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The Pros And Cons Of Communism

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(Szymanski 102). And to ensure the cooperation of women in the workforce, women with children benefited from paid leaves, gradual reduction of working hours and the socialization of child cares (Szymanski 103).
Citizens were provided with free universal healthcare, economic stability and guaranteed pensions that were taken away from them once the Soviet Union dissolved (Esipova & Ray). In fact, according to surveys conducted by Gallup, a research-based global-management consulting company, former Soviets believe that the Soviet breakup has done more harm than good, because the breakup lead to economic instability (Odobescu). According to the Public Affairs polling agency of Romania, “more than 53% of Romanians… would prefer to live once again …show more content…
The question that remains, however, is if communism will ever be achievable. From my research, it is clear that the Soviets did not practice true communism. So does that make communism unattainable? According to Karl Marx, the answer is no. He believed that communism has already been achieved in the past amongst hunter-gatherers, and amongst other societies that have not yet become feudal. He called this primitive communism. The Iroquois, a powerful indigenous American confederacy, practiced primitive communism. According to Frederick Engels, the Iroquoian household “[was] run communistically by a number of families; the land [was] tribal property, only the small gardens being temporarily assigned to the household” (Simpson). Decisions were made by the people through general agreement (Simpson). The law looked after the people, ensuring that all were treated equally, including the women, and that wealth was equally distributed among the people …show more content…
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), northeastern Spain (called Catalonia) was controlled by anarchist and socialist trade unions. During the chaos of the civil war, millions of Spaniards “took large segments of the economy into their own hands, collectivised them, administered them, even abolished money and lived by communistic principles of work and distribution” (Dolgoff xxxix). Technicians introduced farmers to modern scientific techniques to make better use of their farming land, and as a result, crops increased by 50%, guaranteeing food for everyone (Conlon). The workers and their syndicates organized all industries, managing the modes of production and distribution without the need of the state (Anarchist Writers).
According to Eddie Conlon, founder of the Workers Solidarity Movement and spokesperson for the United Left Alliance, living standards greatly improved. For the first time in Spain, 2.5 million inhabitants had access to adequate health care and preventive medicine (Conlon). This was the first successful attempt at creating a stateless, moneyless society and yet it is hardly remembered.
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