Communism: Overview Communism is the belief that everyone in a society should be equal and share their wealth. It is an outgrowth of socialism and Anabaptism (Laski 45). It became a firmly rooted term after the Russian Revolution of 1917. According to the words of Karl Marx, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" (monkeywrench@iww.org). These theories were spread by Karl Marx. He believed that what a person made of himself reflected his effort (McLellan 1). He also believed that communism, or the state of equality was ones "final stage in life" (Leone 1). C