I'm just paraphrasing Lenin. Even if you are emotionally repelled by the horrors committed in the name of communism, The Communist Manifesto and State and Power are worth a read. Lenin was the best writer of the bunch, direct and explanatory. Marx is wordy and almost writes in an obfuscated fashion.

The problems with democracy that were described _still_ exist today. One can dislike communism and still acknowledge the criticisms of capitalism as valid and in need of address.

Communism was never actually executed true to the image. The state of the proleteriat was supposed to wither away - instead it became a dictatorship with secret police.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withering_away_of_the_state