I want to know more about Communism and Marxism to counter the online and offline propaganda.

I ask for your help and knowledge because of my own limitation but also to gain new perspectives and arguments from others.<br><br>I have lived in a communist country and I have a good understanding of the ideology, practice, history and evolution of the system. I've read Marx and Engels, and I've studied philosophy. My knowledge is incomplete however as I don't know everything and I'm not good at debating online.<br><br>I am not a political extremist and I believe in somewhere "in between", because that's where I find stability and balance. I am concerned with the growing influence on young people and the expressions of the online communist communities that I thought were some kind of joke, but I keep seeing them everywhere.<br><br>What do I know about Marxism and Communism:<br><br>- Marx was a revolutionary, a thinker, a publicist, a historian, a sociologist, a politician, an economist, a philosopher and a journalist. Not a politician. He didn't describe the political system of a communist state. He only wrote about the evolution of a capitalist state to a socialist state and to a communist state. The abolition of private property, the end of the capitalist exploitation of the worker and the establishment of social and economic equality.<br><br>- Marx and Engels were critical of the capitalist system of the time, which they believed had led to the alienation of the worker from his class, from society and from himself. They believed in the abolition of the capitalist class and the establishment of a democratic system chosen by the people, for the people, a system that doesn't exploit the worker and that takes from the rich and gives to the poor. This is one of the foundations of Socialism but not of Communism.<br><br>- Marx and Engels believed that this change should happen through revolution but not necessarily a civil war. There should be no exploitation of the worker in a communist society. We all work according to our abilities and each receives according to his needs. An ideal but unrealistic scenario.<br><br>- Marx and Engels believed that religion is the opium of the people, it's an escape from reality and a way to accept the social and economic status quo. Like any drug, it can provide comfort but it is not a solution.<br><br>- The Communist Manifesto describes a future stateless society where workers are liberated from exploitation. There would be no social classes, no money, no nations, no private ownership of the means of production of goods or of land, no national borders, etc.<br><br>- Communism is not a political system, it's an ideology and a belief, a utopian view of society. A society where everyone works according to his abilities and each receives according to his needs. A society with no nations, no borders, no private property, no class exploitation, no money.<br><br>- We see a lot of communist countries in the world today but that doesn't mean that they are really communist. It's a political system inspired by the ideas of Marx and Engels but which does not follow these principles. There is a class exploitation, a strong hierarchy and corruption, private property of state institutions, money, national borders, etc.<br><br>- Communism has never been practiced and never will be in its pure form. It's a utopian ideology and it has failed in practice. It failed in Russia, China, Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere. It is for this reason that I am fighting this ideology. No one is equal and there will never be a classless society without exploitation. There will always be social hierarchies, inequalities, corruption, etc.<br><br>- Communism is not compatible with the modern world. We see today a growing awareness of ethnic and sexual identities and the domination of capitalism in the modern world. This doesn't prevent the communists from trying to infiltrate and recruit people from the "oppressed" classes. But the theory of Communism is incompatible with the self-determination of minorities.<br><br>What I want to know:<br><br>- The complete works of Lenin and his actual views on Communism and Marxism.<br><br>- The complete works of Mao and his actual views on Communism and Marxism.<br><br>- If there are really "CIA agents posing as Communists" or if it's a conspiracy theory.<br><br>- The truth about the Gulags.<br><br>- The truth about the famine in Ukraine, China and Russia.<br><br>- If the netizens are right that Communism doesn't kill people, the political systems kill people. I think this is a simplistic and stupid argument because they apply a double standard and they ignore history. They are apologists and revisionists, they are ignorant of the reality and the consequences of the communist systems. They are patronizing and condescending and I don't know what to do with these annoying people that distort history and twist reality.<br><br>- I would like to know more about the "leftist" and "rightist" factions in China today. The ideologies that are gaining influence in Korea and other countries.<br><br>- Is Communism a form of Fascism? A form of National Socialism? It has the same repressive and authoritarian elements of Fascism and Nazism but it is not a nationalist ideology. However, once in power, the Communist parties have become nationalist and repressive. They've promoted a State personality cult, they've established a police State, they have criticized and destroyed religion and traditional culture, they've abolished all opposition parties and the freedom to express and manifest political opinions, they've punished and repressed any opposition, they've created a one party system and a system of terror, they've nationalized all private institutions, they have criticized capitalism and they have abolished all civil rights and liberties. <br><br>- The theory of intersectionality doesn't make sense to me and I don't even understand it. I don't understand today's feminism and social justice. They are out of touch with reality.<br><br>- I would like to have more resources to argue with today's communists. I would like to have more arguments to argue with them and counter their propaganda. I would like to have a real perspective of the situation today, to know what to expect and how to defend myself against this ideology.