Communist threads on AG inevitably result in mass flaming. The Communist club is a prime example, even as it stated only post if you are communist, unsurprisingly many people did. However the common theme among these people is that they do noot know of the ideas behind communism or how it is meant to come about. Regardless of my ideological beliefs communism is a particular interest of mine and I would like to lay out once and for all in relatively simple terms what is meant to happen, according to the original idead put forward by Marx.
Govt: Absolute Monarchy Means of Production: Land; land ownership goves power. Social Organisation: Aristocracy is the dominant group controlling the mass of the population, peasanats, who work on their estates. peasants are virtually owned by their lords and masters. Revolutionary Change: The revolutionary class is the middle class (merchants, traders, manufacturers). As this group ggets wealthier, it begins to break down the rules of a feudal society which hinder its development eg wants an economy based on money and labourers free to work in towns.
Stage 2:Bourgeois (Middle Class) Revolution
The growth of trade and industry sees the middle classes becoming larer and more powerful. Eventually they want to reshape society and government to suit their interests, eg they want to have a say in how the country is run and do not want landed aristocrats determining national policy. The middle classes take power from the monarch and aristocracy. The bourgeois revolution can be violent, as in France in 1789, or more peaceful and gradual, as in Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Stage 3:Capitalism
Govt: Parliamentary democracy with civil rights, elections, freedom of the press, etc, but largely run by the middle classes. Means of Production: Industrial premises, factories, capital goods like machinery, banks owned by capitalists. Land becomes less importnt as industry and trade create greater share of national wealth. Social Organisation: Middle classes or bourgeoise are the dominantor ruling class although the aristocracy may still hold onto some postitions of power and prestige. The mass of the population move from being peasants to being industrial workers - the proletariat, who are forced to work long hours in poor conditions for little reward. Revolutionary Change: As capitalism grows so does the proletariat, since more workers are needed to work in factpries and commercial premises. Great wealth and materials are produced, but these are not shared out fairly. A snall bourgeois gets increasingly wealthy while the proletariat remains poor. Gradually, the proletariat dvelops a class consciousness and realises that it is being oppressed as a class.
Stage 4:Socialist Revolution
The proletariat moves from class comsciousness to a revolutionary consciousness aided by revolutionary leaders (often from the middle classes). They now form the great bulk of the population whilst the bourgeoisie are a tiny minority. They rise up and seize power, ousting their class enemies - the bourgeoise. The socialist revolution starts in a highly industrialised economy.
Stage 5:Socialism
Govt: Workers control the state. At first government is exercised through the dictatorship of the proletariat, a period of strict control nescessary to deal with counter revolution (old capitalist enemies trying to recover power) and to root out non socialist attitudes. Means of production: Factory machines etc, as in the capitlaist period but not owmed by individuals. They are owned collectively by everybody. Social Organisation: Everybody is equal, the class system is brought to an end. Wealth and goods produced by industry are shared out fairly. Everybody has an equal entitlement to good housing and decent standards of living.
Stage 6:The Transition to Communism
The need for government declines because there are no competing classes.
Stage 7:COMMUNISM
Govt: There is no state, just people who are interested in managing the day to day business of keeping society going. Social Organisation: Everybody is equal. There is an abundance of goods produced by machinery rather than by workers' labour, so everyone has much more leisure time. Ppeople work on the priciple,'From each, according to their ability, to each according to their needs' they can take out what they need from a central pool and contribute to society in whatever way they can.(Marxs view of Communist society is not very clear).
So thats my shortened easy to read guide on Marxism/Communism whatever you want to call it. Read the post dont just read the title and commment and flame about communism pls.
Alright I am going to take this one step at a time. I do not know everything behind communism so I will try to get the idea straight.
In communism, there must be a state or government. In fact, the whole thing behind communism is that the state controls everything strictly to make sure that everybody remains within the same socail standings right?
Alright, if there was no state or government, then people will be free to do whatever they want with money. The problem is, everybody will still make different incomes. Now I know that communism is about everybody staying in a classless society, but people will form classes one way or another.
If one man is given $100 and another the same, the first one may buy a bussiness and make even more money. The other man may blow it all on furniture, clothing, drinks, cars, absolutely anything. Now you have a guy who has his own bussiness which is making a lot of money and a poor guy, or at least that other guy is not rich.
This means that there will be an upper class man and a lower class man/middle class. I used small numbers and only 2 people for this example. Now take thousands or millions of people. The only way to make sure people don't form an upper class and others a lower class is for everybody to have nothing. This way nobody can make more money to gain higher socail status, and nobody is the poorer out of all the working men.
This is just how I see it, I do not know how dead on I was with everything but thats the thing that bothers me about communism, it is a good theory but it just can't be enforced unless the state takes everything.
Govt: There is no state, just people who are interested in managing the day to day business of keeping society going. Social Organisation: Everybody is equal. There is an abundance of goods produced by machinery rather than by workers' labour, so everyone has much more leisure time. Ppeople work on the priciple,'From each, according to their ability, to each according to their needs' they can take out what they need from a central pool and contribute to society in whatever way they can.(Marxs view of Communist society is not very clear).
The transition from socialism to communism is meant to iron out these faliures in the theory. However the theory does state that people work according to their abilities and receive according their needs. So in its purest form communism seems fair. But in practice it never reaches this stage of statelessness and languishes in a form of socialism.
