Summary:
This essay is an overview of the history of communism. It covers communism's theoretical origins, beginning with the writings of Plato and reaching full development through the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It also explores the implementation of communist ideals in the governments of the Soviet Union, East Germany, China, Poland, and other countries across four continents. And the essay touches on the mostly negative legacy of communism worldwide, including in the United States.
Communism, a Basic Human Perspective!
To this day people who were ruled by communist government still feel the pain and results from it. Communism can be seen as a theory and a system of both political and social organization that has had a great impact on the world through most of the twentieth century. Let us begin by defining what communism is, where it all began, who were some of the key people that played a major role in communism, and when it fell apart.
There are many different definitions of communism. Miskelly and Noce defined it as "A political, economic and social theory that promotes common ownership of property for the use of all citizens, all profits are to be equally distributed and prices on goods and services are usually set by the state" (Miskelly & Noce, 410). In theory communism should create a classless society and freedom, in which all people would enjoy equal economic status. That may be a theory of what communism should be like but in practice the government cared little for the working class citizens and only wanted to preserve their own power.
In a communist government it is the state that controls the government, the production of goods, and the distribution of goods. Communism can also be defined as a concept or system of society in which major resources and means of production are owned by the community rather than an individual. This means that people who were ruled by a communist government did not own any private property and all the labor forces should work for the benefit of the whole community. Communism is seen as the "class genocide" the elimination of classes. The term class refers a way of grouping people within a society who share the same social and economic status. Communism outlived both fascism and Nazism; it also left its mark on four continents.
Communism has been around for quite some time. It all began with Plato (369 to 421 BC), who introduced the concept of an ideal city in his republic. People would not be corrupted by money and power but would prevail in wisdom, reason and justice. At the time Plato brought about his ideal city, he was rejecting the foundation of Athenian democracy that existed in his day. (Melchert 151) Plato believed that there were only a few who were fit to rule but everyone is fit to govern. He also believed that there existed a parallel between the internal structures of the soul and the structure of the community. Plato believed that men and women differed in their capacities and abilities. He grouped them into three different classes. The first class was the laborers, carpenters, merchants and the farmers, who were sought to be the productive part of the community. The second class consisted of those who were adventurous, strong, and brave and in love with danger; Plato believed that they were suited to serve in the army and navy. In the third class it was those who were intelligent, rational, self-controlled, and in love with wisdom. This group was seen as those who were best fit to make the decisions for the community. (Melchert 151)
Although Plato was one of the first who brought about communism the ideal of no one owning any private property continued into the 18th century. It was Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel's that began the theoretical foundation for the communist revolutions of the 20th century. Karl Marx founded the communist league in 1847.
Karl Marx was born on May 5th 1818 and died on March 14th 1883. Marx's was born into a Jewish family who later converted to Christianity so his father could keep his job. Throughout his life he was a German economist, a philosopher and a revolutionist. He later joined up with Friedrich Engel (1820-1895). Together they wrote: criticism of the stress on alienation and arguments that human thought was determined by social and economic forces. Marx later wrote the communist manifesto, with the help of Engel's. The manifesto contained predictions of what to expect in the future. In the first part, Marx predicted a conflict between working class and upper class citizens. He predicted that the upper class would seek more wealth and power which would make the working class poorer. The second part of the manifesto is based on the importance of communism. Marx stated that deleting personal property would eliminate class distinctions (Marx 74). The last part of the manifesto discusses the difference between his political issues as apposed to those of oppositional parties.
Plato, Marx and Engel's are only three people that have been mentioned so far there are many more people who played a big role in communism. Before Marx and Engel's were Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) and Robert Owen (1771-1858).
Sir Thomas More was affected by tales of exploration that he had heard of in his early childhood; people in the islands of northern Africa who had no property but shared all the riches. More and many others wanted a new social organization which led to utopia. Utopia meant flawless society. After Sir More Peter Chamberlen (1560-1631) came about, he was a social reformer who believed that because he made up the army, did work and had as much claim on the earth as the noblemen had, that they were no better then he was. He also believed that "the elimination of wealth would simultaneously end poverty. (Miskelly & Noce, 45). Then came Robert Owen, the man who tackled unemployment with his theories. Owen believed that the world had been taken over by wealth and the only way to change it was through communism.
Communism was further developed and implemented by Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. It wasn't until after the World War II where it began to spread to counties like East Germany, China and Poland.
Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) was the leader of an underground communist movement until he became the leader of Russia in 1917. He wanted communist to set themselves apart form other political movements.
Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) was the general secretary for the commissar of nationalities before he took over Lenin's place to rule after he had died. It was a job that gave Stalin tremendous power, for nearly half the country's population that fell into the category of non-Russian. Stalin agreed with Lenin on the view of that as long as there was only a one party state, the government could allow the introduction of small-scale private enterprise.
Aspects on communism are found across the world even in the United States today. Although it is not as extreme as it is in other eastern parts of Europe. The United States uses progressive methods of taxation. People who earn higher incomes pay a higher percentage of it to taxes than those with a lower income. There was even a communist movement in Canada. The first time was a group of printers in Toronto demanding shorter hours, higher wages and better working conditions in 1824. It wasn't until June 1921, where a convention was held that organized all the workers in Canada under the banner of Marx and Lenin to unite as one party; the communist party of Canada. The movement in Canada lasted about thirty years. (Buck, 21)
Communism in the Soviet Union was based on a totalitarian system with a single political party who controlled the government, the means of production and distribution. Communism later spread to countries such as Yugoslavia by a man named Marshal Tito (1892-1982), Gechoslovakia, North Korea, Albania, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and East Germany.
Communism in china was lead by a man named Mao-Tse-Tung (1893-1976) who is also known as Mao Zedong. Following china's example of becoming communist were North Vietnam in 1954, South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in the 1970's. There were also communist movements in Asia.
Communism was supposed to be a world of equality. Yet it has committed a number of crimes no only against individuals but also against world civilization and national cultures. For example Stalin demolished dozens of churches in Moscow; Nicolae Caeusescu destroyed the historical heart of Bucharest to give free rein to his megalomania; Pol Pot dismantled the Phnom Penh cathedral stone. These are only a few examples.
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