ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Mazdakism

Mazdakism is a very old religious and social movement from long ago, which began in ancient Persia (which is now Iran). It was started by a man named Mazdak who believed in a way of life where everyone would share everything equally.

He believed that people shouldn't be poor or hungry while others had a lot of wealth and food, so he taught that everyone should share and work together to create a better world where everyone had enough.

In this way, he made up his own version of a religion and social system, which he called Mazdakism. He taught his followers to share everything they had and to work hard to make sure that no one went without.

This sounded like a really great idea to a lot of people, especially the poor and the working class. However, the rich and powerful people didn't like this idea at all. They felt that they would lose their power and wealth if everyone was sharing equally.

So, despite the popularity of Mazdakism among the common people, the ruling class didn't approve and eventually he was killed and his followers were scattered.

Overall, Mazdakism was an early idea of socialism or communism, believing that everyone should work together and share resources to create a better life for all.