Do you think the World would have been better off under Communist rule?

Question

Since I was about eight, I have had an obsession with the Soviet Union. I was saddened when the powers that be decided to dissolve it 17 years ago. If every one would have worked together, I think we could have been a happy, productive world not as individual countries, but rather as Soviet Republics -- Europe, North America, South America, Asia, etc.

I also think Communism is the most misunderstood political-economic system. Try visiting Cuba. Every one is happy. The literacy rate is better than any other country on Earth and there are more doctors per capita than almost any other country. Look it up if you don't believe me.

As their anthem stated, the USSR was "created through struggle by will of the People." It'd be nice to think we could some day have a worldwide USSR.

Answer 1

Until progress stalls out and you start advancing at 1/10th of the rate that we are now. If everybody gets paid the same no matter what, there is no incentive to work hard and be the best. That means that there are going to be no improvements, no new gadgets, no medical advances because why? Why should I work hard if I am going to be living the same as the guy that does just enough to get by?

Communism is a great idea on paper, but when you put people and attitudes into it, it falls apart and thats why the USSR killed over.

Answer 2

I think Communism , in theory, is a workable solution to the problems of a modern society. However, Let us not forget Animal Farm, we have to ensure that those who rise to the top of the ranks, are those that we can trust, that seems to have been the problem with many Communist countries. As the old saying goes "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely". As for Cuba, I loooove the fact that the US was sooo desperate for so many years to wipe Castro and his party off the face of the earth, now in 2007, I know where I'd rather live!. (And thats no offence to the Americans on here, I just think the last few years have shown the dangers of "our" political system)

I'd like a world where everyone looked after each other, irrespective of religion, race, politics etc...I have little faith that it will ever happen, but it's nice to dream!

Answer 3

If you read George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and you will understand why "Communism" could not suceed. Marxism is different and even Socialism can be demonstrated to be different, just like there are various forms of Capitalism as well.

Cuba (I am from Jamaica, have had friends travel to Cuba, even go to school in Cuba) is not a bed of roses as you make it out to be, but NO COUNTRY has all its citizens happy, somebody always has a problem. Every country has positives and negatives, and Cuba has its share.

The ultimate problem is the greed of humankind - to benefit at the expense of others. Until we as individuals decide that another human life as more valuable than my personal gain, then no form of "-ism" will make a difference.

Greed and selfishness has been our downfall, especially in the Communist world. It just hasn't reached the Capitalist world yet but globalization has begun to show that even capitalism isn't perfect - hence the USA's ballooning deficit with China, India, et al, jobs moving away, etc.

Answer 4

How can you hold the USSR up as everything other than total failure.Tens of millions died of starvation because of agricultural policies dictators such as Stalin killed millions more(his score has been estimated at 28 million).Every other country ruled by communists just became dictatorships with those at the top living like kings and those at the bottom totally oppressed.This is fact this is history.
Cuba is poor but I admit better educated thanks to communism but again thousands were executed at Castros whim and a huge percentage of the population has fled to the USA.

Answer 5

the tens of millions who have died under communist sysytems would probably disagree.So would the thousands who have fled communism and started new lives elsewhere.None have ever returned.

Communism stifles the human instinct to progress by removing the rewards for those able to achieve.Most communist countries including cuba are happy to bankrupt themselves to score political points against capitalist nations.Hence Highly trained russian gymnasts and more cuban doctors (that couldnt practise in a civilised country) ,yet the population queues hours for bread.

The collapse of the soviet union is a demonstration of the publics feelings towards it.

BTW castro is nearly dead.Communism in cuba wont survive his death.

Answer 6

Communism would work very well but only if the whole world was communist. It also works well for some small countries with simple economies that are easy to organise, but in a large country it would be difficult to effectively implement a centrally planned economy.

Answer 7

No. Communism, like all delusional idealist philosophies, always ends in tragedy and death and oppression. Any ideology that always ends with a murderous tyrant running things MUST necessarily be wrong.

And if we look at the communist regimes throughout history, we see a bloody trail of dead people. Stalin killed some 50,000,000 of his own people. Mao killed some 70,000,000 of his own people. Pol Pot killed some 2,000,000 Cambodians - a full THIRD of the population!

We see Castro and Chavez destroying property rights and imprisoning political opponents.

But in all the communist governments around the world, we've never seen a single one that did not have tyranny, oppression, imprisonment of dissidents, lack of a free press, corruption, poverty and government sanctioned murder. If communism was any good whatsoever, wouldn't we have seen even one communist government doing good? That should tell you that it is not a good thing.

Answer 8

I too had a fascination with Communism, at least in theory. In practice, you would have to change basic human nature for it to work. The phrase, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" is the key to understanding why Communism can't work and can't be made to work. And no, it doesn't work in Cuba either: people are STILL risking their lives to make it to Florida....

Answer 9

I agree, but only if I'm in charge.

And I'd become a great and powerful leader, feared throughout the land...Old women would whisper my name, milk would turn sour, Cats would live with dogs, Cows would moo backwards and a shadow would be across the land for a thousand years.

Answer 10

The whole idea that ideologies about governance being better or worse then one an other , I feel , is why we are in this turmoil . Pull it down and start again , you're way , why ask to do things in your life , is that a life .
Yours
JW Dread