ABSTRACT
Communist movements can only be considered millenarian in the broadest sense, and more often they are classified as secular revolutionary movements. Socialist and communist revolutions have had serious global impact since the nineteenth century. Karl Marx (1818-83) and his adherents envisioned the historic struggle for a worker paradise to be carried out without any supernatural intervention. Marxists place a strictly materialist faith in the ability of the proletariat to bring about a new age of human emancipation and universal equality. However, certain precursor movements qualify as millenarian because they advocated chiliastic prophecy and communistic land reform. Nevertheless, specific aspects of communist movements, such as charismatic leadership and zeal of followers resemble millenarian expression.
