Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, inspired by Victor d'Hupay (a French philosopher and founder of early communism), wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848, intending to fuel a society with a liberated working class and complete equality between all people. Nearly 70 years later, Vladimir Lenin used the principals found in The Communist Manifesto to overthrow the Tzar and bourgeoisie and turn the U.S.S.R. into a communist superpower. While Communism may have worked for a time, the easily corruptible and paranoia-causing position of Soviet dictator caused the leader after Lenin, Joseph Stalin, to create a totalitarian state, rather an a communist one. The U.S.S.R. became a country with extremely depleted resources, an unstable economy, and a hierarchical …show more content…
In his speech, the 144 times Khrushchev talks about Vladimir Lenin or Leninism, it is always about his the communist ideology, a positive way Lenin ruled, or a negative quote Lenin said about Stalin having power. In the beginning of his speech he reminds the audience about their feelings toward Lenin and his ability to rule: “The great modesty of the genius of the Revolution, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, is known. Lenin always stressed the role of the people”, “Lenin never imposed his views upon his co-workers by force.”, “Lenin resolutely stood against every attempt aimed at belittling or weakening the directing role of the Party”. These quotes emphasize to the audience how Vladimir Lenin was a true communist who believed in equality, liberation, and classlessness; but, they were also used because Khrushchev understood how highly his audience thought of Lenin. His audience’s thoughts about Lenin, combined with repeating and stressing his name near positive words, creates positive memories of a better time and a sense of patriotism for the communist party and communist ideology. This is important because it catches the audience’s attention, making them want to …show more content…
Khrushchev briefly mentions how Stalin thought about himself in the beginning of his speech in a neither positive or negative way before speaking inspiring words about Lenin. He simply reminds the audience that they saw Stalin as a godlike figure and Stalin encouraged this behavior. While being a godlike leader is the opposite of being a communist leader, Khrushchev doesn’t put a negative or positive spin on it, which effectively places Stalin in his speech before praising Lenin for doing the exact opposite. This helps Stalin’s name not seem out of place when he brings him back up to demolish the Stalin legacy and helps Khrushchev distance himself from Stalin because not everything was a criticism, making him seem like an unbiased third-party. When Khrushchev finally brings up de-Stalinizing the U.S.S.R. and the communist party, he does so by explaining the “glaring violations of revolutionary legality” (Khrushchev) when Stalin had his followers and high-ranking party members purged. He also explained the “grave perversions of party principles” (Khrushchev), the ways he destroyed the economy, and his dangerous mistakes of military tactics in World War II. He listed several specific examples of ways he personally witnessed Stalin order terrible military and economic plans and
In The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the two German philosophers saw history as the struggle between the working class and the Bourgeois, or middle class (textbook 708). The Communist Manifesto was written in 1848, during the peak of the Industrial Revolution, a time when the Bourgeois made huge profits in manufacturing at the expense of the working class. According to Marx and Engels, the fruits of the Industrial Revolution created a new class of the oppressed modern working class, the Proletariat, which had never before existed because it was neither like serfdom or slave hood in that it was dependent on the Bourgeois to hire them for wage labor. This was the class the two philosophers envisioned would set off a revolution that would overthrow capitalism to end the perpetual class struggle and create a fair society known as Communism.
In order to establish whether Lenin did, indeed lay the foundation for Stalinism, two questions need to be answered; what were Lenin’s plans for the future of Russia and what exactly gave rise to Stalinism? Official Soviet historians of the time at which Stalin was in power would have argued that each one answers the other. Similarly, Western historians saw Lenin as an important figure in the establishment of Stalin’s socialist state. This can be partly attributed to the prevailing current of pro-Stalin anti-Hitler sentiments amongst westerners until the outbreak of the cold war.
Both the Communist Manifesto and the United States Constitution share some common ideas. They are documents that strive for ideas that in opposition to one another. The Communist Manifesto and The Constitution of the United States both include what the relationship between an individual and society should be about. Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto. Marx and Engels talked about in the Communist Manifesto what they thought to be the way to solve the problems in the world during that time. Those problems dealt with society, but mainly the poor. They thought that people during those times were too dependent on money and how much of it they made. They wrote the manifesto in hopes to change society. The form of government they used to do this was by way of the Communist Party. "The Communists, therefore, are on the one hand, practically, the most advanced and resolute section of the working-class parties of every country"[i] Within the Communist Party everyone is equal, and all property belongs to the state.
