COMMUNISM.
The Amana Society.
4. The Church Triumphant, Koreshanity.
5. The Ephrata Community. John Conrad Beissel. The Buildings (§ 1).
Organization and Doctrines (§ 2). Growth and Decline (§3).
6. The Harmony Society.
7. Icaria and New Icaria.
8. The Perfectionists or Oneida Com-
munity.
9. The Separatists.
10. The Shakers or the Millennial Church.
Origin and Early History (§ 1). Doctrines (§ 2).
Organiiation and Government (53). Religious Services. Present Status (§ 4).
of humanity and morality, and forms a definite social and economic system. It demands the abolishment of private property and the ownership of all industries and utilities by the State. Property is divided into two classes: one of things intended for consumption— food, clothmg, and the like; the other of things serving for production— land^ machines, factories, etc. According to communism, the interests of society are best served when all productive property belongs to the community. The individual then is an employee of the State, and li:.s a right only to those commodities that are apportioned out to bin? ^Tom the common
RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Communion of Saints Oommunism
storehouse in remuneration for his contribution to the common work. The communist mamtains that many of the existing economic evils would be removed by such a system.^Production, he believes, would regulate itself automatically; there would be no more crises caused by overproduction; and there would be no more strikes. Besides, by concentrating the industries the work-day would be shortened, thereby allowing more time for intellectual enjoyments. Poverty would disappear, and also the kindred evil, wealth. The source of all evil passions and crime, private property, would be removed. Jealousy, selfishness, egoism would be meaningless. The whole social and economic world would be unified; there would be only one government, and that by the people. The whole of humanity would form one happy family. Since the basis of this system is the equal enjoyment of this world's goods, it is evident that the kind of communism here described is thoroughly materialistic. It is to be distinguished from ascetic communism, in which it is contempt for things earthly that leads to renunciation of private property.
History shows that the higher the civilization of a country the more highly developed have been
the forms of private property. Among S. History. Slavic peoples the land surrounding
the village is still held in common. The Germanic peoples early divided the arable land; but in modern Germany forests have remained common property to a great extent, and likewise pasture-land till near the end of the nineteenth century. Communism as a theoretical system first appeared among the Greeks, the most famous example being furnished by Plato's " Republic." Aristotle recognized its impracticability, but believed that the use of private property ought to be regulated by law in the interest of the public. Similar reactions against the division of society into rich and poor are found in the Orient, where disdain of riches leads to renunciation of property ; the Buddhist monks are particularly noteworthy. Christianity pointed a new way. True, Christ taught that earthly treasures are unimportant compared with things eternal (Matt. xvi. 26); but for this very reason both poverty and riches are of like import to the Christian. Both were considered only from the standpoint of the moral dangers they bring with them. So far from commending renunciation of earthly goods, Paul declared work and remunerative work fundamental for every Christian (Eph. iv. 28; II Thess. iii. 10); and Jesus emphasized the duty of faithfulness where private possessions are concerned (Luke xvi. 11). The New Testament teaches complete self-denial, but not communism; and to conceive of the first congregation in Jerusalem as communistic is to misunderstand both the passage describing it (Acts ii.- V.) and Christianity (cf. O. Holtzmann, in ZKG, Mv., 1893, p. 327; Nathusius, Mitarbeit, p. 402; W. Roscher, Grundlagen der Nationaldkonomie, Stuttgart, 1892, p. 199). The later communistic interpretation of Christianity was due to two causes; the taking up into Christian thought of the heathen contempt for matter as such, and the substitution *f the Law for the Gospel. In its Chris-
tian garb communism has been based upon asceticism, or upon greed disguised as asceticism, as with the Circumcelliones (q.v.) of the Donatist controversy (see Donatism). The idea that communism is ethically a higher form of possession than individualism was common in the Church throughout the Middle Ages. This made it easy for the Church to move the people ta surrender their property.
[Strong commimistic tendencies appeared among the medieval Waldenses, Apostohc Brethren, Beghards, and LoUards. But the most important medieval communistic experiment was that of the Taborites (q.v.), the radical Bohemian 3. Histor- party in the Hussite wars. Among ioal Ex- the articles set forth by them in 1420 amples. were the following: " In these days there shall be no king, ruler, or subject on the earth, and aU imposts and taxes shall cease; no one shall force another to do anything, for aU shall be equal brethren and sisters. As in the town of Tabor there is no mine or thine, but all is held in common, so shall everything be common to all, and no one own anything for himself alone. Whoever does so commits a deadly sin." All were required to deposit their possessions in a common treasury. Later each carried on his own industry, but brought all the surplus product for common use. The more radical of the Taborites insisted upon community even in wives (see Adamites, 3; and NicoLAiTANs). At first the Bohemian Brethren (q.v.) required all who would enter their fellowship to renounce property and rank, and schism occurred (1491) when the dominant elements decided to relax the conditions of membership in the body, in favor of nobles and gentry. In the early Reformation time Thomas Miinzer (q.v.), influenced by Nicholas Storch (see Zwickau Prophets), made a determined and enthusiastic effort to overthrow the existing order with its injustice and oppression, and to establish a kingdom of Christ on earth, conceived of as communistic or semicommunistic. The revolutionary peasants (see Peasants' War) did not demand absolute community of goods; but the forests for timber, fuel, and game, the streams for fish, exemption from oppressive taxes, rents, and imposts, and a free enjoyment of the products of labor by the laborer were earnestly insisted upon. All of the Anabaptists recognized the obhgation of contributing freely of their means for the supplying of the needs of brethren, and many of them taught and practised a thoroughgoing communism. This is true especially of the Moravian Anabaptists, who estabhshed larger households, in which thousands lived in a communistic way under a general superintendent. (Consult on medieval and sixteenth century communism: K. Kautsky, Communism in Central Europe in the Time of the Reformation, London, 1897, and J. Loserth, Der Communismus der Mdhrischen Wiedertdufer, Vienna, 1894.)
A. H. N.]
In the sixteenth century the propaganda for communism assumed the form of fiction. The most important work of this character was the Utopia (1516) of Sir Thomas More (q.v.). Communism in its present form may be said to have
Oommunism