...Capitalism vs. Communism Throughout history, there have been many systems developed in order to have a better society. Two of the most analyzed, and debated systems that have tired to change an economy for the best are communism, and capitalism. Communism, and capitalism have been compared on many levels, such as why they will or will not work, and which one works better. Throughout this essay I will concentrate on the differences, and similarities of how each operates, along with the benefits, and problems that each of them produces. Both of these economic systems theories came about around the same time, in the late 17th to mid18th centuries. One of the main contributor for capitalism was Adam Smith, writing The Wealth of a Nation in 1776, and Karl Marx for communism publishing the Communist Manifesto in 1848. These both were looked as a manual or guide for achieving such advancements. Communism called for the people to not be selfish and work for the benefits of the community rather for their well being. It asks them to see that what benefits the whole, benefits themselves. Capitalism on the other hand is focused on working for individual growth, and personal ownership to provide wealth for one's self. Communism plans to have a higher power or government control the economy to create a better way of living, by which all goods are equally distributed. As capitalism wants the government to not play a big role in the system, but instead wants it to be up to private ownership...
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...Communism: A Review of an Ideology Raymond Castaneda English 228: Fall Session 2012 The purpose of this essay is to explain how unsuccessful Communism is ideologically in part due to its’ economic shortcomings. For ages, mankind has been in search of a perfect society, a utopia; a society, in which no suffering exists, and everyone is happy. In writing, they are common, from the City of Atlantis to the Garden of Eden. However, there are no utopias, none for which anyone can provide proof of. For better or worse, there have been men who have attempted to bring about these utopias in the form of egalitarian societies. Some of these societies have aimed at removing the differences in social class and material wealth between people in an attempt to establish a utopian society. For example communism which was based on a Marxist utopian ideology, has proven to be ultimately a flawed principle and regime. In recent times, so called utopian societies were identified as either socialist, or communist. True communist societies have aimed to be egalitarian, and perhaps even utopian. While the effects of communist and socialist regimes are not confined to one single aspect of human life, this essay focuses on the economic effects of communism. Unfortunately, they have not succeeded in either; instead these societies have resulted in poverty, violence, and overall failure . Modern communism cannot be explained without first defining it, as there have been many historical and contemporary...
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...society in the years 1950-54. This can be seen through the knock on effects it had on the people in America, as the fear of communism was rising as McCarthyism triggered a panic all across America during this period. The USA was already feeling very vulnerable after War as they feared communism would spread just the way It did in China, thus McCarthyism was significant as many Americans were scared that their society would come under the influence of communism. However, many historians argue that the impact John McCarthy was only short term as soon; the Red Scare was falling apart as everyone was being accused of being a communist. McCarthy influenced many Americans through radio and press and caused many Americans to panic from Communism. He raised the awareness of the impact that communism could have on American society and how it could change the American way of life, and during this period many Americans did not want any significant change as the economy was booming and prosperity was flourishing all over America, which was a major change. Therefore, people had a reason to fear Communism as Americans were living a better and more affluent life and they did not want their privileges to be taken away from them. McCarthy took advantage of this and manipulated the press, and released as many accusations as possible in order to decrease the spreading of Communism. He also used radio, to suggest who he thought was a communist; anyone who he saw to be left winged or radical was a communist...
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...The People's Republic of China highlights a fundamental principle of Capitalism in the idea that it is the natural system to be used. After traveling to China in 2010 my understanding of the place, Communism and Human nature has evolved. Though China is officially Communist, in nearly every way it is a capitalist system. The greed of humanity had infected the ideals of the nation and caused it to revert to a modernized version of what it set out to destroy. Emperors and palaces replaced by Communist officials, CEOs and skyscrapers. This shook my faith in Human's as we seem truly incapable of rising above our nature to use intellectual social systems to make the world a good place for all people. This level of hypocrisy, while disappointing, was not new to me. Politicians at home always acted hypocritically. Invading countries while preaching peace and calling for austerity while living in mansions. The reason why this hypocrisy shocked me so much was because of how badly people suffered from it. The suffering of 100s of millions of people so that extravagant wealth could be created for the few. Communist revolutions all involve in powering the workers however this nearly always is abandoned quickly and the workers are exploited as happened in the Soviet Union under Stalin. In China it's less obvious. There is not one man, one face that we can accredit the rule of China too. The communist party that governs the country has over 100 million members but only a few have real power...
