By definition, communism is “an international political movement and a political and economic system that has its origins in the philosophy of Karl Marx” (“Communism”). This system allows for the government to own and control all the land, capital, and means of production, with which the distribution was in accordance to need and limits how much each individual holds in comparison to others (Kennedy and Cohen 692). In theory, communism is a noble concept developed by two visionary philosophers who envisaged a utopian society– a new world where everyone within it is equally set in perfect conditions; there would be no poverty and no one who stands at the top to look down on people who weren’t economically favored by fate. Be that as it may, the perception of the word “communism” in today’s American society has become shrouded with fear and ignorance. It has developed into a common case: people are not recognizant of the important aspects of this ideology and are unable to distinguish between Marxism in theory and the subsequent European reality. Several events and figures of paramount importance have led to this culmination such as Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, key Soviet communist leaders; the Russo-American Cold War, from 1947 to 1991; and the Army-McCarthy hearings, known as the witch hunt for Communists.
The origin of the term “communism” is believed to be a creation of men from secret French revolutionary groups in the 1830s, its definition being that of people
Communism is a “Political theory advocating class war and leading to a society which all property is publicly owned and each person works and paid according to their abilities” After world war 2 communism took over Czechoslovakia and people flocked to join the party. Not everyone was convinced that the party was what the country needed for them to gain peace. The party had lots of propaganda and were in control of peoples live therefore convincing people to join the party even if reluctant. In Under a Cruel Star, Kovaly recounts her time after the war and joining the communist party and then being shunned when her husband was convicted of a crime. She talks about how people put blind faith in a party that didn't have much scientific evidence to back up their claims. Kovaly said the most people went to the communist party because when coming back from the concentration camp they wanted to be in control of property again and they stayed because they felt helpless without the party providing services. They went from one type of totalitarian government to another kind of government that controlled everything they did. People of the time didn't realize that communism didn't benefit people who weren't in an elite class.
Communism played a major role shaping the 20th century, both for the East and the United States. Its impact can be seen in the US from 1919 to the 1990s and even today. The spread of Communist ideals in the East meant the beginning of the socialist state and mass industrialization. Its effect on the US was much different. The United States people, heavily diversified of all races, religions, and financial statuses, became extremely jingoistic as a result of competition with the USSR. This nationalism became unhealthy as citizens began determining what was “un-American.” The Communist Party USA was not successful in their primary objective of spreading communism to the US. What they did achieve however was hugely important. They showed that citizens of the United States could be scared out of their own freedom. That fear would lead them to give up “liberty and justice for all”. Still a highly misunderstood idea, it is important for citizens of the United States to understand what communism is and what impact the CPUSA and other communist organizations had on the country.
Communism is not some unverifiable, otherworldly entity, but “itself a Power” (218) already in Europe. The power of communism does not come from arbitrary political systems set up by the bourgeois, but from the natural power of labor and workers.
The opinion of communism in American culture has been negative for as long as com-munism itself has been around. Throughout history, the United States, has told its citizens that communism is evil, taught children in schools that it is a dangerous idea, and has even gone to war to prevent the spread of it in foreign nations. But is it really that "evil" of an idea? In The Com-munist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the idea of communism is painted in a much different picture than what is depicted in the United States. Although it was a controversial concept at the time, Marx published this work in 1848, and he provided a convincing case for the benefits of communism. He does this by comparing and criticizing the social classes of citizens throughout history and he touches on a few different types of appeals to convince the reader that this type of government should be put into actions. Marx believed very strongly in the ideas he put forth in this manifesto and it shows by how aggressively he conveys the benefits and defends the criticism towards his concept; he is in fact so persuasive in the style of his argument that his theo-ries are still relevant today.
Communism is still considered a hard topic to publicly address because for a large majority of Americans, you were taught to fear and hate anything that was associated with the “Red Scare”. From the beginning, Communism has had an issue being adapted widespread because of people’s refusal to forfeit their rights to attain certainty and security. Whereas Democracy and Capitalism have thrived because people want more, they want the opportunity to make something of themselves even if that means they may fail entirely. These points exemplify what Communism is, where it is, how it works, and why there is a better way to govern a country.
