Questions tagged [communism]
Questions on Communist theory and the politics of Communist states
5
votes
1answer
654 views
How can communism be totalitarian?
I'm quite a newbie to history and politics so a sentence from Huxley surprised me (it might not be surprising for you). In Brave new world revisited (1958) he writes:
It is a pretty safe bet that, ...
50
votes
4answers
17k views
Why has Venezuela's economy collapsed when Cuba's has not?
Cuba and Venezuela seem to share a lot in common. Both are effectively Socialist dictatorships. Cuba's government has been Communist for many years, while Venezuela has been socialist for much less. ...
1
vote
3answers
483 views
Defining fascism in the background of communism [duplicate]
We have an intense discussion going on between the fact of whether the Soviet Union was a fascist state or not.
Our doubt lies in fascism as an opposite to communism and we wonder if the Soviet ...
0
votes
1answer
185 views
Corruption, efficiency and economic success of the Chinese government
Chinese Government is accused of massive corruption, some critics say that the censorship does not allow the revelation of corruption in China. How did the Communist Party of China from 1976 onwards ...
8
votes
6answers
784 views
How does anarcho-communism avoid turning into anarcho-capitalism?
The idea of the communist revoluton through socialism is that the socialist state was intended to eventually destroy itself and the society will live in a communist system. But that society would not ...
2
votes
1answer
557 views
Did “socialism with a human face” actually exist in practice?
NOTE: This is somewhat related (a "soft" version of) to this question (Do/did non-dictatorial Communist societies exist?)
According to Wikipedia, "Socialism with a human face" appeared in 1968 and it ...
13
votes
4answers
1k views
Is the economics theory of Karl Marx regarding technological progress realistic to the end?
Marx claimed that the introduction of more and more advanced machinery would lead to unemployment of workers, which decreases the ability of the society to buy things, which is a vicious cycle. ...
8
votes
2answers
626 views
Why does Russia seem to praise USSR personalities almost three decades after the fall of communism?
The dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred on December 26, 1991, more than 26 years ago.
However, communism personalities (symbols) are still displayed in many places:
Body of Stalin was temporary ...
-1
votes
2answers
280 views
Why did the United States so aggresively attack Communism when they knew it wasn't going to work out in the long term? [closed]
Didn't USA had the foresight that any country that embraces communism would eventually fail? Why did it go around spreading anti-communist sentiment to an extent where they defied the internal ...
3
votes
2answers
703 views
Are capitalism and communism equivalent in attributable mass murders? [closed]
When the topic of communism comes up in the US, most automatically dismiss it due to the tens or hundreds of millions who died at the hands of communist regimes.
As a counterpoint, some say that the ...
161
votes
16answers
55k views
Why is communism considered as evil (like fascism and nazism) in the United States?
In this question, a person asks why it's so easy to ban Nazi symbols and so hard to ban communist symbols: Why is banning communism symbols so hard to achieve as opposed to banning of Nazi symbols?
...
3
votes
3answers
421 views
Did Karl Marx support taking over the means of production by using force or violence?
If the workers want to have means of production (land or factories) they can:
Put money together and buy/build them, step by step. That's how the Amish or the Mennonites are building and growing ...
21
votes
6answers
11k views
Does currency exist in communism?
I've thought about this before, but never heard any explanation as to how this works.
My understanding of communism is:
Everyone works.
Everything is rationed out equally.
Since there is no ...
13
votes
1answer
1k views
Is China really Communist?
Having read Karl Marx, and seeing the 10 tenets of Communism, I find it hard to consider China as a Communist country.
Just trying to stick to the 10 tenets.
Abolition of private property, ...
2
votes
5answers
1k views
Is Fascism ideologically descended from communism?
Georges Sorel was a Marxist, who later developed Sorelianism, which later became Fascism.
To quote Benito Mussolini himself:
I owe most to Georges Sorel. This master of syndicalism by his rough ...
8
votes
1answer
239 views
Why was Moldova the only post-Soviet country to elect a communist government?
For much of the period following the collapse of the USSR, Moldova was governed by an elected Communist government, uniquely among post-Soviet states. What factors were at work in Moldova which led ...
