Communism is a political theory that advocates a classless and stateless society. That statement will have many people shaking their heads, including communists. In both cases, this is because a variety of governments throughout historically have claimed to be “communist” regimes. Those who consider themselves “communist” have a variety of different values.

More specifically, communists aren’t members of an organization that meets every week to vote. Some communists have their own organizations, but there is no single authority one what communist values “are.” The most legitimate claim to defining communist philosophy belongs to Karl Marx, but he is known for claiming, “I am not a Marxist.” Even Marx himself disliked how others interpreted and implemented his ideas.

Although not a religious group, communism might be comparable to Christianity in some ways. This is not a comparison intended to suggest anything about Christianity, either positive or negative. Rather, Christianity is a good example of a belief that unites a large group of people. Similarly, the ideas behind communism unite many individuals together on behalf of shared values.

Beyond certain core beliefs, Christianity often becomes a bit confusing. Christian faiths have emerged due to disagreements between individuals, and there are a variety of forms of Christianity that claim to be worshiping in the correct way. Some of these groups get along and respect one another, and there are others who have strong opposition to certain religious sects.

Communism has no central authority, be it God, Karl Marx, or the philosophical texts supporting the philosophy. Because of this, many people have tried to make figureheads out of intellectuals such as Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, etc. People often appeal to a central authority to justify their interpretation of what communism means.

Lenin is known for the philosophy of Marxist-Leninism, which advocates a “vanguard party” that implements a socialist government with the goal of creating a communist society. There is considerable debate over whether this view is consistent with the beliefs of Karl Marx. It most likely is, but there were Russian anarchists during Marx’s lifetime that also considered themselves communists. These anarchists opposed governments of any kind.

So despite advocating a classless society, many communists have interpreted and changed the philosophy. It is not possible to say that everyone who is a communist values a stateless society. But if they uphold the principles they claim, they do value the idea of eliminating government. This is not the case with many leaders who use communist philosophy as a political tool to establish a totalitarian rule.

Furthermore, the fundamental communist value may be seen as equality. This is not just equality of opportunity as common seen. Communism recognizes that equality requires equal access to the means to improve one’s life. In other words, one person should not have access to the best tutors, schools, and medicine at the expense of others. This individual can succeed easier in life because of these things, and that success allows them to achieve higher levels of prosperity than the average person.

Alternatively, it is much more difficult for someone in poverty to rise above their situation. In some cases, it may be safe to say it’s impossible for some people to escape poverty without the aid of others. Communists seek to provide people the opportunity to succeed and the resources necessary to pursue that success. They value human freedom and the pursuit of happiness.