The history of communism is the history of a movement that aims to bring about a new economic and political order, wherein the means of production would be held in common ownership, and the rule of the state would be based on the needs of the people. This new order would be established through a process of political revolution, in which the people would rise up and overthrow the existing government.

The history of communism begins with the Industrial Revolution, which is the first modern revolution. It was a time when the Industrial Revolution was just beginning, and many of the people in Europe were still living in a rural environment.