Communism & Democracy

“How do you tell a Communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.” Ronald Reagan

Communism (Latin: communis, "common, universal") is a philosophical, social, political, economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of a communist society, namely a socioeconomic order structured upon the ideas of common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes gap.

Key differences between Communism and Socialism are that under communism, there is no such thing as private property. By contrast, under socialism, individuals can still own property. But industrial production, or the chief means of generating wealth, is communally owned and managed by a democratically elected government.

"The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property." Karl Marx

The most significant difference is that output is distributed according to need in communism, and according to ability under socialism. Communism is most different from capitalism, where private individuals are the owners, but it is similar to fascism in that both use central plans.

“Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff.” Frank Zappa

Since its start a century ago, Communism, a political and economic ideology called for a classless, government-controlled society in which everything is shared equally, has seen a series of surges and declines.

What started in 1917 Russia, became a global revolution, taking root in countries as far flung as China and Korea to Kenya and Sudan to Cuba and Nicaragua.

Communism was launched from Lenin’s October Revolution and spread to China with Mao Zedong’s rise to power and to Cuba, with Fidel Castro’s takeover. It was the ideology behind one side of the Cold War and saw a symbolic decline with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today just a handful of countries remain under communist rule.

"The goal of socialism is communism." Vladimir Lenin

Communism and Democracy are two political ideologies or philosophies that dictate how political systems should be managed. Both systems are considered to be 'left-wing' on the political spectrum and more liberal in nature than some other political ideological alternatives (i.e. fascist or conservative ideologies).

General Concept

• Communism: To each according to their needs. The government will provide what people need and through advances in technology everyone will have an abundance to consume. It's important to note that communism is both a political ideology and a social one, in that it dictates how government and social organization will be established.
• Democracy: Everything is decided by citizens, who all have an equal say in decisions that impact people in general. The majority wins and everything will be decided and ruled by a majority vote. Democracy is a political ideology and not a social one, in that it dictates a form of government but any form of social organization can exist around that government.

Ownership of Property

• Communism: Communism does not allow for individuals to own anything, all property is public and can be used by those who need it (as decided by government).
• Democracy: Individual can own personal property like homes and businesses. Some government ownership of producing assets still exists as deemed acceptable by the majority vote.

Freedom of Choice

• Communism: Either through collective vote or the direction of government leadership all economic, social, and political decisions are dictated.
• Democracy: Personal choice is allowed for the most part but there are limitations in place (laws) established by the majority rule government to maintain order and set certain guidelines.

Access to Services

• Communism: Access to services is universal and the state will provide what people need in terms of health care or educational services.
• Democracy: Access to services will vary based on what the majority rule government dictates, in some democratic countries (i.e. Canada) health and education are free to access. Alternatively, in the U.S. health care is largely private and access to service is driven by private insurers to a significant extent.

Religion

• Communism: Religion is abolished in a communist state.
• Democracy: Fundamentally, freedom of religion exists and is permitted, the extent to which religion impacts government varies as that will be dictated by majority rule. Some democratic states do not allow freedom of religion due to the views of the majority.

Economic Principles

• Communism: The means of economic production are held in common by the people and production is organized based on the needs and will of the collective (administered by the central government). Individual economic decisions do not exist and are pre-established by the collective.
• Democracy: Economic structures vary depending on what the majority of voters prefer. Economies in a democracy often have some form of capitalist free market economy with restrictions in place (via laws) as deemed appropriate by the majority elected government.

In reality some say, there are no truly communist states in existence, regardless of the names that certain governments have historically given to their system of government. Cuba, the Soviet Union, and China have typically referred to themselves as communist but the private property and ownership provisions were never fully established. At best they were/are all countries with a authoritarian or totalitarian rule that borrows to an extent from communist ideology...

"Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English." George Bernard Shaw

Food for thought!