24
votes
3answers
3k views
For what stated reasons (not opinion) is classical communism antagonistic towards the bourgeoisie more than the aristocracy?
I am not extremely familiar with the intricacies of Marxist ideology but many of these articles seem to suggest that classical Communist ideology perceives the bourgeoisie as the 'real enemy of the ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Which redesigned policies have enabled China to survive the 1989-91 global communist crisis and prosper even while remaining a 'Communist State'?
According to Wikipedia there are only 5 Communist States at present: China, Laos, Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba. In the past there have been a large number of Communist States existing at the same ...
4
votes
2answers
980 views
In Communism, what happens to property rights?
Picking up on a question that was posted here, it said that in Communism
a home that one built could be reapportioned to someone by the vote of a majority
It seems to me that this isn't a fair ...
2
votes
4answers
5k views
Are all communist countries run by dictators?
The primary examples of communism (USSR, China, Cuba, Venezuela) have at their head a very strong central authority which approaches if not is in fact a dictatorship. Are there any examples showing ...
3
votes
2answers
358 views
How would a non-dictatorial communist state stop an individual from owning means of production they made themselves?
A formal definition of communist economy, among other important attributes, posits that tools of production are owned by the state/community, NOT by individual. Even if that individual built said tool ...
0
votes
1answer
233 views
Anarcho-Communism distribution of wealth
How would a society based on anarcho-communism, or even communism without state, distribute the wealth so people could buy food, leisure products and other varied items. Who would distribute the ...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
Is christian communism a real political system? [duplicate]
Is christian communism a real political system? If so, what are the main points defended by it?
8
votes
5answers
4k views
Why was homosexuality unacceptable in USSR?
USSR was all about fighting for the working class rights against capitalism being inherently multicultural - so there seems to be nothing in its ideology that would go directly against homosexuality. ...
3
votes
3answers
321 views
Is it possible to separate “Marxism Non-Leninism” from Marxim-Leninism?
I'd like to know in simple terms, if possible - because my background isn't very rock solid -, if it's possible to separate Marxism Non-Leninism from Marxism-Leninism and what are the main differences,...
2
votes
1answer
555 views
Does communism propose also “forced” labor for people who are ill?
Communism (in Marxism) proposes everyone should work. Does it propose people who are ill to work if they cannot?
3
votes
1answer
287 views
Why does the leader of Vietnam (General Secretary of the Communist Party) hold no state positions?
Generally, the leaders of communist countries hold both state & party positions,
making them both de facto and de jure leaders (e.g. Raúl Castro is both President of Cuba and First Secretary of ...
4
votes
2answers
465 views
Is there an equivalent of the horseshoe theory for economic systems stating that monopolized capitalism = communism?
The horseshoe theory states that societies organised by the extreme right and the extreme left would look alike. It is also applied to various other opposed groups (religious, nationalists, ...).
Is ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Does Putin support the ideas of Communism and/or Socialism? [closed]
I know he's no lefty on social issues and foreign policy, but coming from the Soviet Union, is Vladimir Putin known to support economic concepts that are more inline with the left?
Edit: Let me be ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
Is communism rising in the west? [closed]
I was wondering today if Fascism and communism are rising or not. I quite easily found the answer about Fascism but didn't find any convincing information about communism. A quick google search lead ...
1
vote
0answers
129 views
What is the difference between Marxism and Leninism? [duplicate]
I am really intrigued by the idea of communism, especially Marxism and Leninism. But I am struggling to find the differences between these two communist ideologies. Both of them seem to try to ...
12
votes
1answer
322 views
Why won't the two main French far-left parties unite and present a single candidate?
Lutte ouvrière (LO) and Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste (NPA) are both French far-left communist parties and they are both represented by a candidate during the French 2017 presidential elections, why ...
30
votes
9answers
7k views
Why is banning communism symbols so hard to achieve as opposed to banning of Nazi symbols?
NOTE: to narrow down the question, I will make the following narrowing:
Nazi symbols: salute and the swastika used in clear connection to Nazi (i.e. not this one)
Communist symbols: hammer and sickle ...
