Communism and socialism are largely based on the works of Karl Marx.
Karl Marx was a Prussian philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist, intellectual and Communist militant of Jewish origin. In his vast and influential work he covers different fields of thought in philosophy, history, political science, sociology and economics; although he did not limit his work only to research, since he also ventured into the practice of journalism and politics, always proposing in his thoughts a union between theory and practice. Together with Friedrich Engels, he is considered the father of scientific socialism, modern communism, Marxism and historical materialism. His best known writings are The Communist Manifesto (co-authored with Engels), Das Kapital and The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon.
Marx's theories about society, economics, and politics, collectively known as Marxism, hold that all societies advance through the dialectic of class struggle. He was very critical of the current socioeconomic form of society, capitalism, which he called the "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie", affirming that it was carried out by the wealthy classes that own the means of production for their own benefit.