One of the most well known countries in the world is Russia. Since the Paleolithic Period, Russia has faced misfortune and difficulties through its brutal leaders. Every change that has made this country more inclusive has been won with toil, tears, and blood. The year of 1879 was the beginning of another "great new chapter" (Flachmann p. 357) in Russia's history. It was the year two patrons of world domination were born. These patrons were Joseph Stalin, born Dzhugashvili, and Leon Trotsky, born Bronstein. They would soon become two of Russia's most important leaders who altered the world in many ways. Stalin and Trotsky were the same age, and both had once been members of the Russian Social Democratic Party. These two dedicated Communists shared similar viewpoints such as their commitment to the "unity of theory and practice" (McClellan p. 62) and both prospered on spreading Communism throughout the world. However, each had a unique childhood that gave them both special qualities, which influenced them to live different lives. The tension between Trotsky and Stalin worsened into a life-and-death fight as Lenin got sick and died. Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky were two committed communists who represented the strength of the Soviet Union during the early 20th Century.
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
There have been many dictators through out history that have shaped the way we look at them now. Sometimes it’s the way that dictators came to power that people judge them on. Sometimes it’s how long they stayed in power, but it’s not just how long they stayed in power. It’s what they did to stay in power. These two men are some of the most infamous dictators for those reasons alone. These men are Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro, and they played a huge part in shaping the way we look at dictators today.
Lenin made a series of policies throughout the beginning of the Revolution and through his short time in public office that came to be collectively known as ‘Leninism’. There were many things that influenced Leninism, such as Karl Marx. Lenin had read Karl Marx and his...
While Karl Marx didn’t invent communism, his creation of the Communist Manifesto and other pro communist works as well as his philosophies helped popularize communist governments. To this day Communism is still popularized by these works, and many conflicts America faces are caused by our relations with Communist countries. The Russian government had two separate revolutions that lead to a communist government and a country called the USSR. Mao Zedong following Marxist principles created the People's Republic of China under a Communist government. The struggle between communist countries and capitalist countries have caused economic social political and military conflict.
The Communist Manifesto, written in 1848, provided the views of Karl Marx on humans and nature. For the time in which the document was written, the ideas of Marx were very radical to society. The ongoing struggle between the Proletarians( the working class) and the Bourgeois( the owners) prompted Marx to develop a solution to this social problem. His solution to this historical problem was to create a capitalist nation, which in the end would result in a Communist nation. He wanted to help the social status of the working class, because he felt that they were being taken advantage of by the owners. The document also discusses the role of humans and their interaction with nature.
Joseph Stalin is a polarizing figure. Decades after his death his legacy still continues to create debate about his tumultuous years as the leader of the Soviet Union. This is evident throughout the four documents while some praise Stalin as impeccable others criticize his policies and lack of political, economic, and social progress during his regime. Even though Stalin was behind various violations of human rights he was able to maintain the Soviet Union during a time of turmoil both domestically and internationally as a result he has earned notoriety as a great leader and advocate for Marxist ideology.
Whether one thinks that the ideas of communism are good or bad, by taking a look a today’s society, we can certainly see the affect The Communist Manifesto and other books of its kind have had. Karl Marx’s ideas have shaped many programs and organizations to attempt following along the lines of equality.
At this time in history, mankind was moving forward very rapidly, but at the price of the working-class. Wages were given sparsely, and when capital gain improved, the money payed for labour did not reflect this prosperity. This, therefore, accelerated the downfall of the proletarians and progressed towards a justifiable revolt against the oppressive middle class. The conclusion of this revolt was envisioned to be a classless society, one in which its people benefit from and that benefits from its people. The overthrow of capitalism would create a socialist society eventually flourishing into communism. Karl Heinrich Marx (1818 - 1883) was the philosophical analysis who created communism and saw it as an achievable goal. Marx denounced religion and created what were thought to be radical ideas, which resulted in the banishment from his native land of Germany and then France, eventually ending up in England.
Khrushchev made a speech in February 1956, that brought Stalin’s crimes to light. He criticized Stalin for deporting his opponents and making himself better than the rest of society, and for having poor leadership during the war. His speech was supposed to be a “secret speech” and stay in the country. However, In June the U.S State Department put out his whole speech. This caused Khrushchev to try and bring back some of Stalin’s ideas.
According to most historians, “history is told by the victors”, which would explain why most people equate communism with Vladimir Lenin. He was the backbone of Russia’s communist revolution, and the first leader of history’s largest communist government. It is not known, or discussed by most, that Lenin made many reforms to the original ideals possessed by many communists during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He revised Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles’ theories to fit the so-called ‘backwardness’ of the Russian Empire. Lenin’s reforms were necessary to carry out a socialist revolution in Russia, and the contributions he made drastically changed the course of history. It can be assumed that, the Soviet Union would not have been as powerful if it was not for Lenin’s initial advocacy of violence and tight organization.
begin to build on a new foundation," - said Lenin in his speech on the