Anarchist communism believes in the abolition of the state , private property and capitalism in favor of common ownership of the means of production , direct democracy and a network of voluntary associations , workers ' councils and\/or a gift economy in which everyone will be free to satisfy their needs . Anarchist communism ( also known as anarcho-communism and occasionally as free communism ) is a theory of anarchism which advocates the abolition of the state , private property , and capitalism in favor of common ownership of the means of production , direct democracy and a horizontal network of voluntary associations and workers ' councils with production and consumption based on the guiding principle : `` from each according to his ability , to each according to his need '' .