komunist

Komunist is a term used to describe a person who subscribes to communism, an ideological framework that envisions a classless society achieved through common ownership of the means of production and the abolition of private property. In contemporary use, the term can refer to an adherent of the ideology or to a member of a communist party.

Communism as a political and economic theory traces its origins to 19th-century socialist thought, with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels shaping its core analysis in the Communist Manifesto (1848) and later works. The theory argues that capitalism produces exploitation of labor and that historical development will culminate in a revolutionary overthrow of capitalist systems leading to a planned, stateless society.

In the 20th century, communist parties established or contested power in many countries. The most prominent example was the Soviet Union, but movements and states in Eastern Europe, China, Cuba, Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere pursued forms of communist governance, often under Marxist-Leninist frameworks. The experience of these regimes varied, and many collapsed or reformed in the late 20th century and beyond. Today, the term is used to describe contemporary activists, politicians, or groups that advocate communism, or to refer to historical actors.

The word komunist can be neutral when describing beliefs, but it is also used pejoratively in political rhetoric depending on context and perspective.