ABSTRACT
IntheSovietUnionasinothercommunistcountries,income distributionpatternswererootedtheoreticallyintheworkof MarxandEngels.Inthesewritingsthereisaclearinsistencethat afuturesocialistsocietyshouldnotonlybemoreegalitarianthan acapitalistsocietybutalsoshouldpersistentlystrivetowardthe reductionofinequalitiestothelowestlevelpossible.Abrief reviewoftheseideaswouldbeappropriate.