Black's Law Dictionary alternately defines communism as “a system of social organization in which goods are held in common, the opposite of the system of private property,” and as “communalism, any theory or system of social organization involving common ownership of agents of production of industry.”

In the profiles and analyses contained in DiscoverTheNetworks, communism refers to the revolutionary philosophies based on Marxism, including Leninism, Stalinism, Trotskyism and Maoism. Often “Communism” is used as a synonym for the political system of the old Soviet Union and the Soviet satellite ruled by various Communist parties. In those cases, the “C” is capitalized.Marxist doctrine holds that just as society evolved from feudalism to capitalism, it will inexorably progress still further to socialism and eventually communism. Communists consider socialism to be an intermediary step between capitalism (out of which socialism is said to grow) and communism. That is, communism (whose motto is “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”) is deemed a further development or “higher stage” of socialism (whose motto is “From each according to his ability, to each according to his deeds”) – communism being the more “perfect” of two systems that both advocate public ownership of the means of production and centralized planning.The socialist principle of distribution according to deeds, or the quality and quantity of work that people perform, stands in marked contrast to the communist principle of distribution according to people’s needs. The former, because it accepts deed-based distribution of wealth, is considered easier to implement in a capitalist society without large-scale overhauls of existing political and economic structures. In essence, socialists view capitalism as a viable economic mechanism whose reins must simply be transferred from the currently dominant “oppressor class” that misuses capitalism to exploit workers, into the hands of the “worker class” which could use the system for laudable ends.

Socialists do not seek to dispossess people of their private belongings, such as consumer goods used for private enjoyment (clothing, automobiles, books, furniture, jewelry, etc.). They seek rather to impose public ownership only on that private property which is not personal in nature, but which rather, like factories, is used to produce those consumer goods. Socialists want to transfer control over this latter form of private property from “the few” to “the many.” Communists, unlike socialists, believe that capitalism cannot be subtly incorporated into a new socialist order, and cannot be used as a convenient means to a more desirable end, but rather must be crushed by revolutionary means. Communists exhort the working classes to overthrow the “capitalist dictatorship” and establish a classless society by force – using armed strength to utterly crush the existing “ruling class.”

The achievement of the ultimate communist ideal (“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”) is contingent upon production reaching an exceptionally high level – high enough to satisfy the needs of all; there must be an abundance of goods produced. Moreover, a prerequisite for this ideal’s achievement is a change in people’s attitude toward work; instead of working out of necessity or obligation, people will work happily because they feel a sense of responsibility to society and because their labors give them a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. 

This section of DiscoverTheNetworks examines the history and doctrines of communism, the effects it has had on the people who have lived under its strictures, and how it has influenced the worldviews and ideals of the American left.

The category titled Nature and Goals of Communism / Socialism examines the worldview and objectives of political systems.

The category titled Historical Perspectives contains resources about the history and evolution of communist and socialist ideas, as well as the history of the real-world implementation of those ideas.

The category titled Political Correctness explores the concept of cultural Marxism, more commonly known as "political correctness."

The category titled Results of Communism / Socialism examines the immense harm that communism does to the populations living under its rule.

The category titled Communist Roots of Palestinian Terror explores the relationship between communism and the genocidal objectives of Palestinian extremists.

The category titled Venona Project, Mitrokhin Archives, & Soviet Espionage examines the collaboration between American and British intelligence agencies that decoded Soviet intelligence messages during the World War II era, mostly between 1942 and 1945.

The category titled Hollywood and Communism / Socialism discusses why and how Hollywood has become a bastion of leftism and socialist/communist leanings -- a development that has greatly influenced the nature of the movies that the entertainment world's leading actors and producers make.

The category titled Neo-Communism examines the meaning of a term that David Horowitz defines as follows: "Neo-communism is a view whose members consider themselves 'citizens of the world,' not of America, and who therefore agitate for open borders and want the morally repulsive collection of autocracies, slaveocracies and kleptocracies called 'the United Nations' to reign over us and the world. A neo-communist is someone who believes that America is ruled by corporations who put 'profit over people' — and thereby show that they don’t understand either profit or people. A neo-communist is someone who is convinced that race, class, and gender hierarchies make it not only legitimate but necessary to describe America as a 'white supremacist' society. Neo-communists believe that a revolution is necessary (if not opportune at the moment), that the Consitution is a disposable document, and that America’s communist and Islamo-fascist enemies (Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Hizbollah, the PLO and Hamas) are freedom fighters or at least on the right side of the armageddon that faces us...."

The category titled Bibliographies and Guides to Literature provides an extensive reading list for those who wish to educate themselves about the history, ideals, and objectives of communism and socialism.

The category titled Major Communist Texts contains links to some of communism's seminal publications that are available online.