Communism as a modern political and economic ideology was founded by the German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th century. They developed the theory known as Marxism, which they outlined in key works such as The Communist Manifesto published in 1848. Marx and Engels critiqued capitalism and proposed a classless society where the means of production are communally owned, predicting that capitalism would be overthrown by the working class (proletariat) in a revolutionary struggle against the ruling capitalist class (bourgeoisie)

. While Marx and Engels are credited with inventing modern communism, the ideas behind communism have earlier roots in various socialist and utopian thinkers who criticized social inequalities and envisioned communal living and collective ownership. However, Marx and Engels provided the comprehensive theoretical framework and historical analysis that shaped communism as a distinct ideology

. In summary, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are recognized as the inventors of communism in its modern form.