The Pros And Cons Of Communism

Many people think that communism is inherently evil. However, communism has had a long history and only until recently has it been overrun by dictatorships. Not all forms of communism are bad, and capitalism is not much better.

The first examples of communism were in early prehistoric communities. Various tribes in Africa (i.e. the Bushmen) and the Americas (i.e. the Pequot), had communistic views on land, houses, and tools. Later in Greece, at about 380 B.C.E, Plato published The Republic. This book outlined communistic ideas, such as shared land. Later in 1516 C.E, Sir Thomas More published Utopia, which had many communistic ideas, shared land, shared food, everyone worked for the common good, etc.

In the mid-17th century, a group of people

It said "[t]he history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles," (12) and gave the way to fix it. The only issues with the system were the upper class didn't want to have an equal status with the poor, and the manifesto said that the only way to put in place a communist system would be through a violent revolution. This system outlined by the Communist Manifesto has become known as

Another type of communism called anarcho-communism has existed for a long time. The diggers mentioned earlier were an example of this system. Anarcho-communism is communism that has no government system. The people control themselves and work for the good of the community by their own morals, not by governmental control or out of fear of a police force.

The polar opposite of communism is capitalism. Capitalism is the system in which everything is privately owned, and can be bought or sold for profit. Capitalism makes people strive for a higher profit, often at another's expensive. For instance, an employer may decide that you are a waste of money and fire you, even if that job is your only source of income. In a capitalist system, without money, you cannot purchase food, water, or even a house, making it almost certain that you will die.

Unlike capitalism, communism doesn't have room for greed. There are no social or economic classes, therefore, there is no need to risk others' well-being for upward mobility. However, there is an upward mobility for one's country, allowing for a communal motivation. This motivation may not be enough for everyone, but those people can be motivated in other ways. Ways to motivate people who will not work for the common good could include not giving them unnecessary commodities, such as