A system of the economy where the ownership of fabrication elements is within the group is known as communism. The government is often termed as the group in the case of countries, and the fabrication elements are capital goods, entrepreneurship, natural resources, and labour.
The ownership of the labour force isn’t of the government but the implementation of that force in different fields is within the grasp of the government.
German philosopher Karl Marx formulated the communism theory, where he stated, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” He believed that the profits from the product should be the right of the workers and not of the capital owners.
To him, this system would encourage people to work effectively and efficiently for what they cherished and favourably subsidize those skills for the economic growth of a nation. The statement also referred that for those who aren’t capable to work, the community would take care of the distribution of services and goods as per their requirement.
The principle aim of communism as per Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was to implement free distribution and access to services, capitals, and goods to everyone. Such an abundance of resources could only be possible in an advanced communist system where everyone gets satisfied.
Table of Contents
- A Brief History
- Pros of Communism
- Cons of Communism
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A Brief History
The Mazdak movement of the 5th century in Persia (Iran) was identified as “communist” in questioning the noble classes’ tremendous superiority, in opposing the establishment of personal property and in seeking to establish an equal society. The thought of communism has likewise been trailed back to the English writer Thomas More’s works in the 16th century.
Then, Diggers, a religious group of Puritans, in the 17th century, promoted to abolish land’s private ownership. Foundation of communities dedicated towards common proprietorship took place due to several social improvers at the beginning of the 19th century. Different than many prior communist societies, they substituted a rational and philanthropic basis for the religious emphasis.
Communism in its current form arose out of the European 19th-century socialist movement. With the advancement in the Industrial Revolution, capitalism was accused to be the reason for the desolation of the waged people.
Karl Marx and his collaborator Friedrich Engels stood beside those critics in the forefront. Marx and Engels proposed a new concept of communism in 1848, which popularized in their renowned leaflet The Communist Manifesto.
Pros of Communism
1. Promotes Public Education
Communist government’s prime motive would be to educate the common people, by teaching the illiterate to write and read, and coaching people on improving their productivity in their respective fields. Because of this people acquire practical knowledge on techniques to improve their way of living.
2. Limits Discrimination
When the government enforces communism, every citizen other than some high government officials fall under the same rules. These limits discrimination in society and every individual is responsible for bringing development in the country. Every citizen works effectively to achieve success in their respective field and contribute towards a better future.
3. Thrives Job Prospects
Under communism, each individual gets the job and is needed to operate as per the instructions of the government, which limits the chances of one to remain jobless and allows effective operation for attaining success in each field. Communist society compels one to do what they are best at and thus enhances the opportunity for a job to every citizen in the nation.
4. Builds a Sturdier Society
Communism leaps towards the eradication of cultural beliefs, where people of the working caste are viewed as a minority by equalizing each individual with equal opportunity of education and job. This then leads to the development of a society having social unity, where every person is responsible for the progress.
5. Creates Equal Opportunity For All
In a democracy as per Marx, people with an abundance of resources would sooner or later restrict others to have access to the mandatory assets. Over time, there might come a day when lower socioeconomic groups would rage against the bests for property, wealth, and income. All of these factors are eradicated with the introduction of communism, where all rich, as well as poor, possess an equal chance of formulating their life.
Cons of Communism
1. Limits Earning
Under this system of government, there are strict limits imposed on the amount of income that people can receive. Such limitations make it difficult for creativity to develop because people lack the desire to work harder. People are aware of the needed efficiency for achieving the needs of the community and because of the salary limits that are in place, they have no desire to go above the bare minimum.
2. Allows No Disapproval
There is one predominant body in a Communist system that regulates society’s message and agenda. They possess utter rule over the law, and may even prohibit private ownership of any consumer stuff, such as property or currency. Such total control is accompanied by the principle of having only permitted opposition to new concepts, tactics, or job assignments. When you don’t agree with society’s course, you could be punished, or worse.
3. Permits Zero Savings
Regardless of how much a family saves up, all those savings belong to the entire community, which restricts one to save for their future generation. Communism does not allow any practice for heirloom since every wealth of a family goes to the government or state.
4. Restricts Individual Rights
Communism requires everyone to have a common need and aim, which leads to restriction for pursuing one’s dream. One is only privileged to have a job which increases the survival rate of the community at that time. Say if the survival of a community requires one with a profound knowledge of automobile to be a driver, he/she will have to forget their dream and become a driver.
5. Leads to Poverty
Communism may seek to uplift everyone in a community, but it also ultimately pushes many families into poverty. For government leaders, the system is easy to control, as only one body controls the entire society. Any statesman will change the rules to get the most benefits for their followers while also commanding others in working for practically nothing. This system does fulfil the public’s needs, but usually only the extreme needs.
To summarize, one can clearly understand how communism can lead to formulating a common future for all and how every individual can achieve knowledge as well as job as per the need of the community’s survival. On one hand, knowing all these benefits look like communism could be the best form of a government in improving the lifestyle of every individual in the country.
While on the other hand, communism comes with several restrictions on human rights, where one cannot realize their dreams and aren’t allowed to go against the direction of the government.
Regardless of how much one works hard work, they aren’t permitted to save any wealth as everything is termed to be the right of all in a communist society. Thus, knowing the concept of communism seems to be a very profound form of government, but such a concept isn’t so simple to be practised in real.
Read about other political systems: