Has Communism ever truly existed?

Question

Today in Government our teacher was talking to us about Communism and Karl Marx. She was talking about how Communism has never existed and went on and on why, based on Karl Marx's theory of communism, that it is impossible for there to be a classless society because it is human nature to lead. Is this right? Or is that just a different kind of communism? Because I have heard about communist parties before and I'm slightly confused.

Answer 1

The ideology of it is unattainable. For one thing we are genetically wired to compete. We hunt, we gather, we assert our superiority.

Communism is unattainable because for equal distribution of assets to work, leaders would also have to particpate and they don't generally do that. Plus on the flip side of that, if you know you are going to get the same as every body else no matter what you do, what is their to motivate you?

You should read The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, it's quite interesting.

Answer 2

Of course communism has existed. It actually traces it's roots all the way to Plato. Before the world was dominated by misogynist religions (i.e. Christianity, Islam and Judaism) we didn't have a class system, otherwise a form of capitalism. At that time religions with woman deities existed (now known as the pagan religions) which endorsed an eqalitarian society, the main root of communism.

She's also wrong about a classless society being impossible. Every empire/capitalist society has fallen at one time or another. There's a point in time when the greedy become some greedy they've screwed up to the point that being greedy will be impossible for them. Not only is a classless society about ethical treatment, but it's also about survival. A class system breeds anger, envy, murder, rape and etc. If this continues humans will not exist and the will to survive is the most basic instinct we all share. Also, in a classless society there's more self reliance. Instead of oppressing classes of people in order for them to work for the greedy, people naturally became self reliant.

Answer 3

No country has ever managed to reach the Utopian paradise that Communism aspires to be. No Communist government would want that either, because a communist society has no government. They would rob themselves from all the power vested in themselves by creating the structure they officially want to attain. Let's see what a communist society, stripped to it's core, is. It's a society in which no private property exists: everybody owns everything there is. The revenues from their labor are distributed equally, which is fair because nobody owns more then another. This society should be an Autarky or self-sufficient. The main driving force behind the labor is the following reasoning: If I don't work as hard as the others, then I'll have less. As you see the system only works when everybody is motivated and feels one with the group. Large groups, like nationstates, cannot create the needed social cohesion because of the diversity of the group that stands in the way of total unity and equality. There have been communist societies, but these consisted out of small groups that retired into a farm. This form of communism lasted for twenty/thirty years maximum.

Answer 4

It depends on what you mean by society. Many would argue that some Native American tribes were pretty close with a society that was based on elaborate gift giving for social standing (Pacific Northwest). But I think of it as lobbying, so no dice kemosabe.
Has there been a "country" that fits Marxist "classless or stateless" ideology? No and there hasn't been a true democracy either.
By the way The Communist Manifesto was mostly about inevitable class struggle and conflict. The topic of and attempts too create Utopian socialism predates Marx and Engels' collaboration and are historical failures.

Answer 5

It's just too easy for those with power in ANY system to bend it to their will.

Look at Stalin for example. He made propaganda movies where HE was the hero and put posters of himself everywhere. Is that communism? No!

Look at the Chinese, there is rampant corruption in China, the majority of the population is in poverty. Did their government help them? No.

North Korea has a madman for a leader. Is their nuclear wepons program benefiting the middle class? No.

Look at the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia... Shameful mass genocide isn't outlined in the communist manifesto I can assure you of that.

Cuba is still around and works, but has had a lot of people dissent. They have tortured and imprisoned critics of the government. Who can forget the mass exodus?

Karl Marx would probably be ashamed of these countries. His ideas can work if they are set up to work, but ALL of the nations I just mentioned had bloody revolutions to become communist. They didn't have the luxury of drafting a constitution in the 1700s to protect the interests of all. Under those conditions, a government will never work. It's just too easy for a corrupt few to bring down the whole thing.

Answer 6

Your teacher is right! Communism was to be about equality among all. It never was & never could be; human nature is not that way. It is the desire of most to have just a bit more than the other guy. Those in power took care to see that they had a lot more than the other guy, they thought they deserved it because they were doing so much more than just the common man. They missed the point entirely! Each person was to give their all expecting no special perks, it was to be utopia with each person receiving exactly what the other received, each contributing according to their abilities. From the start is was off base & never got on track to provide what was promised to the people who bought into it. No, China is not a true communist country, they have left that idea behind & are following the western way of doing business & those in power have far more than the rest of the people in the less densely populated parts of the country. They employ next to slave labor to provide all those goods they sell to the world.

Answer 7

Communism, in the most complete sense, is both an economic and political machine - since the state has to manage the economy for it to work. This has ramifications on every level of a Communist-controlled nation. It would be downright stupid to take a reductionist viewpoint about Communism, like saying that Nazism under Hitler was merely a "revitalizing of Germany."

But as for your question, pick up a world history book and look up the USSR. China. North Korea. Cuba.

The answer would be "yes."

Answer 8

Wow, Do you go to Private school, or were you just fortunate to get a good Public School teacher? Your teacher is correct. Even with communism, someone is in charge of making choices as to who goes to college, and who shovels shinola (besides Pravda and the Kremlin). Parents of children who want their kids to have the best will offer what little they have as bribes to get their kids a break. Lots of small bribes equals a wealthy Communist. This is why it was beneficial to actually be a party member in the former USSR

Answer 9

Get rich quick schemes in the capitalist business world, (buyouts, IPOs, conglomerates, acquisitions, mergers, and the stock market), do not actually work. Remaining solvent does not actually exist within false economics capitalism.

Profit existing in the capitalist business world, or millionaires existing within capitalism, is pathological deception committed by the 21 organizations spying on the public with plain clothes agents, (with covert fake names and fake backgrounds).

Actual economics is the persons paying the monthly business loan payments of companies voting at work in order to control the property they are paying for.

Capitalism is the psychology of imaginary parents, false economics, and the criminal deception of employees that are paying the bills (including the stocks and bonds, or shares) of companies.

Anti-democracy republicanism is the psychology of imaginary parents and false government.

Answer 10

Is your teacher another of those Marxist/Socialist promoters who thinks Marxism hasn't succeeded ONLY because freedom loving Americans resist the beauty of being ruled by a tyrant?
Marxism has FAILED every time it has been tried. It is human to desire FREEDOM!
Our Founding Fathers KNEW that to be true and stated so in the Declaration of Independence. Does your teacher reject the American philosophy of FREEDOM?
China has rejected Communism as an economically sound system and is racing toward free enterprise as fast as they can while keeping the human freedom side of their society under check.
They are afraid that if they lift the lid on their suppression of society too quickly, the people will rise up and kill the dictators in charge.
The WORST of classist societies is Communism. The leaders are elitist who KNOW they are smarter than everyone else. They set themselves up as supreme beings for LIFE. They take the best for themsrlves while others suffer and mever do the work they demand of the populace.
Our Founding Fathers rejected making themselves KINGS and the rest of the world marveled in disbelief that they had such humble attitudes and only wanted to be public servants.
We could use some politicians like them today.