Communism

ByKearinDame,NicholeRopp,andLindseyDice

Atfirst,communismwasthepoliticalthoughtthatconcentratedontheliberationofthe
workingclass.Today,communismistheideaforCommunismbeganwhenKarlMarxand
FriedrichEngelswrotethebook
theCommunistManifesto.
Thetwomenoutlinedtheirideaof
completeequalitybetweenthepeopleinthispublication.MarxandEngelslatermodifiedmany
differentaspectsofcommunismfromthewritingsofothersbeforewriting
theCommunist
Manifesto
.CommunismisthegovernmentRussiaandChinathatmanypeoplelikedtheideaof
communismatfirst,butascommunismgrewpeoplestartedtodisliketheideabecauseof
corruption,death,terror,andlackingdecisions.KarlMarxandFriedrichEngelshadavisionof
everyonebeingequal,Howeverwarandcensorshipwouldhavetoexistinordertoachievethis
goal.
Duringthelate1800sKarlMarxandFriedrichEngelsmettorecordtheirbeliefson
banningprivateownershipandwealthinanefforttoendcapitalism.Togetherthesetwomen
developedwhatisknownascommunism.Inacommunistcountrythereisnoreligion,sothe
guidebookthatisusedisknownas
TheCommunistManifesto.
Also,inacommunistcountry
privateownershipisabolishedgivingthegovernmentcontrolofcompaniesandbusinesses.In
communism,theresidentshavetogivetothesocietydependingonyourabilitiesandwill
receivecompensationdependingontheindividual'sneedsinthesociety.In1917,Bolsheviks
seizedcontrolinRussiatocreatetheCommunistPart.IntheSovietUnionleaderJosephStalin
expandedRussiaintoPoland,Romania,andseveralBalticstates.AfterWWII,creatingThe
UnionofSovietSocialistRepublic(U.S.S.R).

KarlMarx,aGermanphilosopherwasaskedbyinternationalworkerstodrawupaplan
fortheirorganization.Marxwrote
theCommunistManifesto
withthehelpofFriedrichEngels.
Theworkhadlittleimmediateimpact.MarxsenthisworktoLondonandtheCommunistLeague
adoptedMarxsworkastheirmanifesto.Mostoftheideasin
theCommunistManifestow
erenot
new.Inthe
theCommunistManifesto
,
Marxpredictedthearevolutionwasabouttohappenin
Europe.TheprinthadhardlydriedafterbeingpublishedinLondonwhenarevolutionbrokeout
inFranceonFebruary22,18.Therevolutionwasoverthebanningofpoliticalmeetingsheld
bysocialistsandotheroppositiongroups.
MarxandEngelsmaynothavechangedtheworld,
buttheydefinitelychangedthewaywelookatit.
Inacommunistsociety,thegovernmenthascompletecontroloveranythingthatisputin
themediaorpublishedforthecitizenstoread.TheUNDeclarationofHumanRightsstatesthat
everyonehastherighttofreedomandexpressionincludingthefreedomtoholdopinions
withoutinterferenceandtoseek,receiveandimpartinformationandideas.However,
Communistsbelieveintotalcensorshipwhichistheactofchangingamessagebetweenthe
senderandreceiver.UnlikeAmerica,peoplewholiveinacommunistsocietyareallsupposed
tohavethesamebeliefsandarenotallowedtoexpresstheirindividualthoughts.Currently,the
fivemostcensoredcountriesareNorthKorea,Burma,Turkmenistan,EquatorialGuinea,and
Libya,yetonlyNorthKoreaisacommunistcountry.Chinaisanothercommunistcountrythat
practicescensorshipandfreedomofspeech,andinordertopublishmediaintheircountry,a
residentmusthaveaminimumincomeof$35,000ayear.Revokingacitizensfreedomof
speechandcensoringisaninhumaneactiontotake,
CommunismasanactualgovernmentoriginallybeganinRussiainthe19thcenturyand
wasdevelopedfromtheideasofKarlMarxandFriedrichEngels.Duetothesuccessofthe
RussianArmy,communismbegantospreadthroughouttheundergroundmovementsinEurope

