Plato and His Book "The Republic"

Is Plato a communist or a socialist? Does the Republic reflect his belief that the state should be more important or take on a higher position in priority lists than the individual's needs and wants? The Republic by Plato is centered around one point: justice. In order to define justice, Plato has to first define what a just or ideal state is, and it is through the process of defining of the ideal state and what is just that one is able to see a clear definition of Plato's beliefs on the individual and on the state. So was Plato's view of an ideal state actually a socialist state?
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