What is Communism?

[Abood]

Most people think that Communism is an authoritarian ideology that believes in oppressing the people and nationalizing all the means of production and forcing the rich to hand in products to make everyone equal. This is a misunderstanding and is the result of countries such as the USSR and such. That, in fact, is called socialism and is the stage between capitalism and communism.

Communism is the public ownership of the means of production (i.e. owned by everyone and NOT by the government). It is total equality, with no classes and no one better off than another. That is unfair, anti-communists say, because people who work harder deserve more money. My fellow comrades (or potential comrades), in a factory, who works harder, has a more dangerous job and produces the product? Isn't it the workers? The proletarians? Aren't the workers the ones who produce the product, who are much more likely going to be injured and possibly dead in their job? Don't they deserve to be equal, if not, better than the owner of the business, who all he does is paper work and office stuff.

An argument by capitalists is: Without the entrepreneur of the business, the business would not exist. Well, same with the workers - without the workers, there would be no product to sell, therefore no profit made, and the business would go bankrupt.
Therefore, the workers need much more pay than they actually get, since the business revolves around them, and without them it wouldn't exist.

What has the USA done to the world and why?
As we have seen in Latin America, during the time of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and before, the USA has battled against freedom of the Latin Americans and tried their best to keep them under the indirect control of the USA by choosing which president to be put, such as the coup d'état organized by the CIA to put Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán as president of Guatemala. The CIA also opened a file to track down Che Guevara in Bolivia while he was with his guerilla army and captured him.

But WHY?! Is the question I ask myself. WHY!? I am sure many people ask themselves the same question. The answer is as follows, which is mostly my own theory: The USA has always kept control of the third world countries and exploited them and made sure that they remain poor so that they do not have any other choice than to work for very low wages set by multi-national American companies. This is because there is a minimum wage in the USA that most businesses are not willing to pay their workers, so they move to countries that have no minimum wage and no worker protection laws and give them bad conditions and very low wage in order to keep profit as maximum as possible.

Ernesto Guevara had a dream, which is to unite Latin America as one free nation. This dream meant that Latin America will be much stronger and more powerful and will therefore have a better life for its citizens, so they do not need to work for America. Obviously, that means American companies have to employ American workers and pay them higher wages (due to the American minimum wage) and give them a better working environment (due to the workers' protection laws), and therefore the businesses would make much less profit. So the CIA decided to go there and hunt Che down so that Latin America remains weak and under the control of the USA.

In Communism, there is no monetary economy and the means of production is owned by everyone. "How would that work?" Many people ask. Well, first of all, a revolution is needed to overthrow the capitalistic and fascist regimes all around the world. Those regimes have always damaged the image of communism and connected it to National Socialism (Nazism). This is because they know it will give the workers consciousness and cause them to revolt against the government. A revolutionary army will overthrow the governments with the aid of the workers of the world and install governments which nationalize all the means of production and distribute equality to the people by oppressing the oppressors (the bourgeosie, i.e. rich class) and making them pay high taxes. When there is enough class consciousness among the proletarians (workers) and the bourgeiosie class is abolished, the government will decentralize and the workers will take control, known as "dictatorship of the proletariat". This is total democracy, as instead of having representatives elected by the people who could change their views and beliefs after they have been elected and do not need to consult the people everytime they make a decision (which is what is happening today), the workers themselves make the decisions and rule, and therefore, everyone's voice is heard.

When there is total democracy, and no government, everyone would own everying and therefore there is no need to work, as you do not need to pay to get what you want. Capitalists say that this will cause the economy to fall and people would be lazy and the person who works will be treated the same as the person who doesn't, but they have missed a point. The point is that, when no one works because they need the money, they will work because they have to. For instance, who will wash the dishes? Who will drive the car? Who will produce the products? Who will educate the children?
The answer for all those questions is, that people will realize that they need to work in order to live, so they work because they need to. Then, people will start to realize that everyone is doing everything, and there is no specialization, so they start to specialize in what they do best and their products are benefited by everyone, as they are all for free, since they do not need money to buy any products, as they are all free.

In conclusion, for communism to take place, there need to be a revolution to overthrow the governments, install a socialist government, then, when it is the right time, it will decentralize and give power to the workers, who will produce everything for free, since they do not need money, as everything is free.

THAT is communism!

[Seong]

Do you think if we showed this to Yinyang he'd actually read it?
Great job on the article

[Tekun]

Brother, I think ya covered a good amount of communism
However, there are some errors and misunderstandings throughout the prompt - from what I read

First: the US directed coup in 1954, overthrew the government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman, and it replaced him with Carlos Castillo Armas, a military dissident
Big difference, kuz IMO Guzman was a great man, sorta like a present day Chavez

Second: a highly doubt that a revolutionary army/gov would enact or impose high paying taxes against the high class, rather they would take away their lands, means of production, and rule therefore distributing it throughout society
Taxes would be enacted at some point, but all taxes would be equal, therefore creating equality and dissolving governmental preference

Otherwise, nice article

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

What is Communism?

