F.3. Political Philosophies: Communism

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F.3. Political Philosophies: Communism

In layman’s terms, communism is the political system in which the community owns and controls entities like factories, farms, services, etc. intending to treat everyone equally.

Communism is based on the goal of eliminating socioeconomic class struggles by creating a classless and stateless society in which everyone shares the benefits of labour and the community controls all property and wealth.

It is a form of government most closely associated with the ideas of Karl Marx, a German philosopher, which he outlined in The Communist Manifesto (1848).

Marx believed that capitalism, with its emphasis on profit and private ownership, led to inequality among citizens. Thus, his goal was to encourage a system that promoted a classless society in which everyone shared the benefits of labour and the community (communes) controlled all property and wealth. No one would strive to rise above others, and people would no longer be motivated by greed. Then, communism would close the gap between rich and poor, end the exploitation of workers, and free the poor from oppression.

The basic ideas of communism did not originate with Marx. Plato and Aristotle discussed them in ancient times, but Marx developed them into a popular doctrine following modern times, which was later put into practice.

Marx’s ideal society ensured economic equality and fairness. Marx believed that private ownership of property promoted greed, and he blamed capitalism for society’s problems. The problems, he claimed, stemmed from the Industrial Revolution. The rise of factories, the reliance on machines, and the capability of mass production created conditions that promoted oppression and encouraged the development of a proletariat or a working class.

For a large part of the 20th century, about one-third of the world lived in communist countries ruled by dictatorial leaders who controlled the lives of everyone else.

The communist leaders set the wages, they set the prices, and they distributed the wealth. Western capitalist nations fought hard against communism, and eventually, most communist countries collapsed.

Marx’s utopia was never achieved, as it required revolution on a global scale, which never became a reality. As of today, five proclaimed communist countries continue to exist: North Korea, Vietnam, China, Cuba, and Laos.

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Types of communism

Marxism is a perspective that involves several differing “sub-perspectives” that is, whilst there tends to be a general agreement about the need to construct a critique of Capitalist society, there are major differences between theorists working within this viewpoint.
Marxism-Leninism is the Communist philosophical field that emerged amongst Communist parties in the 1920s during the era of Joseph Stalin (1878 – 1953), with whom it is mainly associated.

The term “Marxism-Leninism” is the extent to which it follows the principles of either Marx or Lenin.
The philosophy of Leninism was built upon and extended the ideas of Marxism, and served as the theoretical foundation for the ideology of Soviet Communism after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Stalinism is a more judgemental phrase for Joseph Stalin’s vision of Communism. Supporters of this ideology argue that it includes widespread use of publicity to establish a personality cult around an absolute ruler, as well as extensive use of secret police to maintain social proposals and silence political opposition, all of which are trappings of totalitarianism.
Trotskyism is the philosophical model of Marxism that was supported by Leon Trotsky (1879 – 1940), who considered himself a conformist Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist and squabbled for the establishment of a frontline party.

His politics differed from the Marxism-Leninism of Joseph Stalin, concerning support for an international proletarian revolution and firm support for a true dictatorship.
The most dominant characteristic of Trotskyism is the theory of permanent uprising to explain how socialist revolutions could happen in societies.

Luxemburgism is a theoretical model of Communism, which is based on the texts of Rosa Luxemburg (1870 – 1919). Her politics deviated from those of Lenin and Trotsky mainly in her discrepancy with their concept of “democratic centralism”, which she visualized as unsatisfactorily democratic.

Luxemburgism looks like Anarchism in its averting of an authoritarian society by relying on the people themselves as opposed to their leaders.

Maoism is slightly different from Communism and is derived from the teachings of the Chinese leader Mao Zedong (or Mao Tse-tung) (1893 – 1976), and practised in the People’s Republic of China after the Chinese Revolution of 1949.

Maoism evolved from the Marxism-Leninism of Stalin but introduced new ideas such as social imperialism (Mao accused the Soviet Union of dominating and exploiting the smaller countries in its sphere by organizing their economies around Soviet, not domestic, needs), the Mass Line (a method of leadership that seeks to learn from the masses and immerse the political headship in the concerns and conditions of the masses “from the masses to the masses”), people’s war and new democracy.

Effect of communism on society

The philosophy of communism supports a society without rulers, but until it is achieved all the power will lie with the dictator government, which will lead to oppression. For example, the Rule of Hitler and the event of the holocaust during World War II.
In communist nations, the difference between the official claims and societal realities is different. The dictatorial government controls the information and every sort of communication channel that cut-offs the society from the outside world.

	Communism	Socialism	Capitalism
Business Ownership	Most businesses are owned & operated by the government.	The government owns & operates major industries; individuals own small businesses.	Individuals own & operate all businesses.
Competition	None. The government wons & operates everything.	Restricted in major industries; encouraged in small business.	Encouraged by market forces & government regulations.
Profits	Excess income goes to the government.	Profits earned by small businesses may be reinvested in the business; profits from government-owned industries go to the government.	Individuals are free to keep profits and use them as they wish.
Product Availability & Price	Consumers have a limited choice of goods & services; prices are usually high.	Consumers have some choice of goods & services; prices are determined by supply & demand.	Consumers have a wide choice of goods & services; prices are determined by supply & demand
Employment Options	Little choice in choosing a career; most people work for government-owned industries or farms.	Some choice of careers; many people work in government jobs.	Unlimited choice of careers.

[Table: Comparison of Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism]