Communism started as a mean of hope for people, which were tired of being exploited, and being treated unequally. It became a form of socialism; beginning first in the Soviet Union (1918), then in China (1949), and later it started to spread throughout Asia. Communism was a way of ending that, so the parties made “a promise of liberation from inequality, oppression, exploitation, and backwardness.” (Strayer, pg.775) Before becoming the Soviet Union, Russia was still ruled by the tsar in the 1910s. They still had their social class system. So that meant the majority of the population, were at the bottom; made up of exploited urban workers and impoverished rural peasants. With them still living under a monarch unlike the majority of countries …show more content…
“But that revolution, which was a struggle of decades rather than a single year, was far different from its earlier Russian counterpart.” (Strayer, pg.782) The Chinese imperial rule collapsed in 1911, because of the increasing rise of demand from foreign imperialism. In Russia, where the talk of socialism was common among intellectuals for half a century or more before the revolution, the ideas of Karl Marx were barely known in China. It wasn’t until 1921 that a small Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded, aimed initially at organizing the country’s small urban working class. “While the Bolsheviks had found the majority of their followers among workers in Russia’s major cities, Chinese communists instead, looked to the country’s peasant villages for support. Chinese peasants did not rise up against their landlords, as Russian peasants had. But with years of guerrilla warfare, being able to pass land reform where there was communist control, the creation of a communist military force to protect liberated areas slowly gained for the CCP a growing measure of respect and support among China’s peasants.” (Strayer, pg. …show more content…
In the Soviet, they were able to have full legal and political equality, marriage wasn’t a necessity, but a want, they were able to divorce and have abortions, you can have a child illegitimately and they would not have to be ashamed for it, women no longer had to take their husbands’ surnames, they were given a temporary pregnancy leave, and women were actively mobilized as workers in the country’s drive to industrialization. “Addressing a Congress of Women Workers and Peasants, Lenin declared: “Root out old habits. Every cook must learn to rule the state.” (Strayer, pg.786) In China women were promised, “a Marriage Law that made arranged or “purchased” marriages illegal, which made divorce easier, the right to vote, and own property. Land reform offered them equal shares of land. The end of being anyone’s concubine, and child marriage, widows were able to remarry. Women’s associations enrolled hundreds of thousands of women and promoted literacy, discussions of women’s issues, and encouragement of home economics production, such as making clothes, blankets, and shoes that were essential for the revolutionary forces.” (Strayer, pgs. 782-783, and 787) But more traditional rural villagers it was a very drastic measure, especially for the male, and soldiers the communists depended on, persuaded the communists to adjust these measures. So women were not permitted to divorce men on active
Communism started around the mid - nineteenth century. It is a political and economic belief. Communists work toward getting rid of any privately owned property or any businesses that make a profit (“Communism”). In Communism, there is no personal ownership, because the government owns everything. Since the Government owns everything, the only people eligible to earn money are people with high paying jobs. It appeared there were no middle or poor class, but only a rich class. Communists used the class system to try to work on eliminating any properties owned or profit’s made. But it didn’t work. In a communist society, the class system is the main reason why the society failed.
Because of his efforts and the ripple-effect they created, Chinese women, who make up 49 percent of the Chinese population and 46 percent of the labor force, have obtained a higher proportion of management than women in many Western countries (Hu). While those who possess anti- communist sentiment continue to focus on societal restrictions, it is more important to recognize the benefits of the ideological underpinnings on which communism was founded and enabled to strive for equality so quickly. The newly established Constitution of the PRC and the Marriage Reform Law swiftly demolished China’s strict social structures and allowed women to escape traditional mentalities (Hu). In doing so, unprecedented progress in achieving equality was made under the communist reign, faster and more efficiently than can be touted by even today’s most democratic and free
Not until the twentieth century did things start to turn around for women in china. This is when a woman’s movement began to spread and demanded an end to foot binding. Perhaps the biggest factor in women’s equality was communism. Communists believe that women were equal to men and the government started to pass laws in favor of women. One law was The Chinese constitution of the early 1950s which said that “Chinese women enjoyed equal rights with men in political, economic, social, cultural, and family life. The state protected women’s rights and interest, practiced equal pay for work and provided equal opportunity for women’s training and promotion (W., Jacob 2). Another law was The Inheritance Law, which allowed women to inherit family property. The Marriage Law eliminated arranged marriages and said that “both women and men [are] free to choose their marriage partners, and widows [are]
communism entered a period of crisis in the late 20th century. By the 1980's it
Europe was rabid after the WW II, and its devastation led to serious political consequences. Russians were taking advantages of the deplorable conditions of Europe. Communist party’s propaganda was based on the idea that capitalism generates wars and devastation of the nations, and by joining communist party, European nations would rebuild their economy. The number of members of communist party rose dramatically after the WW2. In Belgium, Italy and France, communist party gained support. The main argument used to attract members was that all of the harsh circumstances of the Europe, food and coal shortages, devastation and misery were done by capitalist system, but communism comes to save those nation from starvation and misery.
