would communism EVER work?

Question

lots of people are telling me communism did not work. this is true. but also they say: in theory communism could work. i was just wondering..what do they mean 'it could work'? do they mean that yes, in theory, communism would create a sort of utopia? in my mind, a country in which you cannot improve your social or economic status however hard you try (and therefore have nothing to aim for, or wish for, or bother to live in hope of). basically, i just don't see why anybody could ever be happy under communism. am i making any sense?

why DO people say that in theory it could work? what do they consider to be 'working'? because i suppose i was only taking into account people's happiness?

but then i thought the whole point was that everyone would be happy if they have the same. maybe it is just that i disagree with that completely.

so basically : i'm confused. please help!

lots of people are telling me communism did not work. this is true. but also they say: in theory communism could work. i was just wondering..what do they mean 'it could work'? do they mean that yes, in theory, communism would create a sort of utopia? in my mind, a country in which you cannot improve your social or economic status however hard you try (and therefore have nothing to aim for, or wish for, or bother to live in hope of). basically, i just don't see why anybody could ever be happy under communism. am i making any sense?

why DO people say that in theory it could work? what do they consider to be 'working'? because i suppose i was only taking into account people's happiness?

but then i thought the whole point was that everyone would be happy if they have the same. maybe it is just that i disagree with that completely.

so basically : why would anyone consider those conditions (even if everyone is perfect, etc.) UTOPIA???

i'm confused.

Answer 1

No.

Because pure communism relies upon the utpoian idea that everyone will always be honest and get along and treat one another fairly, and that governments will not abuse power.

Communism is a theory which would eliminate all hunger and poverty and end all inequality and labor inequities.

I have a theory which will will end world hunger: everyone becomes a farmer and produces more than they need. I call it "agrarianism".

I have a theory which will end disease: Everyone lives in an isolation suit. I call it "andromeda strain".

I have a theory which will end all rape. It's called "mass castration".

I have a theory which will eliminate all forms of murder: All we have to do is destroy all the weapons and sing songs about peace.

This is just as valid a theory as communism solving world hunger and poverty. It's idealistic, it can never be implemented, and it would never, ever work. People are not perfect and there will always be a corrupt and criminal or even incompetent government or system in charge, and the general populace will never become civilized to the point where everyone will be happy with receiving equal reward for unequal effort.

First, you need a perfect and completely non-corrupt government which will never abuse the absolute authority it is given over the rights of all the people, the general property, and it's neutrality on labor and shortage disputes and so forth. Because since the entire economy and people's basic right to property now reside within the grip of a fascist government, any corruption which takes place will be on a massive scale.

Second, everyone must relinquish all property. Mansions and expensive condominiums must be torn down, because we cannot have residential inequality. Otherwise, everyone gets a huge mansion, which is unsustainable.

Third, no more luxury items. Since not everyone can own a yacht, that means no one can.

Fourth, everyone must eat the same diet. Because there is not enough expensive meat and exotic food to go around, claims that certain laborers are given preferential treatment eliminate the ability to eat rare foods. So it's grain for everyone.

Fifth, because the disabled person earns as much as a productive person, it also makes sense that a working but non-productive person earns the same as a very productive person. Therefore, the lazy will now drain the economy worse than any welfare state in history. Since you can't force people to work (that's called slavery, and it was abolished for a reason) we now have a much lower gross industrial product. That means less food and essential items like medicine.

Sixth, doctors now earn what janitors earn. There is no reason to go through 8 or 12 years of schooling and study very hard.

Seventh, everyone can now afford all the elective medical treatment they want. Which means doctors will now be treating ten times as many patients for one tenth of the salary. Which means all the competent people will become disgusted and leave the medical profession. This is why leaders of communist countries come to the United States for surgery.

Jobs like septic tank repair go unfilled, because no one wants to deal with raw sewage all day for the same price as any other job.

The list goes on and on. Idealistic visions of a perfect world will NEVER EVER come true. Human beings are not mindless zombies which will all conform to a touchy feely futuristic utopia which cannot sustain itself and is inherently unjust.

Treating everyone the same is an injustice. A criminal is not the same as a working mother. A lazy bum is not the same as a doctor. An incompetent doctor is not the same as a competent one. Communism means everyone is always equal. That is an injustice, because people aren't equal, and will never be equal, and if by some fantasic reason we became so, through eugenics and killing of the handicapped and euthanizing the elderly, we would become an inhuman society.

Answer 2

In theory, it can work. If humans were perfect, communism would work. However, humans are not perfect; we are greedy and always desiring more power. Therefore, communism is a way for humans to gain power and take away people's livelihood. In theory, it is a good idea, but look at North Korea. Look at what China had to do to set up its government and the insane Cultural Revolution after it.

Answer 3

What makes you think you can't improce your social or economic status under communism, which you should really be calling socialism? Communism is a perversion of Marx's ideas.

Socialism can work if capitalists don't try to destry it. Loads of people in the former USSR want to bring back the old days.

Answer 4

True communism could work, in fact that's what the early disciples lived by. Everyone sharing & helping where it was needed.
Some of our hippy/religious communes (not talking about the cults) live by the same social standards. See; JPUSA & the Highway Missionary Society, which was later named The Servant Community for two examples.
What we know as communism today is actually Marxism & Fascism - dictatorships that oppress rather than help.

Answer 5

the idea of the "theory" is that every body produces and nobody is left behind. it is very noble in "theory".
the problem is not everybody in a country produces. you always have the small amount of takers that bone up the process. like you said, where nobody has the chance to improve his or her station in life, there just exsists no reason to produce for those who wont produce for themselves.
communism is a pipe dream and that is why it fails everywhere its tried, much like socialism... the "theory" only works if nobody aspires to anything greater, and everybody produces to the maximum.
this "theory", no matter how noble, can never, will never work

Answer 6

what an EXCELLENT question.i have wondered this myself. The THEORY of communism is actually quite amazing. Everyone is equal, everything is shared, no one is left out or above anyone else. The PROBLEM with this, as seen in past cultures, is that some people WANT to be above other, like the rich people who are losing money and giving it to poor slackers, the rich people want to stay rich, and powerful and above others....BECAUSE of THIS, communism woulndt or couldnt ever work because of peoples greed. The theory is quite amazing, but in actuality, people arent capable of that kind of self sacrifice.

Answer 7

Communism could work. Or rather the theory of communism could anyway. The problem with it is that it allows for too much corruption, and has no way to sustain itsfelf financially for a long time.

Answer 8

I don't think that communism would ever work.

There is WAY too much diversity in thinking throughout the human race today, around the world.

Communism is in sort of a parrallel with Nazism- only communism do their dirty deeds behind the veil of secrecy.

They exterminate their opposers and mind lock the rest of the lemminglike followers.
Would you want to live under those conditions ?

Answer 9

It would only work if greed,the hunger for power,ambition,lust and jealousy didn't exist.Also the natural human desire for freedom would have to go.All people would have to be willing to work hard and live up to their full potential with absolutely no prospect of being awarded or having the opportunity of getting anything more than the laziest among us.
So the answer is defiantly no.

Answer 10

Yes, in small groups if it was necessary for the survival of the group. And, I'm talking pure communism, here, not the dictator controlled "Communist" governments like Cuba and China. They are Dictatorships, not communes.