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...political situations in both China and Russia before their revolutions were much the same. Both had weak rulers and discontented people. In China, a succession of dynasties had ruled since ancient times. At the beginning of 1909, the Chinese emperor Kuang-Hsu had recently died. He left behind three-year-old nephew PuYi to rule the throne with the baby's father, Prince Chun, as regent. Kuang-Hsu's aunt had great power over the rule of her nephew, and she prevented him from taking measures toward the modernizing that China badly needed. China needed a strong, modern monarch to rule and not a three-year-old. Mother Russia had also hosted an absolute monarchy for centuries. By the 1900's, Nicholas II ruled all of Russia's vast territory. His father, Alexander III, ruled strictly but ended up stirring the kettle of discontent before passing the throne to his son. Nicholas ruled about one hundred years too late. Part of the problem was that he came after a series of rulers also in the wrong time. By the time he inherited the throne, there was little hope for Russia's monarchy. Nicholas II further destroyed that hope through extensive war and political entanglements with religious leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church. He participated in several wars despite the fact that his country could not really handle it. This destroyed the trust the masses of peasants and workers had in him, in the church he controlled, and in the government as a whole. Similarly, in China, war raged almost constantly...
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...since the collapse of the communism in East Europe.’(Fukuyama francis,1989) I disagree with this statement in a large extent. Overview Fukuyama published the idea of ‘end of ideology’, which became a controversial issue in 1989. No doubt, fascism and communism had both lost their appeal after the collapse of the communism in east Europe. In the postwar period, the three ideologies-liberalism, socialism and conservation –came to accept the common goal of capitalism. ( Lee, 1990) However, it does not mean that capitalism is a triumph of the world. Jacques mentions that there are many types of Marxism. For instance, orthodox Marxism is produced by the unique history tradition. Therefore, when one specific communism is collapsed, it does not mean that the communism is collapsed. In fact, there still are states that pursue other types of communism. People reflect and become interested in Marxist if capitalism cannot bring them into utopian era. There is no way to say that ideologies are becoming irrelevant to the discussion of politics. Also, All human are political thinkers. We all have difficult thoughts and diverse perceptions when the things happen around us. Modern ideologies such as feminism and ecologism are witnessed. From the observations and judgments, we can find out our own belief of what our world is and what we ought to be. ‘equality , ’rights’ ,’freedom’ ,’justice’ are the expression that always appear in our life. Of course, different ideologists...
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...Communism Seemingly harmless and in the best interest of the common people, communism appeared to be a solution and saving grace in the eyes of many during it's time. Founders Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx had similar ideas and hopes of eliminating the oppressing capitalist system. Together, in 1848, they wrote the "Communist Manifesto". This document contained their personal beliefs and opinions on how our economy should function, including 10 main points. They emphasized the importance of equality and classlessness to obtain a so called "utopian" society. In this classless society, the government would be in complete control over all means of production. All money, good/produce, and land would be placed under control of state and equally...
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...China during the Cultural Revolution was a place where you were told what to do, and what to say. Today I will be speaking to you about Mao’s Last Dancer, the film adaption of the autobiography of Li Cunxin. To begin with, I will speak about the Cultural Revolution in China, where the story is set. Li’s story took place during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of China, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution. This revolution took place from 1966 to 1976, lead by Mao Zedong, who was the leader of the Communist Party of China at the time. The Cultural Revolution led to millions of people being persecuted and thousands more being killed. Because of the Cultural Revolution, people no longer had freedom of speech and actions. If anyone was found criticising the Government or taking part in anti-communist operations, they would be arrested immediately. Generally, the people of China took to the idea of communism because they had been convinced and continually told that communism would bring great wealth to China. This was great news to the people of China because they had suffered a famine, which lead to the death of millions of people. The Cultural Revolution officially ended in 1976, after Chairman Mao died. Those found to be part of The Gang of Four, a group of Chinese Communist Officials, were arrested for treasonous crimes. In Mao’s Last Dancer, it is shown how Li was taught at school in Shandong that Chairman Mao would end poverty in China. After he arrived at...
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...defeat communism in south-east Asia in the years 1965-1973? The question is often raised on what basis was the USA unable to defeat communism in south-east Asia in the years 1965-1973. It is debated upon many reasons as to why this happened. The US may have lacked the will to win this battle, and so their loss was a result of this. More specifically, the US presidents, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon have been thought to have been less enthusiastic uninvolved during the cold war. In addition, the US tactics were frowned upon, being said that they were not intelligently layer out, and so they were defeated. Also, the support of two very strong countries, China and USSR, backed north Vietnam a great deal. USA failed to win the hearts and minds of the north Vietnamese, also failing to understand the situation. Diem was an unpopular individual, Ho Chi Minh was a praised and trustworthy character for the Vietnamese. I will examine the factors resulting the loss for the US, and extract the reason behind it. The type of US soldiers sent to Vietnam to fight are a factor for the loss of USA’s loss of the war. A number of the front line troops were conscripts and not professional troops. They were young, usually from lower social groups and frequently from Americas minority groups. These troops were usually trained in conventional warfare whereas the Viet Cog used guerrilla tactics-hitting the enemy and then running away; not wearing a standard uniform; merging into village life with...
