# Do communists want to abolish all property?

> The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

## Answer

The Manifesto says communists seek abolition of bourgeois property — capital used to exploit wage labor — not the abolition of personal articles like clothing or food a worker already uses. Marx and Engels argue bourgeois property already rests on social labor while benefiting a minority; “abolition” means ending that exclusive claim and the relations of production sustaining it.

They contrast communist aims with reactionary socialisms that mourn lost feudal privilege or petty-bourgeois property ideals. Clarifying the distinction matters for fair reading: the pamphlet attacks a specific legal-economic form tied to factory capitalism, not every form of holding goods. Pair this answer with abolition-of-private-property and with Section III’s critique of conservative bourgeois “socialism” that wants reform without threatening capital.

## Evidence

- [ii-proletarians-and-communists](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_communist_manifesto_se/chapters/ii-proletarians-and-communists.md): Distinguishes bourgeois property from personal property and lists measures.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_communist_manifesto_se/questions/do-communists-want-to-abolish-all-property
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_communist_manifesto_se
- All questions: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_communist_manifesto_se/questions