Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Combat communism during the cold war
Combat communism during the cold war
Combat communism during the cold war
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Combat communism during the cold war
What is it about communism that makes many people scurry and cringe? In America, the mere word might as well be banned from the dictionary. The only time it is used is when talking about new aggressive movements by totalitarian communist countries. American’s tolerance level for communism is zero to none. Is communism so horrific that the thought of some forms being successful is out of the question? In society today, capitalism is the leading economic system. When compared to other systems, few meet its standards of living. Capitalists take this fact and hold it at the heart. They become close-minded to all other forms of government—especially communism.
Today, communism is most often associated with totalitarian governments. However, the principles of communism, set up by Karl Marx, are not similar to those seen in these governments now. Chris Routledge, freelance writer, editor, and teacher at a university near Liverpool in the United Kingdom says that “pure communism” was intended to be a utopian society where all the wealth would be equally shared and money would not rule people’s lives (569). Over the past half-century, pure communism has stirred up entire nations. For example, The Soviet Union threatened the world with nuclear weapons during the Cold War and North Korea has done the same. Richard John Neuhaus, prominent American clergy and writer, claims that the Soviet Union was responsible for much of the Cold War (75).
The United States has gone through many wars and spent billions of dollars attempting to contain unwanted governments and set up capitalist systems in countries. The nation fought along with South Vietnam to combat North Vietnam’s communist aggression. During the Korean War, America fought against the t...
... middle of paper ...
...h Korea flirts with the free market. (World In Review)." Harvard International Review 25.1 (2003): 36-39. General OneFile. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.
Spalding, Roger. “The Communist Manifesto.” History Review (2000): 8. General OneFile. Web. 4 February 2010.
Treviño, Marcella Bush. “Communes.” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 568-569. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.
“Utopian Communities, Communes (Issues).” Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 1054-1056. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.
Van Houtryve, Tomas. “The land of no smiles.” Foreign Policy 172 (2009): 106-113. General OneFile. Web. 6 Feb. 2010.
Whatley, Sheri. “Capitalism causes rape. (Commentary).” off our backs Sept.-Oct. 2002: 39-40. General OneFile. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.
One of the biggest fears of the American people is that the concept of communism contrasts drastically from the concept of capitalism, which the United States was essentially founded upon. The United States, as the public believed, was not a land of perfect communal equality, but rather a land of equal opportunity. However, what made communism so dangerous can be succinctly described by Eisenhower who compared the spread of communism as the domino effect. As his secretary of state, Dulles, put it, the propagation of communism “would constitute a threat to the sovereignty and independence” of America (Doc B). In addition, the Cold War also planted the seeds of rational fear of a global nuclear war. As Russia caught up to the United States in terms of technological advancements, they successfully developed the atomic bomb as well as the hydrogen bomb, which caused Americans to believe that the USSR would use these weapons of mass destruction to forcefully extend their ideologies to the USA. In fact, Americans were so frantic about a potential nuclear disaster that it...
Since the end of World War II until the mid- eighties , most Americans could agree that communism was the enemy. Communism wanted to destroy our way of life and corrupt the freest country in the world. Communism is an economic system in which a person or group of persons who are in control. The main purpose of communism is to make social and economic status of all individuals of the same . Deletes inequalities in property ownership and wealth distributed equally to everyone . The main problem with this is that a person who is rich can be stripped of most of his fortune to someone else can have more material goods and be his equal .
Karl Marx 's writing of ‘The Communist Manifesto’ in 1848 has been documented by a vast number of academics as one of the most influential pieces of political texts written in the modern era. Its ideologically driven ideas formed the solid foundation of the Communist movement throughout the 20th century, offering a greater alternative for those who were rapidly becoming disillusioned and frustrated with the growing wealth and social divisions created by capitalism. A feeling not just felt in by a couple of individuals in one society, but a feeling that was spreading throughout various societies worldwide. As Toma highlights in his work, Marx felt that ‘capitalism would produce a crisis-ridden, polarized society destined to be taken over by
Communism is defined as a political and economical doctrine, the aim which is to abolish private ownership of property and for-profit enterprise and to replace these with public ownership and control of industry, agriculture, and resources (“Communism”). The product of this government is supposed to be a society free of class ranking based on wealth, property, and political power. The Soviet Union was the first country to test these governmental strategies and it did not take long for the regime to collapse. The inevitable collapse of communism led to the fall of the Berlin Wall; this started the domino effect of freedom that ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
There is always at least one odd duck, which stands out from the crowd. The same is true when it comes to politics. One of the most controversial political ideas to ever come to power, is communism. Branching from the socialist party, in 1848, extremist Karl Marx expressed his theories in The Communist Manifesto. This is a text that is still debated today. In an article in the Journal of Social Society, William Niemi wrote about Marx’s ideas still present today. “The rethinking about Karl Marx and Marxism continues some 20 years after the fall of the Soviet dictatorship and its satellites.” (Niemi). Within this volume of ideas, Marx expressed many highly debated topics, the most controversial of course, being communism itself. Though many of
The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848, a period of political turmoil in Europe. Its meaning in today’s capitalistic world is a very controversial issue. Some people, such as the American government, consider socialism taboo and thus disregard the manifesto. They believe that capitalism, and the world itself, has changed greatly from the one Marx was describing in the Manifesto and, therefore, that Marx’s ideas cannot be used to comprehend today’s economy. Others find that the Manifesto highlights issues that are still problematic today. Marx’s predicative notions in the Communist Manifesto are the key to understanding modern day capitalism.
America, throughout the ages, has always despised Communism and Communistic beliefs; however, during the 20s to around the 90s, there was a deeper hatred for Communism and a fear that lingered in most Americans’ hearts. Communism is a political theory that was derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. The majority of Americans strongly disagreed with
The "Communist Manifesto" Mountain View College Reader. Neuleib, Janice. A. Cain S., of Kathleen. Ruffus, Stephen. The.
Bender, Frederic L. Karl Marx: The Communist Manifesto. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ed. 1988.
Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. "The Communist Manifesto." The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. New York: Norton, 2001. 769-773.
There is a long-running debate about whether communism or capitalism is preferable and shows more of beneficial aspects. Capitalism is defined as an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations. While communism is a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by the state. The principle of capitalism is if one is successful and hardworking will keep improve and progress in life. While the principle of communism is to keep all the people the same, a lot of people may say that this is a good thing but when talking about real life this would add laziness and demotivation because hardworking people would gain the same credit as lazy people. Capitalism and communism are the two main economic systems that are used by governments nowadays. Obviously capitalism is a much better economic system to be used by a state; practical uses and statistical facts qualify capitalism as much more successful. Also, capitalism is more beneficial to the state, common citizens, and business owners. It would be very useful to test the two systems according to practical uses of the two systems on states and monitor which states succeeded and which states failed.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Trans. Paul M. Sweeny. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998.
Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. "The Communist Manifesto." The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. New York: Norton, 2001. 769-773.
Manifesto of the Communist Party. New York: International, 1948. Marxist Internet Archive - "The Marxist Archive" 2000. The. Web. The Web.
Janos, Andrew C. “What was Communism: A Retrospective in Comparative Analysis.” Communist and Post- Communist Studies Volume 29 (1996): 1-24. Print.