Positives And Effects Of Communism

The rise of communism in the Soviet Union and China in the 20th century had both gains and costs in each country. Some of these gains benefited society as a whole in terms of economic improvement and rapid industrialization. However, with these gains came many costs that affected millions of people all around the world, not just in the Soviet Union and China. While the main ideas of communism were about spreading equality and making society an equal place to live, most citizens of these countries found the idea of communism to be unfair, serving no benefits to society, such as the taking and redistributing of land so that all peasants could have their own land to produce goods on. Even though the effects of communism in China and the Soviet

Communism brought economic improvements by producing more goods, as seen in “Building the New Society: The People’s Commune” (Strayer, 1082.) This image shows the effects of rapid industrialization and how the population was able to produce more goods to sell, ultimately boosting the economy. The result of rapid industrialization in the Soviet Union helped to build improvements in technology. In Joseph Stalin’s “The Result of the First Five-Year Plan” showcases the rapid industrialization in the Soviet Union. Stalin stated that they were able to produce an iron and steel industry, and they were able to develop goods like agricultural machinery, electric power, and various metals (Stalin, 1070.) Communism also improved the lives of millions of people in terms of security and overall health. The chart “China under Mao” shows the effects of communism in China under ruler Mao Zedong. This chart not only shows the overall population growing from 542 million to 1 billion people, but the average life expectancy jumps from 35 to 65 years (Strayer, 1049.) Another major advancement in communism was the idea of gender equality, meaning that both men and women could work together doing the same type of job. The image “Women, Nature, and Industrialization” shows a woman in China working alongside other men and doing a job similar to them.

The struggle to bring communism resulted in millions of people being killed, especially in China. During China’s Great Leap Forward, a three-year famine broke out that killed more than 20 million people (Strayer, 1049.) Communism also affected the individual by taking away the value of a single citizen. In order to become an equal society, the people’s freedom to do what they want vanished as they had to take orders from the ruler. People were also forced to give up their personal property so that land could be redistributed to a more equal portion to the population (Strayer, 1047.) Lastly, people were forced to give up their traditions and what made them unique, as shown in Mo Bo’s writing “I was a teenage Red Guard.” She describes her experience of joining the Red Guard, which she joined simply to blend in with the other students. She states that, “Everyone wanted to join the Red Guards because nobody wanted to be ‘unqualified’, ‘backward’ and ‘non-revolutionary’” (Bo.) During the time of the Red Guards, people would carry around a small red book to show their loyalty. These books were a symbol of faithfulness and obedience towards Mao and people who did not carry the book with them was viewed as a bad communism and as an enemy towards the