Criticizing Communism
If human history has been able to mass-produce one thing, and one thing well, it has been political revolution. Whether it was the movement from Conservatism to Liberalism, or Democracy to Dictatorship; revolution was the push that made these changes happen. In the Post-World War II era, one particular political movement rose to prominent status: Communism. China, Cuba, North Korea and many Eastern Bloc countries made this shift, all through the help of revolution. This is understandable given that Communism is appealing. Communism helps to support everyone and puts society on an equal playing field. The problem lies in its application; Communism looks great on paper, but it is abysmal in practice. Communism causes politi cal instability and economic turmoil. This paper will seek to explain the original ideasCommunism – based on Karl Marx and Frederick Engels’s work the Manifesto of the Communist Party. It will then present eight criticisms, divided into three categories; social, economic and political viewpoints
Understanding Communism
The first chapter is titled “Bourgeois and Proletarians.” In the first sentence, Marx and Engels highlight the problem with European society. They (1848) write,“the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” The particular struggle identified is that between the bourgeoisie – the employers – and the proletarians – the workers. Marx and Engels identify the first problem in the relationship between the bourgeoisie and proletarians. Namely, the bourgeoisie exploit the work of the proletarians. The proletarians are described as slaves and “they are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine” (Marx & Engels, 1848); the machine being capitalism. What is surprising to Marx and Engels about this relationship is that the dominant force is the minority. Marx and Engels (1848) argue that “the proletarian movement is the independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority.”
Understanding Communism
The first chapter is titled “Bourgeois and Proletarians.” In the first sentence, Marx and Engels highlight the problem with European society. They (1848) write,“the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” The particular struggle identified is that between the bourgeoisie – the employers – and the proletarians – the workers. Marx and Engels identify the first problem in the relationship between the bourgeoisie and proletarians. Namely, the bourgeoisie exploit the work of the proletarians. The proletarians are described as slaves and “they are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine” (Marx & Engels, 1848); the machine being capitalism. What is surprising to Marx and Engels about this relationship is that the dominant force is the minority. Marx and Engels (1848) argue that “the proletarian movement is the independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority.”
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