Communism before Marx

[Amusing Scrotum]

I don't really know whether this is the right forum to post this in, it would be suitable in a number of forums, so if anyone wants to move this. I don't mind.

Anyway, I was wondering the other day about Communist writers before Marx. Basically I know of none. Yet there must of been Communist writers before Marx, after all Marx wrote the "Communist Manifesto" for the Communist Party.

So really I have two questions.

1. Who wrote about Communism before Marx?

and,

2. Do you personally think they contributed anything worthwile to Communist thought?

[NovelGentry]

The first known usage is from Goodwyn Barmby in the founding of the London Communist Propaganda Society, in 1841. So to answer your question, no one really wrote about communism before Marx and Engels. The manifesto came out 7 years after the concept was solified into a term -- I'm not aware of anyone actually developing a theory to that concept under that terminology before the manifesto.

Socialism has a much more vibrant history, and obviously it's possible to see the relation between the two.

[Scars]

It depends what you want to define as Communism. I would consider the True Levellers (often called Diggers) who were around in the mid 17th century in England to be proto-communists.

There were many socialists who wrote about societies that resemble communism, but if communism existed then I doubt they would have considered themselves communists.

[workersunity]

check out the french guy Noel Gracchus Babeuf

not necessarily communism but good nonetheless

http://marxists.org/history/france/revolut...quals/index.htm (http://marxists.org/history/france/revolution/conspiracy-equals/index.htm)

[Communist-sanflea]

Hmm...plato spoke of something similar to communism.He envisioned a society in which people shared teir worldly possession(In The Laws). He also spoke of what he thought was the root of wars and discord,which he thought was rooted in belonging, in The Republic. And i believe that Virgil and Ovid wrote on a propertyless society.

[Che NJ]

plato's republic may have sounded nice, but it was a very hierarchical system with classes. In my opinion, the republic was also too controlling of its citizens.

And don't forget that even though he was a philosopher, the republic had a king.

[workersunity]

ya he wanted the smartest to rule, the elite

[visceroid]

i guess there were the utopian socialists, like fourier and owen.

[Monty Cantsin]

Communism of a non-secular verity has been offered up by different religious groups throughout history and the judo-Christians tradition has had anti-capitalist/socialistic themes. The ‘utopian’ socialist thought I haven’t read them are considered by Karl Korsch (important thinker in my book) as just as important to the modern communist movement as the classics of ‘scientific’ socialism.

I would recommend a reading of Oscar Wilde’s "The Soul of Man under Socialism" (http://marxists.org/reference/archive/wilde-oscar/soul-man/index.htm)

[Amusing Scrotum]

Thanks everyone for the responses, I will certainly be checking the writings of some of the people mentioned.

Monty Cantsin, Utopian Socialism pre Marx is something I have been meaning to read up on, however flawed it may have been, it must be of some merit. As many people have been influenced by it over the years.

[drain.you]

dont know of any writers, but Marx spoke of the first ages of people living in primitive communism, so communist thought existsed, not as a theory but just a way to survive. Dunno if that helps at all, I may have missed the point of the thread lol.

[OleMarxco]

Bruhahhahahahhah, an interesting question, oh ya, fon schnell - bitter tongue! ;)

Anyways, you gays...ehem...guys, guls, gals, ever heard of, ah-uh, Gypsies or WHUT!? Some-say, in ancient times, they were our pre-Commies. Or "Annies". Y'see, they travelled all over'e place...and sometimes ran by early settlement's of societies, but they were quickly chased from'ere, huh, as "Raiders", "Thiefs" and "Bandits". But all we wanted was some good's! Couldn't barter, y'see, so 'we' bloody-well TOOK it, but they didn't peep'rat! :wub:

So, we got the modern day's remains of ou'va gypsie's, they're mostly travellin' in wagons now, predictin' people's future n'shit. And uh, I ah, we even got'em in Norway, they used to go around "loose-workin'", but'ah, that quickly got an end to'rit's, 'cuz ah, they were accused of STEALIN', ya'see? Didn't like that either, no! But they're still alive, aside all this society-crapshit..and don't get me stated 'bout Kascynzki, that wannabe! :blush:

[tatu]

Originally posted by [email protected] 8 2005, 01:13 AM
I don't really know whether this is the right forum to post this in, it would be suitable in a number of forums, so if anyone wants to move this. I don't mind.

Anyway, I was wondering the other day about Communist writers before Marx. Basically I know of none. Yet there must of been Communist writers before Marx, after all Marx wrote the "Communist Manifesto" for the Communist Party.

So really I have two questions.

1. Who wrote about Communism before Marx?

and,

2. Do you personally think they contributed anything worthwile to Communist thought?
Try:

Cromwell and Communism (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1895/cromwell/index.htm)

Tat.