Communism is a form of socialism where there is a public ownership of production, exchange and distribution, creating a counter opposite with capitalism. Communists often believed in constant growth and improvement, often through revolution of one's government. “The average human type will rise to the heights of an Aristotle, a Goethe, or a Marx. And above those heights, new peaks will rise” (Trotsky 14). While revolution against one's own unstable government agreed with the enlightenment ideology of Thomas Hobbes social contract, which the early American colonists agreed with, this ideology of constant revolution evoked a sense of chaos among Americans. While it is only natural for a capitalist system to disagree with its counterpart, the extreme hatred of each other probably lies in the fact that in the Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx, he writes about the immorality, injustice, and inherent evil of the ‘bourgeois’ (the property owning people who aid in the growth of capitalism). “We Communists have been reproached with the desire of abolishing the right of personally acquiring property of the fruit of a man’s own labor…” (Marx 83). Due to this constant hatred of these two economic systems, there has been times of fear throughout the United States, such as the First and Second Red Scare, where citizens were scared for their life over the prospect of
Communism in theory is a great government system to create equality for everyone. Yet, as history shows, communism does not always play out so well. By examining Stalin’s rule of the Soviet Union many flaws of communism are apparent. Communism creates a system of very robotic citizens free of individually and passion for the work they do. In addition it requires an extremely powerful government that controls nearly every aspect of the citizen’s life. Former communist states have many weaknesses associated with their form of government. Dehumanizing mankind and taking away ones freedom ultimately leads to revolt and the fall of the communist state.
Communism is an economic ideology and movement whom’s purpose is to structure a society with indivisible ownership, absence of social classes, and equality. The United States communist party was founded in the year 1919 and quickly recruited over 50,000 members within a few months. It’s high member count was in result of people believing that communism would solve problems linked to capitalism such as poverty. In the wake of the russian revolution the Red scare slowly developed leading many americans to fear communist inspired radicalism. The Cold War then produced a second Red Scare that began with the truman doctrine. The truman doctrine began the containment policy in which the US attempted to stop the spread of communism and russian influence
The word “communism” holds endless of emanations from thousands of different people, but under every single aura it gives, it continues to have the same meaning— holding public ownership of the land and the disappearance of social classes. The communist ideology is to create a better world for the socially oppressed. In his novel, Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison shows why African Americans were attracted to the ideology and why it failed to meet their hopes because of the deception and manipulation by groups symbolized by the Brotherhood. Communism can be defined as “the political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production
Communism. The word sparks dread in the hearts of many Americans raised during the Cold War. What seems to be the basis for a potential utopian society in theory, so far has never, in practice, realized the desires of its institutors. Perhaps the reason communism has never been successful in effect lies in its most basic foundations. After all, a house, as most Texans can attest to, no matter how finely built, cannot stand careful scrutiny for cracks if its foundation is built on shifting soil. In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx addresses each of the popular objections people have, or had, towards communism. This essay seeks to explain whether he deals fairly with them all, and whether his arguments are, in the end, persuasive to
Communism in the USSR was doomed from the onset. Communism was condemned due to lack of support from other nations, condemned due to corruption within its leadership, condemned due to the moral weakness of humanity, making what is perfect on paper, ineffective in the real world. The end of this system was very violent. It left one of the two most powerful nations in the world fearful of what was to come. <br><br>Communism can either be called a concept or system of society. In a society that follows the communist beliefs groups own the major resources and means of production, rather than a certain individual. In theory, Communism is to provide equal work, and benefits to all in a specific society. Communism is derived from many ancient
Communism had one of the greatest political impacts than any other political ideas in the 20th century around the world. What is important and interesting about communism is its background, concept, and why many countries apply to this idea. This essay will generally focus on the background, ideology, and why the countries and political parties applied to this idea.
Communism is viewed also by a religious standpoint. To explain the kind of communism that the early church practiced it is necessary to understand the sense of
Communism is a socioeconomic movement that played major a role in several countries. Gestating from the theology of Karl Marks’ and Friedrich Engles’ work The Communist Manifesto published in 1848; laying the foundation for the application
To better understand the nature of Sino-Soviet relations in the twentieth century, one must analyze the emergence of communism in the respective nations of Russia and China. Communism was first developed by German philosopher Karl Marx in the 1800s, and is defined as a socioeconomic policy structured around the common ownership of property in the absence of any social distinctions such as class, wealth, or race. Marx saw this arrangement as the zenith of human society, the paragon of interaction where the resources of economic production are fully socialized and everything, from basic nutrition to education, is freely allocated based on necessity. These egalitarian doctrines and policies of social, economic, and political freedom greatly appeased to the working-class populations in politically oppressed regions of the world, especially in the situations of the repressed poor and peasant classes of early twentieth-century Russian and Chinese societies.