Seriously: Why doesn't communism work? It seems like a good idea, but it sucks in real life...?

Question

I know that communism is bad and I'm asking in all seriousness. When you think about communism: "everyone's equal", it sounds like harmony, but it just doesn't work. Why? What are the problems?

I'm 14 and I would really like to learn more about this form of gavernment.

I'm not a communist so don't do the whole hate-mail thing. I'm just a curious teenager.

Thank you for responding seriously.
-Wes

Answer 1

Because people are self-serving and seek power. That is the natural order, regardless of what misintrepretations Rousseau may have spread with his "noble savage" ideal. Ayn Rand was subject to Communism and wrote about objectivism, but her philosophy was also flawed.

Marx felt that Communism was best suited for highly developed countries, and Russia was far from ready for it. Lenin and his cohorts simply misintrepreted it to justify their own desire for power.

Many people feel that Christianity has elements of communism in it, and for a while, Liberation Theology was a perverse form of an attempt to instill Christianity in Latin America through Communism. Bad idea, and the church has rejected it.

You have been given some good resources to look into, and I suggest you do so.

In answer to the doctor, I absolutely would prefer to be operated on by a Russian doctor. I have been butchered by American doctors, and had to go to Canada to straighten out the problems the american doctors caused. And the doctor lobby is very proactive against anyone their industry injures. Look at how many great breakthroughs Russian doctors have brought us. Granted, they have a lot of test subjects, and even less responsibility if they mess up, but let them come to the US under the 5th way, and I would definitely go to one of them first.

Answer 2

The cornerstone of the communist thought is not neccesarily that everyone is equal but "each according to ability, each accoording their need". More simply put; each does what they can for the common good to the extent of their talents and abilities and those things are distributed to individuals based on their needs. If you say it fast and don't think about it too much it might sound good, but once you've evaluated that premise critically it falls apart like a house of cards. The reason it does'nt work is that it is fundementally not in accord with human nature. For example, you as a productive member of society, earn a decent living and you expect to keep that value you create for yourself and those that matter to you. as well, you would likely prefer to decide where and how the fruits of your labors are spent. If you walk down the street and a person asks you for a dollar you just may be in a generous mood and grant his request. On the other hand you may not feel for whatever reason you should grant that request and decide to refuse. It's your dollar. Communism however would demand at the point of a gun or some equally coercive method that you surrender that dollar to whomever would ask it of you simply because they "need" it. This is bound to over time generate tremendous resentment between the so called haves and have nots (or "wills and will nots"). Most people would rather dedcide for themselves when and how they will be generous free from compulsion to do so.
so, what about that deal sounds good? If you want one of the best critiques of communism ever written, try the novel "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, You'll have a much better understanding of the issues after reading it.

Answer 3

I think it's because the basic idea of commmunism --that everybody share equally-- turns out to be impractical. There are two main reasons for that:

(1) The first reason is that there are always people who want to get the most they can out of life --for themselves or for their loved ones or family-- and so whenever they see an advantage, a way they can get more than their equal share, then they will take that advantage. Some of those people will do it by cheating, and others will do it by working longer or harder than others, or by inventing more efficient or smarter or better ways of doing their work, or by making use of other advantages, like selecting a good place to grow crops instead of a poor place like the desert.

(2) The second main reason is, there are always some people who want a free ride and choose not to put in an honest & equal amount of effort to earn their share. They figure that since everybody gets the same share, then why should they work hard? Hard work is for suckers, they figure, so they think, let the others do the work and they can lie back and take it easy, and still get the same share, with less effort.

The suggestion by Sar616, near the top of this page, to read Animal Farm, by George Orwell, was a good one. I recommend it, too. It's easy reading and very informative. The link below gives an online version. Also look up George Orwell on the internet.

Hope these comments help, Wes. Best wishes from Yahoohoo (age 70).

Answer 4

I agree with the following reasons already proposed, but I must offer another factor that I believe is even more responsible for the unsuccessful nature of communism.

Already proposed:
1. In order to distribute wealth equally, a POWERFUL central government must be created in order to forcibly coerce the wealthy into giving up their possessions to others. Powerful and coercive governments almost always lead to tyranny and repression of human rights. Those who are coerced to give up their money and possessions will rebel against this authority.

2. The leaders of the powerful government -- in an attempt to distribute wealth equally, actually become superior to their citizens. While socialist philosophy upholds that wealth should be distributed equally, the leaders of the government become MORE wealthy -- thereby completely contradicting the tenets of communism. In that way, it doesn't work in practice. Social and economic equality is impossible.

