
Capitalism creates a huge working-class of people who soon get angry at the way they are treated. They organise in unions and demand changes. This will lead to a revolution and Socialism…

8. Socialism The state (gov’t) owns all of the means of production.
These ideas spread across the world to create Communism….
Capitalism
In the Socialist revolution all the rulers – kings, churches, capitalists are got rid of.

9. Communism
The remaining capitalists put up a bitter fight, but the will of the people will always win.
No social class.
All are equal.
Government
is not
Needed!
Communism
Socialism
All human activity goes towards benefiting each other – allowing all to live their lives to the full.
As everyone now works together, war is a thing of the past – armies are not needed. Sharing means no police are needed. Everything is provided by the people – so money becomes a thing of the past.