 The Theory of Communism German philosopher Karl Marx said that society was divided into classes. Most people were in the working class, also known as the proletariat. They worked for a ruling class called the bourgeoisie. These people owned most of the land, mines, factories, and everything else that produced food, fuel and other goods. The profits from selling these goods made the ruling class rich. The working class worked for the ruling class. As the bourgeoisie or ruling class got richer, the proletariat, or workers, were getting poorer. The government, police and armed forces helped the bourgeoisie or ruling class to protect their profits and their ruling position in society. Marx said that a class struggle was going on between the ruling class and the working class. Eventually, the workers would be able to stand this no longer. Then they would join together in a revolution to get rid of the ruling class. After getting rid of the ruling class, the workers would take control of the government and run the country for the benefit of the workers. Land and property would be shared out and everybody would have equal rights. This would be a socialist society. But because the old ruling class might try to get their money and power back, a strong government would be needed for some time. Eventually, everybody would come to accept this new kind of society. There would no longer be any need for a government or police. The government would cease to exist and people would live by a system of communism. People would work to produce whatever they could and share this with everyone else. They would take for themselves only as much as they needed, Marx called this communism. And that, in a nutshell, is Marx's theory of communism.