Comparing The Relationship Between Individualist And Collectivism And Individualism

Individualism and collectivism are conflicting beliefs with the nature of humans, society, and the relationships between them, however, these ideologies are not diametrically opposing since both are essential towards balancing beliefs from becoming extremes. The first source represents the idea of collectivism and suggests that the society must focus on moving their viewpoint from ‘me’ into ‘we’ in the interest of survival and progression. This perspective presents the idea that the individual’s advantage belongs not only to the person, but to the group or society of which he or she is a part of, and that the individual’s values and goals are for the group’s “greater good.” Likewise, Karl Marx’s principle of communism emphasizes in the elimination

This opposing perspective follows the philosophical viewpoint of leaders such as Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, and Stalin. Fascism, which is the extreme shift on the right wing of the spectrum and an anti-liberal belief with a reactionary-authoritarian system of government, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini had both the government and freedom of Germany and Italy eliminated to obtain total control. Fascism rather incorporates the idea of control, power and eradication of both interdependence and independence which disputes the principles of having collectivism and individualism side by side, thus caused dystopia -- World War Two, as caused by the fascist belief of Hitler. On the extreme left side of the spectrum, is communism or Marxism. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels co-wrote the book, “The Communist Manifesto” which described communism as something to eliminate class warfare, with the dispute between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, as an instance -- greatly valued equality as its ultimate goal. Nonetheless, leaders such as Lenin and Stalin greatly stretched the radical idea of communism and took it to its extremes, making the Russian government in their control through revolutionary means. In this perspective both fascism and communism are similar in terms of rejecting the ideas of having individualism and collectivism co-exist. Relatively, radical and reactionary leaders would rather have everything in their control in lieu of having the government or the citizens have the power, therefore, either individual or collective freedom is