Why communism is regaining popularity among young people in 2025

In 2025, communism is experiencing a notable revival in popularity, particularly among younger generations across the globe. This renewed interest is not a nostalgic yearning for the iron rule of the Soviet Union or Maoist China, but a reconsideration of Marxist theory, collective ownership, and wealth redistribution in response to the mounting failures of global capitalism.

Informed by online discourse, historical reassessments, and a collective desire for equity and climate justice, this ideological resurgence is shaping contemporary political debates and cultural identity.

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Rising inequality and economic frustration

The re-emergence of communist ideals is deeply tied to widening wealth gaps and the perceived failures of neoliberal economics. In the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, the cost of living has surged while wages have remained stagnant.

For many millennials and Gen Z, buying a home, accessing affordable healthcare, or saving for retirement are increasingly out of reach. The gig economy, once sold as freedom, has left millions with unstable income and no benefits.

In contrast to this growing precarity, billionaires have accumulated obscene amounts of wealth. This juxtaposition fuels the appeal of systems that promise wealth redistribution, universal services, and worker ownership principles foundational to communism.

Disillusionment with capitalism and political institutions

Young people today are experiencing a profound loss of faith in traditional politics and economic systems. Capitalism is often blamed not only for personal financial insecurity but also for global crises such as the climate emergency, colonial legacies, and healthcare inequities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many Gen Z users have turned to social platforms like TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) to explore critiques of capitalism and engage with content that frames communism as a compassionate and logical response. Influencers, academics, and political commentators are finding large audiences for long-form essays and videos explaining the basics of Marxism, historical communism, and emerging leftist thought.

Climate change and the capitalist growth imperative

Communism’s growing appeal is also linked to environmental concerns. Capitalism’s reliance on infinite growth is widely seen as incompatible with ecological sustainability. As climate disasters increase in frequency and severity, more people are questioning economic models that incentivise short-term profits over long-term planetary health.

While historical communist states had poor environmental records, the theory itself proposes a system where production is based on need, not profit. Planned economies, in theory, could prioritise sustainability, resource conservation, and equitable distribution. This aligns with the values of young people who see climate justice as inseparable from economic justice.

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Digital communism and open-source culture

In today’s digital landscape, aspects of communism are already functioning within certain online spaces. Open-source software, file-sharing networks, and decentralised platforms operate outside traditional capitalist frameworks.

Wikipedia, for instance, is maintained by thousands of volunteers across the globe with no profit motive. Blockchain communities and peer-to-peer projects exemplify models of decentralised collaboration and ownership.

These systems illustrate that digital cooperation can thrive without hierarchical corporate structures, suggesting that communistic principles can work in niche, tech-driven environments. This adds credibility to the idea that such models might be scalable with the right technological and cultural support.

Historical reappraisals and global perspectives

A significant part of the renewed interest in communism involves reassessing the accomplishments of past regimes. While mainstream narratives highlight the atrocities of Stalinism or Maoism, some young people are re-evaluating the context in which those systems emerged particularly in nations that were deeply impoverished, colonised, or semi-feudal prior to revolution.

Achievements like universal literacy, mass industrialisation, gender equality initiatives, and accessible healthcare are cited by proponents as evidence that certain aspects of communist governance produced real benefits, especially in comparison to the conditions that preceded them.

In the Global South, many view socialist experiments despite their failures as genuine efforts to escape Western dominance and assert economic independence. This context is often absent from Western critiques of communism.

Political polarisation and radical alternatives

The rise of populism, political corruption, and polarisation in liberal democracies has eroded public trust in mainstream parties. With centrism increasingly associated with stagnation and corporate interests, radical alternatives are gaining momentum. Right-wing populism offers nationalism and exclusion. On the left, communism and democratic socialism propose solidarity, equality, and systemic change.

Figures like Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn, and Latin American leaders such as Evo Morales or Gustavo Petro have brought leftist ideas back into mainstream discourse. Though most of these politicians identify as democratic socialists, their popularity has opened space for discussions around more radical economic structures, including communism.

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Online echo chambers and youth radicalisation

Digital platforms play a complex role in the revival of communism. Algorithms favour sensational content, which can lead to ideological echo chambers. Within these communities, communism is often presented not as utopian fantasy, but as a rational response to a deeply broken system. Through memes, livestreams, and long-form explainers, a culture of leftist radicalism has emerged that is witty, well-researched, and emotionally compelling.

This content, particularly on platforms like TikTok and Discord, appeals to a generation accustomed to collective digital spaces, open critique, and fast-paced cultural shifts. The result is a decentralised and often playful engagement with communist ideas more cultural than doctrinal, yet still politically potent.

Techno-communism: A vision for the future?

Some theorists argue that technological development might eventually allow for a version of communism that avoids the pitfalls of the past. Artificial intelligence, big data, and decentralised governance systems could theoretically manage economic planning with efficiency and transparency previously unattainable. Smart contracts and blockchain could enforce equitable distribution without centralised authority.

The concept of “fully automated luxury communism” posits a future where machines perform most labour, and abundance replaces scarcity. While critics view this as speculative fiction, the narrative has gained traction among tech-savvy youth as both a critique of present systems and a hopeful vision for the future.

Communism as countercultural identity

In an era dominated by branding, consumerism, and corporate power, embracing communism is also a form of identity and cultural resistance. It signals rejection of the status quo and alignment with values like anti-imperialism, intersectional justice, and community autonomy. University students, artists, and grassroots organisers often adopt leftist ideologies not out of dogmatism, but as expressions of moral conviction and intellectual rigour.

Unlike previous generations that might have feared association with communism, many young people today wear the label ironically or sincerely as part of a broader rejection of corporate culture and neoliberal values.

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Could it lead to change?

While growing interest in communism does not mean the world is on the verge of a new red revolution, the ideological shift is already influencing policy conversations and political agendas. Calls for universal healthcare, higher minimum wages, wealth taxes, union rights, and rent controls are increasingly mainstream, even in capitalist economies. These proposals, while not communist in themselves, are rooted in the broader leftist tradition that critiques unrestrained market capitalism.

What is notable in 2025 is not a call for the state to seize the means of production, but a demand for fairness, dignity, and inclusion. Communism, in this context, is less about dogma and more about possibility.

A new conversation on equality

Communism’s renewed popularity among young people in 2025 signals a broader cultural and ideological transformation. It reflects not only dissatisfaction with capitalism but also a collective yearning for a system that centres humanity over profit. While history provides ample warnings about the dangers of totalitarian communism, today’s interest is shaped more by democratic, technological, and community-based visions.

The real challenge lies not in reviving 20th-century models, but in constructing new frameworks that balance equity, freedom, sustainability, and innovation. As young people continue to shape the political and cultural agenda, the conversation around communism is no longer confined to dusty textbooks or Cold War rhetoric it is alive, evolving, and undeniably relevant.

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