Without a doubt, you’ve probably heard about communism. And, also without a doubt, you’ve probably heard all sorts of horror stories about it — from your teachers, from the media, from politicians, even from your church pastor or preacher.

They tried to scare you. They want to keep you from finding out for yourself. If you asked one authority figure for a second opinion, they usually told you to ask another authority figure. And if that didn’t satisfy you, then they told you to read the history books they wrote for you.
Do you see a pattern here? The one person they will never tell you to talk to, however, is a communist. Why? Because a communist might go “off script” and tell you something they don’t want you to hear.

So, what is communism? Well, there is communism, the theory, and communism, the society. Let’s first deal with communism, the society.
To begin with, communism is a society without bosses or servants, without superiors or subordinates, without masters or slaves — in short, communism is a society without classes and the stress, conflict and antagonisms that go with the existence of classes. Contrary to the history they teach you, classes are a relatively new thing in the human experience, having been around for only about 25,000 of the last 50 million years of human existence.

“But,” someone might say, “there are a lot more people alive today than there were back then.” That’s true. What’s also true is that we are smarter, more conscious of our world and more technologically advanced than our ancestors. We really don’t need someone standing over us, telling us what to do and when to do it. If necessary, we can work that out together, in common.

Because it is a society without classes, communism is also a society where all aspects of society are developed and administered in common. That means not only the political system, but the economy, culture and social relations too. Can you imagine, having an equal voice, along with your co-workers, in deciding how conditions at your job would be determined? Or, having a say, along with your neighbors, in shaping how the city’s budget will be spent?

Democracy is a key element in the development of communism — but not the stale, formal “democracy” we are taught about in school; we are talking about democracy as a practice, a real-world tool that works for those who work.

As well, communism is a society without a state. Now, when we talk about a “state,” we are not talking about councils and assemblies that debate issues and adopt policy. When we say “state,” we mean the armed organizations that enforce “order” (the rulers’ “order,” that is), like the police and military.

“No police?!” Yes, no police. What are the police really for? Well, when you live in a society where goods and services are restricted to a few, you end up with the many in need. When you have so many in need, you need to maintain order. However, if you live in a society where the needs of everyone in society are met, what need is there for police? If everyone’s basic needs — good food, decent housing, worthwhile education, etc. — are met, what basis is there for most of the crime in society?
Sure, there may be times here and there that may require some kind of investigation or enforcement unit, but those times would be relatively few and far between, and could easily be handled as they come up.

It is also the case that communism is a society without money. “Without money?!” Yes, without money. Why does money exist? Basically, it was invented so that one group of owners wouldn’t get screwed by another set of owners. But, if you have a society where the factories and workplaces are owned in common, and we can sit down and plan out three months, six months or even a year in advance what we have to produce to provide all that we need, what point is there to having money?

Also, if we’re all working together to produce what we need and administer our own affairs, we can cut out a lot of things we don’t need. For example, we don’t need all those layers of managers and officials that we pay (through our labor and the profits it creates) to tell us to work harder. Similarly, we don’t need all of those professional politicians and bureaucrats in the government who do everything they can to convince us that our future should be in the hands of “professionals” who have no clue what we deal with on a daily basis. For that matter, we don’t need all those worthless professions that exist only because we live in a profit-driven society, like advertising, marketing, business management, etc. The resources poured into those jobs can be put to better use.

And we can do all of this while working less and enjoying life more. Because a communist society produces for our needs and well-being, and not for creating more profits for the bosses, we can reduce the amount of working time each of us has to do. For that matter, depending on how well we can use technology to our advantage, we have the ability to calculate how much working time each of us will have to do in our lives in order to provide for all our needs throughout our lives.

Think of it! Retiring at age 40 and not having to worry about where your next meal is coming from, because you’ve already put in your share for society! Think of what you can do with all that time! If you wanted, you could go back to school and become a doctor, or learn how to paint or sculpt, or see the world. For that matter, you could spend your summers in moderate weather and your winters in warm areas. Why should the birds be the only ones with the sense to migrate when the weather changes?

Finally, we should point out that communism is a world system and society. We live in a world that is more and more unified by economics, culture and our own common interests. Communism looks to bring all of those who work for their living together in a common struggle to liberate ourselves from this rotten system. But, unlike those who call themselves “boss” and want to control the world, communism looks to join the people of the world together as brothers and sisters to build a better future for ourselves and our children.

So, does this sound like something you’d like to see? Well, that brings us to communism, the theory ... and the movement. Communism doesn’t come about without the help of all of you. Because we have to sweep away a lot of garbage from this sick society, we need the help of millions to make it happen. “I get all of that,” you might say, “but no one else will go for it.” Really? Ask your friends, your neighbors and your co-workers what they think about what we say above. Chances are they would like to see this kind of new society, too.