After World War II the Soviet Union led by Stalin maintained a strong presence and influence in Central and Eastern Europe, specifically, Poland through the communist Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR). In this paper I aim to address the reason why communism and Marxist ideologies were unsuccessfully received in post war Poland. I will be arguing *that Marxism was made into a tool of oppression by the Soviet Union, and therefore became illegitimate in itself. I intend on arguing this theory by investigating the goal of the Soviet Union. In addition to this I will identifying instances where the Soviets and communist puppet parties in Poland had strayed from traditional Marxist ideologies. Finally I will recognize the opposition groups and parties that had formed against the Soviet oppression and instillment of inequality.
In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, what communism is is discussed; this writing attempts to enlighten the world about what communism ideals are. The communist party is pro-proletariat and wants what is best, in their eyes, for the working class people. “The essential condition for the existence and rule of the bourgeois class is the accumulation of wealth in private hands, the formation of capital; the essential condition of capital is wage-labour” (Marx, p. 135). According to Marx and Engels, the reason the bourgeois class exists is because of the labor from the proletariat class; without the capital produced from the proletariat the bourgeois class would not be as successful as they are. “The Communists are no separate party
Stalin was very harsh and strict about his rules as a leader. He went too far when anyone who didn’t agree with his rules were sent away to Siberian ¨work¨ camps, and for the Ukrainians who wouldn't give up their farms they got all of their crops confiscated. Causing the starvation of 10 million Ukrainian people. When the depression hit Japanese exports to the USA and Europe stopped because they had to focus on their own industries. That cost a lot of jobs in Japan, silk farmers suffered and the rice crops also failed and caused famine. People became frustrated and started to blame the government.They were angry and needed to do something about it. Japan went too far when they invaded Manchuria in 1931. Hitler was a very powerful influential
The United State’s was not subtle in their distain for communism and the Soviet Union; they fanned the ideological flames between capitalism and communism rather than putting them out. Directly after the war the US created the Marshall Plan, where they gave $13 billion to European states. In President Truman’s speech ‘The Truman Doctrine’ he talks about Greece and Turkey and threatens if aid is not given, Greece’s democracy will be under threat by armed men supported by communists. This was a strategic ploy to prevent communism, by allowing capitalism to flourish. Full-employment leaves people happy, and accepting of capitalism and less likely to turn to radical communism. However the Soviet Union was not impressed with this because they believed that capitalism was the root of fascism, and their allied states declined the funding.
Communism got its start in the late 1800’s when the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles were published in The Communist Manifesto. In the book Marx and Engles explain their ideal form of government and how it should operate (Hauss 204). Communism in its truest form is a type of socialism. Both authors believed that there were many flaws contained in the ideas of capitalism, and that communism would help to create equality. Marx and Engles felt that one of the most important aspects of the government were that their citizens must be free from hunger, disease, and poverty (Hauss 204). The founding fathers of communisms thoughts were indeed noble
The end of communism and the beginning of an era of capitalism in the Soviet Union finally led to the long-awaited feasting the Soviet citizenry had long been living frugally for. It took almost a century of enduring one to access the other. Substantially longer than what the peasants endured for their reward. Fast and feast, although motivated by different forces throughout Russian history have characterized Russian dietary habits for next to six-hundred years. Religious reasons drove pre-revolutionary Russian to forgo animal products (which they preferred to eat because they were a symbol of wealth and a delicacy) in the name of holiness and religious reverence. However, the Soviets had a much more practical, material, and ideological reason
The year of 1917 wasn’t one of the easiest with World War One destroying Europe, but one country had it worse, Russia. Communism is no longer present in Russia, it has played a major role in its revolution though. The build up to communism, and the revolution was due to many things, like bloody Sunday in 1905, but, mainly power struggles and leadership roles being pursued. World War 1 also greatly affected Russia, and its society. During the war, there was much famine, because the army was not getting the support that it needed from its country. The citizens were starting to lose faith in Tsar Nicholas II. A new government was intact, made of a group of socialist revolutionaries, one that was run by the people of Russia,
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
However, in Eastern Europe, Stalin’s communism was more or less enforced, although sometimes there was collaboration within the states. Their economies were gradually reassembled, but they suffered from the same complications as that of the Soviet Union. Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia also each had periods of revolts where they tried to at least reduce Soviet influence. In each case, the U.S. and Western Europe chose to stay out of the Soviet sphere of influence. The fate of Germany, one might say, is somewhat representative of what happened on a larger scale across Europe and represented the divide between the East and West more generally. By the end of World War II, diplomacy between the Soviet Union and its Western counterparts had weakened,
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.