Away from your political leanings please. Communism is a economical model not a political one. It is actually the opposite of capitalism. Dictatorship is the opposite of democracy. You technically could have a democratic communism (see star trek) I find communism a utopian idea that has not or can not be applied with the present human mind. (nor would I want it to) Even in capitalism people try to screw the system, and we have seen what they do in "communism.
So where did this misunderstanding come from. Is it just left over from the cold war (which is my thought) or is it capitalist propoganda (everybody uses it, to think they don't is nieve). What do you think?
Just to avoid the insults I'm thinking of the framework of political philosophy/ history I am not a communist (I don't have that much trust for my fellow man or leaders).
2006-10-10 15:43:46 · 13 answers · asked by cosmiccastaway 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Government
I find it so comforting to see so many with opinions being able to bring their views and beliefs into the public arena. I also find it comforting in this day and age to read intelligent debate.
I just have one question that i have been pondering though.
I live in Australia which is a democratic society. My government holds the balance of power in the upper and lower house.
As far as i understand it, this means if the upper house wishes to make a new law they vote in the upper house. this then gets voted on in the lower house. This is then law.
Is this then threatening the democratic society i have grown comfortable with?
Am I already living in a country that is posing as a democratic capitalistic country, that has found a way to abuse the principles of those theories? Is this not a fact that the corrupt corrupted communism?
What concerns me then is how comfortable we all are in observing capitalism and democracy as a good fair deal.
I think the state we live in is clear indication that democracy has so many downfalls as does capitalism.
Maybe we need a new mode all together...
2006-10-10 17:06:25 · answer #1 · answered by alilovespete 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because in the modern since, getting away from the philosophical Utopian concepts of both, they are opposites. Most Republics, which the United States is one, allow the people to have a voice in the government. In modern Communism it has become more of a electoral dictatorship. You get to vote for the party member that is on the ballot and no one else. Look at Cuba to see how communism works today.
It actually started with Soviet Russia that pulled out of World War I because of the Bolshevik revolution that place the Communists into power. Once they had control of the government they murdered the last Czar of Russia and his family in cold blood, sent anyone that did not toe the line to Siberia if they could not just kill them. What most people do not want to recognize is that under Stalin, some 20 million Russians where murdered for different reasons by the government. This all happened by the way before the Cold War started.
The early Pilgrims tried a form of Socialism/Communism before they almost starved to death and decided that a Capitalistic society would be better for everyone.
2006-10-10 15:53:51 · answer #2 · answered by andy 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Interesting point. You are right that communism is the opposite of capitalism. Historically, the extreme of fascism and the extreme of communism seem to have blended together, paradoxically.
As regards its relation to democracy, I think we need to make a distinciton between socialism and communism. What we call socialism today is democratic socialism: the government makes us share, but the individuals have a say in that government and to what extent and in what way we will share. What is called communism today, has a tendancy to be totalitarian in the sense that ebverything without exception belongs to the state. So the state is able, in a truly communist country, to have complete control over the individual. This may start democratically, but democratic priviledges quickly disappear as those who are making communism work realize that the interests of the individual often collide with the interests of the collective.
So in practice, communism cannot remain democratic.
I don't believe youcan really separate the issue of communism from politics. Politics is all about what makes government work, and communism is a form of government - state ownership has to be enforced, necessarily.
2006-10-10 16:51:08 · answer #3 · answered by Mr Ed 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Communism will never work and it is not based on people being materialistic. As the human race evolves some stand out in enriching the lives by what they invent, this idealism follows in conjuction with human nature. We as a society want to do better, unfortunately capitalism is what makes things happen. It supports an individual in growth. In a comunist society your job ussually amounts to what you are good at the will benefit a society as a whole. So if one is good with numbers, should that be their job for the rest of their life? Also in communism or any other society without free will, only the powers in that society live good, but mostly you need to apply for stuff, as one answer Cuba, go to a resort a try to tip them cash can get them in trouble. We are individuals, and as long as individuals exist this so called utopia will never be.
No matter what only in a capitalist society can one live a better life than the powers the be without threat of losing it.
And you desires and successes in life will be determined by you no matter what obstacles you face.
Individualism is the strength that keeps democratic countries democratic, and make people in other countries stand up.
2006-10-10 16:11:43 · answer #4 · answered by tordor111 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It was a way to differentiate between the otherside. The R in USSR stood for Republic. Soviets could vote for their leaders. One one thing that our cold war enemies had were they were mostly communists. It was part of the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) system of "Western" propoganda.
The Commies are also to thank for putting "God" in our Pledge. The Pledge of Allegence has three or four different versions too it. The one before this one didn't have God, but it sounded too much like a "Communist" (as in The Soviet Union and China not as the Catholic Cuba) pledge that the president put "God" in there to seperate "us" from "them."
2006-10-10 16:03:11 · answer #5 · answered by gregory_dittman 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'm not sure why you think there is confusion on this point.
Although you happen to be incorrect.
The opposite of democracy is totalitarianism.
The opposite of communism, is not capitalism. It is fascism.
In communism, (theoretically anyway) all of the people collectively own all of the resources.
In capitalism, some of the people own some of the resources.
In Fascism, none of the people own any of the resources (because the government owns it all).
People do tend to get the two of them confused.
2006-10-10 15:58:55 · answer #6 · answered by Ricky T 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Politics aside, it isn't.
In practice, Communism has never really existed except in a few small communes, like the Shakers, the Icarians, etc.
2006-10-10 15:53:41 · answer #7 · answered by Gaspode 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because the economics of communism are coupled with and enforced by dictatorship. That doesn't mean all dictatorships are communist, but communist countries are and have been dictatorships. There's never really been anything utopian about them.
2006-10-10 15:50:23 · answer #8 · answered by ddey65 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
You sound like you've read up on Marxism in your studies - Marx foresaw an eventual, inevitable class war with the lower, blue-collar class (Proletariats sp??) against the rich upper class (Bourgoisie).
I happen to agree with you. Communism could never work as long as we desire material possessions, and as long as "corruption" is still in our dictionaries.
2006-10-10 15:54:36 · answer #9 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
All of the ideals of capitalism are reversed in a communist govt. It's true. I truly don't know why some people think otherwise.
2006-10-10 15:47:40 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