How you choose to get involved is up to you, of course. There are all sorts of ways to help bring this society about. If you’re not sure of what you can do, ask one of us. We can sit down and talk about what’s possible. The important thing is that you get involved somehow. That’s what communism is about: being an active part of creating your own future. Represent yourself! Join the fight for a communist future!

[loveme4whoiam]

Nice, I like them both. SA's is good at getting across the theory, CDL's shows what the theory in practice will be like. Two excellent outlines, and I'm sure that if I gave them out to people I'd get people thinking. Nice

EDIT: *Chuckle* I just realised you swiped that from the FPM website CDL :P Meh, what the hell - its still a great opener, especially if given out pamphlet-style.

[matiasm]

nice summary compañero.

But one thing i found which was abit of a contradiction to communism, you said that in communism everyone is equal, (keyword is "Everyone") so when you say;

quote your article--&#62; "A revolutionary army will overthrow the governments with the aid of the workers of the world and install governments which nationalize all the means of production and distribute equality to the people by oppressing the oppressors (the bourgeosie, i.e. rich class) and making them pay high taxes" <--end quote

that is contradictionary to the belief of communism as equality. i think land owner, bourgeosie, etc would loose some of there land and hand out the rest equallly to the people therefore letting the boureosie keep some land and give some out in equal distribution,but taxes would be the same for all, no higher or less for anyone.

[Abood]

By highly taxing the rich people, equality will be reached&#33; That&#39;s because the rich are, obviously, richer than the poor. So, we get more money out of the rich so that the poor can benefit, and eventually the poor will be richer... and reach the level of the rich...
So, then, there will be no classes.

[drain.you]

By highly taxing the rich people, equality will be reached&#33; That&#39;s because the rich are, obviously, richer than the poor. So, we get more money out of the rich so that the poor can benefit, and eventually the poor will be richer... and reach the level of the rich...
So, then, there will be no classes.

Yeah I agree but careful saying that round here or you&#39;ll be labelled a reformist reactionary dawg&#33; :P lol.

[Gunman]

Originally posted by Socialist Advocate@Feb 26 2006, 06:16 PM
By highly taxing the rich people, equality will be reached&#33; That&#39;s because the rich are, obviously, richer than the poor. So, we get more money out of the rich so that the poor can benefit, and eventually the poor will be richer... and reach the level of the rich...
So, then, there will be no classes.

But unfortunately, there´s a thing called tax evasion that several companies do by creating "muppet companies" in the so called "fiscal paradises".

[Abood]

Yeah I agree but careful saying that round here or you&#39;ll be labelled a reformist reactionary dawg&#33;

I didn&#39;t make that up, it&#39;s what Marx stated in the manifesto

Communist Manifesto:

Of course, in the beginning, this cannot be effected except by means of despotic inroads on the rights of property, and on the conditions of bourgeois production; by means of measures, therefore, which appear economically insufficient and untenable, but which, in the course of the movement, outstrip themselves, necessitate further inroads upon the old social order, and are unavoidable as a means of entirely revolutionizing the mode of production.

These measures will, of course, be different in different countries.

Nevertheless, in most advanced countries, the following will be pretty generally applicable.

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

The Communist Manifesto

But unfortunately, there´s a thing called tax evasion that several companies do by creating "muppet companies" in the so called "fiscal paradises".

But fortunately, there will be no corporations/multi-national companies since all the workers will have revolted and left their jobs.

[Lord Testicles]

Originally posted by loveme4whoiam@Feb 16 2006, 01:16 AM
Nice, I like them both. SA&#39;s is good at getting across the theory, CDL&#39;s shows what the theory in practice will be like. Two excellent outlines, and I&#39;m sure that if I gave them out to people I&#39;d get people thinking. Nice

EDIT: *Chuckle* I just realised you swiped that from the FPM website CDL :P Meh, what the hell - its still a great opener, especially if given out pamphlet-style.

I think we should try and make it into a printable pamphlet, whats everyone elses view on this?

[loveme4whoiam]

Indeed, that&#39;d be cool, I lack the creative talents to do that for myself. The prole.info one would be great if the creator lets you use it (can&#39;t see why he/she/they wouldn&#39;t). I&#39;ve printed out the FPM&#39;s one at home and simplified it a bit to give to my friends, but a proper pamphlet printable would be great

[Lord Testicles]

Originally posted by loveme4whoiam@Mar 2 2006, 05:47 PM
Indeed, that&#39;d be cool, I lack the creative talents to do that for myself. The prole.info one would be great if the creator lets you use it (can&#39;t see why he/she/they wouldn&#39;t). I&#39;ve printed out the FPM&#39;s one at home and simplified it a bit to give to my friends, but a proper pamphlet printable would be great

I&#39;d like to but i dont have the know how.