- Capitalism and Alternatives -

Communism as an ideology isn't dead

In Reply to: Re: Is communism dead? posted by Red Deathy on May 06, 1997 at 17:43:35:

Communism as an ideology isn't dead, wherever there is a poor person oppressed by a rich person, the idea of communism will live. But, communism as Marx foresaw it will not exist in our lifetime. Marx was writing in a very different time. Marx makes it very clear that communism can only exist if the revolution takes place world wide, not nation by nation. Ironically, Adam Smith says much the same thing about capitalism. However, people around the world are not oppressed in the same way to the same degree. World-wide revolution cannot occur. Communism is not an ideology well-prepared to compete the way the Soviet Union was forced to. At the heart of communism lies cooperation in contrast to capitalism's competetiveness. As long nationalism dominates the globe (think about it, I regard myself as Canadian well before I think of myself as a worker) communism is nothing more than a pipe dream. I personally do not see any better threat to the traditional Western capitalism/democracy (although Islamic Fundamentalism may prove me wrong) than communism, as a threat, it has been diminished. True communism, involves a BRIEF dictatorship of the proles then the death of government. Personally, the nature of a 6 billion plus person world would seem to demand some bureaucracy but... The death of government would need a elimination of all threats to communism. As long as anything threatened the communist society, a government would need to be formed to protect that society from its enemies. Yet, people in most Western states do not feel oppressed. I work between 20 and 40 hours a week while maintaining a full corse load at the University of Calgary, have next to no finacial support from family AND have a wife to take care of (well, she works too) and I don't feel oppressed. Actually I feel pretty good about my life. Perhaps one could argue that I am member of the ruling class of the world and the revolution will spring form the third world over taking the first but I would say the "Great Social Experiment" of the Soviet Union has proven that socialism and pre-industrial societies do not mix. Besides, first world powers do control most of the force. Millions of people do not stand well against nuclear weapons.

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