Communism

1
Communism

• An Intellectual History and Framework

2
What is Marxism?

• All too often discredited, but the way in which
  it makes us think and analyze things is still
  essential.
• As an economist Marx was and is kind of an idiot,
  his economic system has basically failed, BUT as
  a sociologist and as a political scientist he
  still has a lot of really important insights and
  observations.
• The problems may be more the applications of
  Marxism, by Lenin-Stalin-Mao. Marxism, to some
  extent, has never really been tried.

3
Basic Structures

• Like all systems, there are differences between
  various communist states, but all have some
  essential characteristics
• A party-state, fusion of party and state
  apparatus, and what really matters is your
  position in the party. The state institutions
  are mostly just rubber stamps.
• Command economy, the government directs most
  economic decisions. Typically run by five year
  plans.
• An absence of independent political points of
  power, including business, interest groups, other
  parties, etc.
• A more significant role for the military than we
  are used to discussing in the liberal
  democracies.
• Cults of personality for the leadership,
  especially early ones.

4
Socialism

• As industrialization spread, many intellectuals
  worried about the ramifications.
• Its easy to be dismissive, but the world really
  was horrible for a lot of workers, and there was
  rising level of inequality, bodily harm, social
  changes, etc.
• Socialists believe that we arent really free
  unless we have some guarantees about positive
  rights like health, food, etc.
• Also concerned that most things that really
  affect us like work and corporations are not
  democratic.

5
Marxism

• From each according to his ability, to each
  according to his need.
• The Communist Manifesto, Das Kapital
• Marx believed in the dialectic, that societies
  change in fundamental ways through a wrenching
  process, not usually incremental change. This
  change was driven by historical materialism, or
  the distribution of economic power among and
  between classes.
• Fedualism Bourgeoisie Capitalism - ???
• Ruling class has to exploit others, workers never
  receive what they really deserve due to the need
  for profit.
• The state and the military help control the
  populace for the ruling class.
• Contradictions can only be resolved through
  revolution, and so it would come to be at first a
  dictatorship of the proletariat that would shut
  down the old structures and begin to rearrange
  society according to Marx and the means of
  production returned to the people.
• After this communism occurs and people will live
  in peaceful bliss and stop exploiting each other.
  The state goes away as it is no longer needed.

6
Ignore the bottom part (whack) but top is good
7
Whoopsie

• Marx thought his revolution would occur in rich,
  developed, industrial countries.
• They more often occurred in agrarian, developing
  countries instead.
• Lenin Democratic Centralism, need an elite to
  run the show, hierarchical organization adopted
  by most Marxist countries

8
Stalinism

• Provided a lot of hope initially, positive growth
  for a long time.
• Hauss Thumbs v Fingers idea.
• Beat Nazis, spread rapidly after WW2, seemed to
  be winning the day.

9
Expansion and decline

• Communists had a missionary zeal, commintern
  international movement.
• Nomenklatura, key elite and bureaucrats in a
  communist state.
• Eventually the elite grow old, system always
  produced elderly leaders wary of reform and
  change. Was probably the biggest problem with
  Communism, how do you adjust.

10
Reform Attempts

• USSR perestroika, glasnost
• PRC invite foreign talent, capital and business
  in to special economic zones, watch as spillovers
  occur.
• China successful, largely due to different
  economic structures, less industrial but will it
  weather the next major economic upheaval? I have
  my doubts.

11
1989

• Eastern Europe never as solid as it would appear,
  uprisings in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
  Solidarity in Poland, movements in Baltics too.
• Small opening in Hungary leads to downfall of
  Berlin Wall in DDR.
• Tiananmen Square uprising, China more willing to
  use force.
• USSR ends its satellites, eventually dissolves.