duringWorldWarII.CommunismspreadtomanycountriesincludingtheWarsawPactNations
includingYugoslaviaandbecamecommunist.ShortlyafterthecollapseoftheSovietUnion,the
EasternBloccountriesreturnedtofreemarketeconomies.In1947,communismexpanded
towardsChinawiththehelpofChineseCommunistPartyandMaoZedong.AlthoughAmerica
isacapitalistcountry,communismisstillrepresentedintheAmericanGovernment.
AfterMarxwrotethe
CommunistManifesto,
heenvisionedaworkersrevoltthatwould
resultinUtopiawhereeachpersonwouldworkaccordingtohisorherabilityandreceive
dependingonhisorherneeds.Aroundthesametime,laborlawswerebeingpassedin
AmericaandWesternEuropethatmadetheworkplacemoretolerableandsafer.Thoughthe
worldwiderevolutionthatMarxenvisionedneverpassed,Russiawascorruptandmillionswere
starving.Czaristgovernment,ruledbyCzarNicholasII,mostRussianpeoplewerestill
underpaidandworkingonalandownedbywealthylandlords.In1917,aviolentrevolution
occurredinRussia,andRussiabecameacommunistcountry.
TheColdWarwasaseriesofprimarilyeconomicandpoliticalclashes,whichbeganin
thelate1940sandlasteduntiltheearly1990s.TheSovietUnionasacommunistcountry
reinforcedasystemofsocialorganizationwherealleconomicandsocialactivitywascontrolled
bythecommunistgovernment.Ontheotherhand,theUnitedStatesisacapitalistcountry
whichisdefinedasaneconomicandpoliticalsystemwhereprivateownershipisallowed,and
thegovernmentdoesnotcontrolindustryortradesystems.TheColdWarbetweentheUnited
StatesandSovietUnionwascausedfromadisagreementofideology.Althoughtherewas
neveranyactualwarfare,theColdWarconsistedofmutualsuspicions,heightenedtension,and
aseriesofinternationaldisturbances.AnotherfactoroftheColdWarincludedAmericasfearof
beingattackedfromCubansoil,andtheUSSRsfearthatAmericawoulduseatomicbombs
locatedonTurkishmilitarybasesagainsttheUSSR.NotonlydidtheColdWarcauseconflict

betweenAmericaandRussia,butthistimeoftensionbroughtAmericatoquestionthecountry's
owncitizensbecausesympathizersinAmericawouldoftenjustifytheCommunistsideology.
In1921communismexpandedtoShanghai,China,creatingtheChinaCommunist
Party.Thenin1947,MaoZedongledarevolutionagainsttheNationalistparty.OnceMao
ZedonggainedpoweroverChinahemodeledchinaaftertheSovietUnion.MaowantedChina
tofirstbeanagriculturalindustrythenaheavyindustrialcountry.However,aftertheSinoSoviet
split,MaoconvertedChinafromMarxismLeninismtoMaoism,hisownformofcommunism.
AnotherreasonforthechangeincommunistrulewasbecauseMaowasupsetwiththeSoviet
leaderKhrushchevsdecisiontohaveapeacefulcoexistencewithcapitalists.Afterthedeathof
MaoZedong,DengXiaopingturnedChinaintoawealthycountry.TodaymodernChinalimits
internetusageandwhatpeoplecanseeinallformsofmedia.
Sincetheformationofcommunisminthe1900scommunismhaschanged.Different
formsofcommunismhavebranchedoffsuchasMarxismLeninismandMaoism.Communism
occurswhenrevolutionsandwarsattempttooverthrowcurrentgovernments.Communism
restrictsthefreedomofthepeopleconcerningfreedomofspeechandprivateownership.
Communismbringsclassequalityandredistributionofwealthhowever,itishardtoobtain
wealthandthestandardsoflivingaremuchlowerthanmostofusareusedto.Although
communismwasroughtogetthrough,thehardtimeshavemadeitbetterovertime.