The Failure Of Communism

The ideas and writings of Karl Marx have formed the basis of some of the most influential ideologies throughout history, perhaps most notably as the driving ideological force behind the Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union. However, there were some key differences between Marx`s version of communism and the kind implemented in the Soviet Union and other states during the twentieth century. Marx dreamt of Utopia and it can be argued that the communist states of the past century have not lived up to expectations. Due to this, the political deviations and ideologies of such states have been the subject of intense debate.
The strain of communism promoted by Karl Marx and his colleague Frederick Engels became known as Marxism. Marxism advocated for the
Following the overthrow of the Imperial Russian monarchy in 1917, and after a lengthy civil war, a communist government emerged. Led by Vladimir Lenin, it practiced a version of communism known as Leninism. While ideologically similar, Leninism was a more realistic, albeit flawed system. Classical Marxism called for the abolishment of the ruling class after wealth was redistributed. Lenin, however, did not end this “dictatorship of the proletariat” and effectively replaced the authoritarian government that he had worked so hard to overthrow. He believed that an intellectual “vanguard party” would be able to govern fairly and in the best interests of the workers. After Lenin`s death in 1924, his successor, Joseph Stalin, seized power and developed the government into a brutal dictatorship, while still claiming to follow the ideals of Lenin and Marx. This ideology is sometimes called Stalinism. Stalinism is characterised by violent policies and state terror, as well as rapid industrialization. Stalin abandoned the goal of a worldwide revolution and instead focused on strengthening Soviet Russia internally. He conducted purges of the government and the military, killing anyone he considered to be a bourgeoisie sympathiser. These policies were continued until Stalin`s death in 1953, and by that
While still technically ruled by the dictator Josip Broz Tito, most businesses and industries were run by the workers in an offshoot of communism called “Titoism.” This retained the problems encountered in other communist states by keeping the dictatorship of the proletariat in power, but the government did not interfere nearly as much in the economy and affairs of its citizens, much like Karl Marx advocated. The freedom Tito offered his citizens and refusal to submit to Russia put him at odds with Joseph Stalin, who expelled Yugoslavia from the Communist Bureau. Titoism believed in striving towards the greater goals of worldwide communism, but in a way that benefitted each nation the most. Yugoslavia was also much more open than Russia, keeping the Marxist ideals of liberalism. Despite being communist, Yugoslavia considered itself not aligned with any major world power. However, poor economic decisions led to the country enveloping itself in civil war, leading to the dissolution of