The third and most important reason that has not been given:
3. A socialist economy is destined to fail in the long term. If no one has any motivation to INNOVATE in business or technology, the economy becomes completely stagnant. Socialist economies fall behind all others and become poorer and poorer. While everyone may be equal in a socialist society -- everyone is poor and there is no middle class or upper class. The upper class allows for a higher standard of living for others. There are fewer "poor" in the United States as compared to other countries.

I am a doctor, so let me use the field of healthcare as an example. The function of doctors is to keep people alive and healthy. To become a doctor, one must invest great amounts of time and money. Good students must work VERY hard to get to a good medical school and a good specialty. To have good schools, you need lots of money. Communist governments cannot fund teaching hospitals like democratic capitalist ones can. Democratic countries require tuition in order to function. Thus, capitalist countries train better doctors, and you get students who are more motivated because their field is so difficult. If I'm in a communist country, why would I want to work so hard at school memorizing tens of thousands of facts and annihilating my social life for four years -- in order to come out and make the SAME pay as a guy working at McDonald's? I'd rather work at McDonald's than go through the hell of medical school. Helping patients is one thing and that's the true reason to be a doctor, but economic benefit is essential for promoting innovation and excellence in society.

Do you want a doctor from a communist country or the US?

Answer 5

For more information , read Das Kapital by Karl Marx to get a perspective on the basis for communism.

And it isn't so much that communism is bad or any "ism", it is that human kind is inherently self-preserving. Communism in its purest form or more likely socialism works on paper. It is just that human beings are flawed individuals. Put simply, we get greedy, we get lazy, we hoard and it is our self-driven nature and our deep desire to preserve self at all costs that keeps it from working.

Not only that, but many, and I am one of them believe that hard work should be rewarded and communism/socialism absolutely rejects this idea. It takes human beings and says, you are all the same, you'll eat the same, dress the same, etc and stifles individualism. The government then becomes the supreme arbiter of all thought, books, music, culture and religion. For me, that's a very scary thought.

There are many giving, self-sacrifing individuals in the world who I believe do work for "the greater good" but there are just as many self-centered individuals who would prevent it from working.

Hope this makes sense to you and you know, when I was a teenager, particularly as when I was your age the USSR was still the USSR, I was also curious and looking for answers too.

Never stop being curious....

Answer 6

Because people don't like to be bullied.
Notice in Stalinist Russia the people were again reduced to a sort of Czarist serfdom, obligated work, tied to the land, for little or no reward.
Just how enthusiastic could you be under such circumstances?
Likewise in Communist China and Cambodia Communists committed genocide in their efforts to re-make society into what they thought it ought to be.
Communism claims to be for the workers but communist countries have the poorest working conditions, the worst pollution, and the smallest percentage of the population living in comfort.
Of course, working for fascist Walmart and their ilk is no great shakes, either. America is creeping toward a society where there is a huge disparity between the common people who have 'enough' and the super rich who have it all. This is more akin to fascism.
I also like your question at:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20060922142748AADs0fv&r=w&pa=FZptHWf.BGRX3OFMhDxcVqyDAQOksqGx8aiYbMkz4gndLRih7RKZrS6SvZC3_Scnpk30P7BjprocO3GeNw--#EJIqCTq9UGEgoXwPpGHPZ7JpGlcr5UMQEbOsP69o7h4MKiYI2CJo

Answer 7

Communism doesn't work because it is antithetical to human nature.

Humanity has progressed by embracing the ideas and technologies created by the best among us, and by encouraging people to keep moving forward in this regard.

Instead, communism, by holding everyone as equal, does not reward innovation or hard work. Why bother to innovate when the fruits of your labor will only be taken away from you to be given to others?

Answer 8

Any society is made up of individuals. Individuals are not "equal" to eachother. There is a vast spectrum of differences, in ability, awareness, artistic expression. goals, purposes etc.
So the idea that we should all be equal violates the truth and makes people into slaves.
Equal to what?? Who decides what is the "norm", and what we should all be like?
That we should all be treated equally under the law, that our individual rights and freedoms should be protected and preserved equally is a completely different concept.
Any political system that violates individual rights and freedoms
will ultimately create slaves.

check out www.youthforhumanrights.org for more info on this.

Answer 9

The reason that communism has never worked is because it is impossible. It is a nice theory, and there are elements of it in even democratic societies. But when you think of "communist" governments ... they are not really communist. There is still a hierarchy -- someone in charge.

Answer 10

Communism does not work because people don't operate as such. They are motivated by not being equal. It does look great on paper, but reality is, without placing value to things, including people, no one has any authority or responsibility. Even the colonists who built the American government tried to use the everyone is equal principle, but they found that any decision that there was no economic growth as well as governmental growth. The statement "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," actually began as "pursuit of land." There ideal was to have no value on land, but without placing value on land...they found that land was "worthless." there was no competition to drive people to want.