Marx was a German of Jewish origin who lived much of his life in exile in France and Great Britain. He found much to object to in the prevalent political philosophy of his host countries - a philosophy then known generally as liberalism, as elaborated by such thinkers as John Locke, Adam Smith, Voltaire, and Jean-Baptiste Say. Liberals saw themselves as advocates of liberty, and by liberty they meant the right of individuals to do as they pleased with their own lives and their own property.

Communism, which is also described as "Revolutionary Proletarian Socialism" or "Marxism," is both a political and economic philosophy. The abridgment of Communism is enclosed in two primary writings: (1) The Communist Manifesto, which was first published in 1848 by Karl Marx, and (2) Principles of Communism, by Friedrich Engels. At the request of the Communist League, an activist group they were members of, Marx and Engels together authored The Communist Manifesto. The main goal of The Communist Manifesto was to focus on class struggle and motivate the common people to riot. Even more so, it was designed to envision a model government, whose economics would destroy the upper class - freeing the lower class from tyranny. According to The Communist Manifesto, Communism has ten essential planks:
-Abolition of Private Property.
-Heavy Progressive Income Tax.
-Abolition of Rights of Inheritance.
-Confiscation of Property Rights.
-Central Bank.
-Government Ownership of Communication and Transportation.
-Government Ownership of Factories and Agriculture.
-Government Control of Labor.
-Corporate Farms and Regional Planning.
-Government Control of Education.
Fundamentally, The Communist Manifesto was a rebellion against the extreme poverty of the lower class.