New York City's new socialist mayor disturbed onlookers at his inauguration speech by using a phrase that appeared to hail the benefits of communism.

Zohran Mamdani, 34, declared Thursday: Mamdani declared: 'We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.'

But the charismatic hardline leftist's words set alarm bells ringing among many conservatives, who said they fly in the face of the capitalist ideals that created the Big Apple and turned it into a global economic powerhouse.  

Collectivism is a social organization in which individuals identify with a group. In this worldview, the collective takes priority over one's identity. 

The philosophy serves as the basic framework for economic systems such as communism and socialism. 

Mamdani has previously denied that he supports communism and identifies as a Democratic Socialist, a relatively new political theory that opposes capitalism.

During his inauguration, the newly minted mayor pledged to govern the city as a Democratic Socialist. 

Democratic Socialism doesn't have a significant following in the US, but it has risen in prominence since Senator Bernie Sanders began using the term.  

Zohran Mamdani, pictured above speaking at his inauguration on Thursday, praised collectivism and condemned individualism 

Conservatives likened collectivism to socialist and communist regimes, including the oppressive Soviet Union rule. Those living under Soviet control were often forced to wait in bread lines for food, as pictured above 

Mamdani has maintained that he isn't a communist and instead believes in Democratic Socialism, a philosophy that progressives Senator Bernie Sanders (left), and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right), also subscribe to. The two supported Mamdani's run and attended a campaign event in October (pictured above) 

Collectivism can be contrasted with individualism, which characterizes a social contract emphasizing personal goals and self-reliance. 

Individualism is the basic philosophy of economic systems such as capitalism, in which individuals control the means of production and a competitive market exists. 

Crucially, individualism is said to encourage competition, which supporters say breeds the type of innovation that helps drive societies forward.

Critics like Mamdani say individualism also incentivizes greed, leads to obscene gaps between rich and poor and rises costs of living to the point where ordinary people struggle.  

Mamdani went on to say that his campaign demonstrated that New Yorkers yearned for solidarity and, regardless of their socioeconomic background, shared a defining characteristic: living in the Big Apple.