Pol 2260 - Communism Essay

Pol 2260

The Chapter 9 discusses defines what is communism and discusses positive and negative aspects of communism. Chapter 9 talks about Karl Marx who was one of the most influential figures in the history who shaped our view of communism. First we look at the communism, equality and the nature of human relations which pretty much defines what communism is and we look at the most important terms in Marxist Theory such as the base, surplus value of labor, superstructure, etc. Then the chapter moves on to the revolution and the triumph of communism where we look at the Marx’s phases of human history as feudalism, capitalist democracy, communist utopia and dictatorship of the proletariat. We learn how communism shaped peoples’ lives socially, economically and politically. Individuals where pretty much equal in communist countries however not really free. Finally we look at the collapse of communism and how postcommnist countries where dealing with reorganizing the states and constructing their regimes.

I am from former USSR country and my parents and grandparents told me pretty much about the living during communism a lot but the reading taught me even more than I knew. What inspired me the most that people were pretty much equal during the communism that everyone had equal opportunity and no one was jealous of another person as everyone had same apartments, same cars and people did not feel that someone was wealthier than another. However communist countries started suffering as they were economically behind the other countries. I found that the communist ideology seems very easy and great as a great political and economic system which would reduce the crime rates however it was not greatly put into practice that is why it collapsed in most countries.

Outline

Communism, Equality, and the Nature of Human Relations

1. Communism is a set of ideal that view political, social and economic institutions in a manner fundamentally different from most political thought.

1. It is an ideology that seeks to create human equality by eliminating private property and market forces.

1. Communism as a political theory and ideology can be traced primarily to the German philosopher Karl Marx.

1. He argued that as human beings develop their knowledge and technological skills an opportunity is created for those with political power to extract the surplus value from others enriching themselves while impoverishing others.

1. Marx believed that structures rather than people or ideas made history.

1. Marx spoke of human history and human relations as functions of what he termed the base and the superstructure.

1. The base is the system of economic production including the level of technology (“means of production”) and the kind of class relations that exist as a result (“relations of production”)
2. Resting on the base is the superstructure which represents all human institutions- politics and the state, national identity and culture, religion and gender and so on.

1. Marx concluded that human history developed in phases each driven by a particular kind of exploitation.

Revolution and the “Triumph” of Communism

1. In case of feudalism emerging technology empowered an early capitalist, property- owning middle class or bourgeoisie whose members sought to gain political power and to remake the economic and social order in a way that better fit capitalist ambitions.
2. Process of historical change that is not evolutionary but revolutionary is Dialectical materialism.

1. The existing base and superstructure (thesis) would come into conflict with new technological innovations generating growing opposition to the existing order (antithesis).

1. This would culminate in revolution overthrowing the old base and superstructure (synthesis).

1. As capitalism developed competition between firms would intensify.

1. The working class or proletariat would find itself on the losing end of this process as firms introduced more and greater technology to reduce the number of workers and as unprofitable businesses began to go bankrupt in the face of intense competition.

Putting Communism into Practice

1. Communism thus provides an entire worldview explaining the course of human history and the inevitable ascent into utopia as the products of economic interaction.

1.  Two of the most notable followers of Marx’s ideas were Vladimir Ulyanov more commonly known as Lenin and Mao Zedong.

III. Marx had argued that revolution would occur only where and when capitalism was most advanced and thus most prone to collapse.

IV.Lenin in particular believed that revolution could be carried out in less advanced countries if leaders constructed a “vanguard of the proletariat”- his term for a small revolutionary movement that could seize power on behalf of the people who may lack the consciousness necessary to rise up.