13
votes
2answers
4k views
Why have the Venona materials not yet vindicated McCarthyism?
Even though Joseph McCarthy's efforts perfectly in line with Truman's "Loyalty Order" -- Executive Order 9835 -- as well as the public disclosure of the Venona project (in 1995).
Why has the ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Can communism be effective in a post scarcity economy?
Recently following the discussion by politicians in US elections of "getting jobs back", it seemed clear to me that this phase of losing jobs can't be stopped or even slowed: it's the natural and ...
4
votes
1answer
5k views
How free are Cuban citizens to leave the country these days?
I know that it used to be the case that the Cuban authorities prevented people from leaving the country that they deemed useful - similar to Eastern Germany.
I heard that this was lifted a couple of ...
5
votes
1answer
199 views
Do Amish (Pennsylvania Dutch or others) in US own their means of production?
For Amish community members in USA, are their means of production (land, tools, possibly cattle) owned by individual community members/families; or by the whole community?
By "owned", I mean "...
1
vote
1answer
185 views
Would a communist society work? [closed]
I'm pretty sure it would not work immediately after transforming from our current state, but surely over time we should see change, right?
Are there any examples of when it has/hasn't worked?
5
votes
0answers
673 views
Why there is so much neglect and even the hate of socialism/communism as the postcapitalism? [closed]
Marxism teaches that the development of technology leads to the new forms of social and economic orders. There have been already primitive communism, slavery, feudalism and now the capitalism is the ...
5
votes
5answers
617 views
How do one party governments say that they represent everyone even though they aren't democracies?
In China, for example, the communist party says that they are the worker's party and that they represent the workers of the world and equality, even though they manage a one-party state that blocks ...
3
votes
2answers
248 views
How can a classless society exist with religion
Are classless societies and religion mutually exclusive? I believe that this is one of the major hurdles of communism; that the only way to remove socioreligious classes would be to ban religion, but ...
5
votes
2answers
824 views
What social class would Marx consider himself a member of?
Marx considers various social classes in The Manifesto of the Communist Party, among them: the bourgeoisie, the proletariat, the middle class, and the 'dangerous' classes of social scum. Marx was in a ...
2
votes
0answers
74 views
How significant was the contribution of crime rate on the breakup of the USSR?
For the generation born in the 1970s in the USSR it was not uncommon to have nearly all of the classmates to be imprisoned for various crimes either during the school years or shortly thereafter. This ...
7
votes
9answers
7k views
What is the difference between Communism and Anarchism?
Can anybody please explain me, in brief, the difference between Communists and Anarchists?
2
votes
2answers
212 views
What does this statement in the 1978 Constitution of the Russian SFSR mean?
I didn't know where to ask this question, so I am asking it here since it does involve politics to some extent.
Full Constitution (In Russian)
Here is the statement
In Russian:
Статья 147. ...
8
votes
2answers
9k views
What is the basic difference between Marxism, Socialism and Communism? [duplicate]
Along with the heading, it would be much appreciated if you paste useful links that go in depth of the differences. For this forums scope, I only need to hear the basic difference between these three ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Why do communist states (e.g. USSR, China) oppose religion so much?
Why do both communist people and communist states oppose religion so much, sometimes with violence and arson. There are many other secular non-communist states in the world that do not have such a ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
What is the fascist argument for Marxism being a Jewish conspiracy?
How do fascists reason that communism is a Jewish conspiracy?
To me general fascist / white nationalist rhetorical strategy seems like a complete refusal of approaching communism on its own terms. ...
4
votes
1answer
521 views
Why are former communist dictatorships in the EU considered less democratic by The Economist?
The democracy index by The Economist (also see Wikipedia) is almost systematically classing countries that were recently dictatorships as less democratic than the longer term democratic countries.
...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
In a communist country, what determines who lives in low quality social housing, and who gets nicer individual houses?
In capitalist countries it is extremely simple: Those who can afford it gets the nice houses, and those who can't get the social housing (with all the in-betweens that came around).
However in ...
