# What is Communism? Karl Marx & Background

> This section opens Topic 1: Communism in Russia 1900–1940. Before you judge Lenin or Stalin, you must know what communism claimed to be, how Karl Marx explained class struggle, and why Tsarist…

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## More in Communism in Russia 1900–1940

- [The February & October 1917 Revolutions](https://www.hlayiso.com/grade-11/history/notes/communism-in-russia-19001940/the-february-and-october-1917-revolutions) — Next section
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