Origin Communism is a political and economic system in which the state owns the means of production, but the citizens are allocated goods and services in a fair and equal manner. The term communism derives from the Latin word communis, which means "common". The communist manifesto was written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Brief history The communist system of government started with the formation of the Soviet Union which started from 1917. During this period the country was led by Joseph Stalin who ruled the USSR from 1917 to 1953. Currently communism is still the system of government practiced in modern day Cuba, Vietnam Laos and China as well. The whole ideology was developed in the 19th century as a political and economic theory. The real deal The West has always been against communism, and has been consistently trying to stop communism from spreading. However, the West's opposition to communism is not quite as clear as it seems. The West's oppositio...