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...in many forms. Examples of these include democracy, monarchies, totalitarian, and communist governments. Yet while some forms of government have died out due to unpopularity among the people, some still exist today. Enter Karl Marx, creator of what is known as communism. The Prussian born philosopher is indeed a major influence on politics of recent history. Through writing and the spread of ideas, Marx reached a point where his ideas flourished. People all around the world soon Marx’s ideas to use and create societies of modern history. Marx dedicated his life to the dissection of 19th century politics and philosophy, and his findings fueled many people into executing Marx’s plans. Karl Marx’s ideas...
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...Engels and Marx: Fathers of Communism Alfredo Lopez English 1A Professor Snyder 12 May 2014 “In bourgeois society capital is independent and has individuality, while the living person is dependent and has no individuality.” –Karl Marx This single sentence is the foundation on which Karl Marx and Frederick Engels founded Communism. Their mission was to free the oppressed from the powers of economy and religion. According to the Oxford English Dictionary Communism is “A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.” Communism was formed to show that the working and poor class, often called proletarians or “blue-collar” workers, was the foundation for any strong country, that without these lower members of society, a country would fall apart. Marx wanted to show the world this so he laid out a plan for Communism, with ten essential points. Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier in western German, the son of a successful Jewish lawyer. Marx studied law in Bonn and Berlin, but was also introduced to the ideas of Hegel and Feuerbach. In 1841, he received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Jena. In 1843, after a short spell as editor of a liberal newspaper in Cologne, Marx and his wife Jenny moved to Paris, a hotbed of radical thought. There he became a revolutionary communist and befriended...
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...after studying the Young Hegelians at the University of Bonn and the University of Berlin (Wikipedia). Later he began associating with a few communist societies, where he would meet the person he would collaborate with from then on. Through his ever changing ideas and philosophies, Karl Marx has influenced Socialist as well as Communist, on his road to becoming one of history’s greatest minds. When Marx was developing as a young economist and historian much of his influence came from his connection he felt to Hegel and the Young Hegelians. Most of the Young Hegelians were instrumental in assisting Hegel by pushing him to further the most conservative implications of his work. Much of Marx’s significant advancements of this time of his life were the result of him trying to find his place in amongst Hegel and the other talented Young Hegelians like Ludwig Feuerbach, who thought to try and re-write the metaphysics Hegel and recently developed in the early 1840’s, critiquing Hegel’s doctrine of religion and the state, in the process. The works Marx would go on to develop would eventually become a collection of around one hundred large volumes which would include some of his most influential work. Among the many detailed writings, a few pieces seem to still shine brighter than the rest. They would include, Theses of Feuerbach’ , The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts, written in Paris 1844, Contribution to a Critique of Hegel's...
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...Communism was established by Karl Marx and Friedrich engels in the second half 19th century. Communism is one of the three economic systems we have in the world today. The overall concept of communism is to equalize the social conditions of life. In other words, communism discusses the abolition of inequalities in the possession of property, as of giving out all wealth equally to everyone, or by holding all wealth in common for the equal use and advantage to all. In Communism, the government councils decides what to produce depending on what they see as a need of all the people, which government owned factories produce the goods they decide to make, and which citizens get which goods. In 1884. Marx and Engels wrote and published “The Communist Manifesto”....
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...Imagine just graduating from high school; thinking of what a great life waits ahead, but suddenly, a draft notice arrives in the mail forever changing the course of a young man’s life. This was the unfortunate reality for many young men in December of 1969 when the Selective Service of the United States conducted two lotteries to draft soldiers for military service in the Vietnam War. Only men were put into the draft lottery, receiving a random number that corresponded with their birthdays. The men with the lower numbers were called to serve in the war first . This meant many of our soldiers were young and not trained well. Many people were not in favor of the war in Vietnam. People believed the United States were fighting for a losing cause....
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...warfare and a virtual disappearance of urban life. In either case, it was only the Christened Europe which was going through a period of intellectual darkness and barbarity. The Muslim world, as well as Spain, and the Chinese Empire were both culturally brilliant and geographically extensive. Thus, Bertrand Russell in the chapter ‘Reflections of the Re-awakening East’ says that it is the narrow outlook of the Europeans to term this period “The Dark Ages”. Q.2 On what grounds does the author argue that Communism is the “most modern and virulent form of Western Imperialism”? Ans. In the chapter ‘Reflections on the Re-awakening East’ Bertrand Russell argues that Communism is the most modern and bitterly hostile form of Western policy to establish their political and economic hegemony over other nations. He says that although Communism is not widely recognized in either the East or the West, it is wiping out the ancient and glorious traditions of civilization in Asia. He also says that China has been greatly affected by it and advises the other Asian countries that re-awakening of East should not mean subjection to Communism as its philosophy is German and its regime is imposed by military force. In addition, he says that poetry and music and art and love and the simple joys of life are necessary to make human life tolerable, but these elements are forgotten in the Communist philosophy. That is why Bertrand Russell considers Communism the most modern and virulent...
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