Questions about Communism

[TheCommunistManifestor]

I have some questions about communism.

1. How will the different factions of the Left join together and start the revolution if they are so different in their visions of government?

2. What will stop corrupt politicians from corrupting the distribution of land and goods?

3. How will technology be driven forward if competition is limited because there are only goods made from one source?

4. How will the revolution overthrow the wealthy if the wealthy can easily hire mercenaries and/or buy off rebels?

5. If there is a anarchist system of government (or lack thereof) then how will a possible counterrevolution be put down?

[RedWorker]

1. How will the different factions of the Left join together and start the revolution if they are so different in their visions of government?

People have one goal: socialism or communism. Workers/people will just take over everything and run it their way.


2. What will stop corrupt politicians from corrupting the distribution of land and goods?

There'll be no government under communism. Under socialism with a state (if these are compatible - some viewpoints hold that they are not), it would be as democratic as possible to avoid such things.


3. How will technology be driven forward if competition is limited because there are only goods made from one source?

"From one source" means what? There will be no state under communism. There would be several associations of people, not only one. Competition is only one factor which fuels innovation, people aren't driven entirely by profit. There will be nothing which will stop someone from inventing whatever he wants under communism.


4. How will the revolution overthrow the wealthy if the wealthy can easily hire mercenaries and/or buy off rebels?

Sheer outnumbering.


5. If there is a anarchist system of government (or lack thereof) then how will a possible counterrevolution be put down?

If somebody tries to set up a capitalist business under his own monetary system in a communist society, then why would any customer go there, when he can obtain products for free under free-access communism? Why would any worker work there, to be exploited? Why would the money system used by that capitalist have any value? etc...

[tuwix]

I have some questions about communism.

1. How will the different factions of the Left join together and start the revolution if they are so different in their visions of government?


It isn't necessary. Capitalism will collapse due to own crisis.



2. What will stop corrupt politicians from corrupting the distribution of land and goods?


Lack of money and power. The process of finishing of money will have to last some time, but lack of power for politicians can be obtained by direct democracy instantly.



3. How will technology be driven forward if competition is limited because there are only goods made from one source?


First of all, who has said that all goods are to be made form only one source. Different cooperatives can do many different goods.
Secondly, even when money will cease to exist, then technology will be driven in the exact way as Open Source product (especially software) are motivated. People engaged in that are doing many thing without any maney at all.



4. How will the revolution overthrow the wealthy if the wealthy can easily hire mercenaries and/or buy off rebels?


To buy off billions people? It would be very expensive, And wealthy are very greedy. And number of mercenaries to buy is less than total number of people.
They are outnumbered.



5. If there is a anarchist system of government (or lack thereof) then how will a possible counterrevolution be put down?

An "anarchist system of government" is an oxymoron. Anarchy means lack of government. But counterrevolution can be put down by will of people expressed in direct democracy. People should be convinced by eternal evidence given by sufficient propaganda that private property is a curse of humanity and that humanity should never allow to happen it again.

[Brosa Luxemburg]

I have some questions about communism.

1. How will the different factions of the Left join together and start the revolution if they are so different in their visions of government?

They won't. Certain sections will, but there are vast ideological differences between tendencies and people that cannot come to reconciliation. For example, really the only Stalinist group I could ever see myself working with would be the Progressive Labor Party. The differences are just too vast, vast enough I would consider them "to the left of capital" as some say but not as having a genuine revolutionary proletarian program.

Plus, the revolution isn't created by tendencies of the left. It's created by the proletariat as a class.


2. What will stop corrupt politicians from corrupting the distribution of land and goods?

Under communism, by completely removing the material conditions for corruption. (No money means you can't buy politicians off. No private property means you can't exploit another person). Under the dictatorship of the proletariat (the stage between capitalism and communism where the proletariat as a class have overthrown the bourgeois state and it's functioning and replaced it with their own state with their direct participation) this would be accomplished by putting all power in the hands of the working class and their organs of class rule (councils, the vanguard party, unions, factory committees, etc.).


3. How will technology be driven forward if competition is limited because there are only goods made from one source?

Goods will not be from "one source" and this is a misunderstanding of what communism is. Competition has not always driven technology forward and there are great examples of it actually hindering technological development. People do not only do things based on competition. Anyone will work hard at something they are passionate about.


4. How will the revolution overthrow the wealthy if the wealthy can easily hire mercenaries and/or buy off rebels?

Principled revolutionaries wouldn't be bought out and, if a popular revolution, "buying off" would be pointless, useless, and ineffective on the part of the bourgeoisie.

We overthrow capitalism by attacking the system at it's Achilles heel: profit. The state has unmanned drones and nuclear bombs. There will not be an violent takeover of the capital like classic revolutions. It will take the form more of a radical general strike (where people don't go to work, steal en masse from stores what they need, go to the streets to show their anger, etc). I'm not opposed to violence on the part of the oppressed against their oppressors, but it can't be a generalized strategy anymore in the United States or most industrialized countries.


5. If there is a anarchist system of government (or lack thereof) then how will a possible counterrevolution be put down?

The proletariat will use effective and well-structured organized violence, which they will gain after overthrowing the bourgeois state and establishing their rule. Arms should be given to all pro-revolutionary and proletarian forces at all levels of society and should be in the full hands the proletarian power to weed out all violent confrontation to overthrow worker rule.

[Brosa Luxemburg]

But counterrevolution can be put down by will of people expressed in direct democracy. People should be convinced by eternal evidence given by sufficient propaganda that private property is a curse of humanity and that humanity should never allow to happen it again.

This isn't always the case. Counterrevolution can take place very violently against successful revolution. Direct democracy doesn't have some magical power to stop foreign capitalist nation-states to invade to put down the revolution and old members of the overthrown classes coming together and forming violent opposition, as the Bolshevik revolution is a case study of. In a situation like that, the proletariat needs to defend its rule with violent confrontation with a violent enemy, and crush it. There's nothing wrong with convincing people, but violence will necessary against organized and violent counter-revolutionaries.

[exeexe]

1. How will the different factions of the Left join together and start the revolution if they are so different in their visions of government?

One faction or maybe two factions will join together and will grow lager than the rest and those faction(s) will be those who are guiding the revolution


2. What will stop corrupt politicians from corrupting the distribution of land and goods
The work the politicians do and the work the workers will do will come from the same persons. So whatever horrible conditions the politicians will put on the workers they will also put on themselves

A classless society means there should be no capitalism but also that there shouldnt be any class divisions between workers and politicians


3. How will technology be driven forward if competition is limited because there are only goods made from one source?
If there is a strong enough need and want to develop some kind of technology people will automatically pull together some resources and begin researching


4. How will the revolution overthrow the wealthy if the wealthy can easily hire mercenaries and/or buy off rebels?
To be able to buy something doesnt make sense during a propper revolution. So you give some money to mercenaries but what should they do with the moneys? Money only work when the workers are obediently working


5. If there is a anarchist system of government (or lack thereof) then how will a possible counterrevolution be put down?You lurk them in then you attack from all directions like what happened in Stalingrad. Look what happened in Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam. A capitalist army controlled by a statedemocracy is inferior against a determined people who fight for their independence.
WOVEy1tC7nk

[Lowtech]

I have some questions about communism.

1. How will the different factions of the Left join together and start the revolution if they are so different in their visions of government?

this is a problem. probably as big a conundrum as the question itself of what kind of government should be formed. i feel the factions should form prior to revolution, a consensus on the standard protocol regarding how resources will be utilized, what skill sets will be required, how laws would be established and enforced. if we leave it up to the interim government, we may simply be putting ourselves back where we started.


2. What will stop corrupt politicians from corrupting the distribution of land and goods?

with the elimination of the notion of capital (where capital doesn't exist until you deny people a needed resource so that you can contract them to work for you in exchange for that resource), there would be no collective socio-economic entity (oligarchy) attempting to undermine social structures.


3. How will technology be driven forward if competition is limited because there are only goods made from one source?

competition doesn't shape current economics anyway. the reason we have and develop technology is to better our own and each other's lives. the oligarchy artificially re-organizes that innate skill of humans in the pursuit of market efficiency. which of course market efficiency is how well owners of capital derive surplus value within a market environment. however owners of capital are not farmers selling excess grain, rather they sell above production cost and devalue labor. or simply: owners of capital derive surplus value via artificial scarcity.

all goods come from one source today: owners of capital. they might pick and choose a couple designs of chairs and then put them on the shelf for us to choose, although all choices provide surplus value to the owners of capital. so they get surplus value and we get the illusion of free choice. as others have pointed out, once production is open sourced, then innovation is unleashed in it's full capacity.



4. How will the revolution overthrow the wealthy if the wealthy can easily hire mercenaries and/or buy off rebels?

the wealthy do not produce value, so their sole source of power is in their ability to economically subjugate the masses. once the workers are no longer denied needed resources, they will no longer be tied to owners of capital, and without workers to subjugate, owners of capital have nothing.


5. If there is a anarchist system of government (or lack thereof) then how will a possible counterrevolution be put down?

this is a very poorly asked question. what would conter-revolutionaries be countering? without artificial scarcity, less work hours are necessary to duplicate current productivity levels, cities will be train centric versus car centric. medical care will be afforded to all. no one on the planet will live in third world conditions. do you really believe anyone would want to come back to this other than the 1%?