Is Communism Good or Bad?

Started in Russian in around 1917 during the Bolshevik Revolution and since has spread far and wide creating widespread fear, Communism is something that can be seen as a very controversial subject. There are very different arguments debating the usefulness of Communism in itself, some of the main one’s I will try to cover here.

So let’s start with the basics – what is Communism? Communism in itself is just a political system and a ideology that is classified as the far right wing. In an ideal Communist state, everyone is equal, everyone works hard, no-one disobeys the laws set out by the government and goods and services produced are distributed equally amongst everyone in the state.

Now, just from first glance an ideal Communist state seems just like an ideal world. The bits that appeals to most people is the promise of hierarchal equality and well as their economic equality. Poor people can still get a fair share of food and the necessities of life even when they are born into a hard-working peasant family, as well as nor more fear of being oppressed by people further up in status to themselves.

In truth, many people believe that, on paper, a ideal communist state IS the ideal state. The main problem arises when you put in human nature into the whole pot.

Let’s start with hierarchal equivalence. When one reaches the very top of a communist party and then their whole country, how are they supposed to not become corrupt? The main problem is that being the head of the totalitarian state means you can get special privileges where no-one else can, as your word would be law. The main ideal of social equivalence would have been obliterated just there and then. The few leaders would have a huge monetary and power advantage over the lower classed people.

The next problem arises when a leader is faced with opposition. Being humans, we cannot help but be envious and jealous of the people with higher standards than us when we can see it, and because of that, many people start to find flaws in the leaders characters or policies, anything that can make themselves seem a better leader than the current head. The head of state, enjoying his privileges, is hardly going to allow another to ascend to his spot. So how is he supposed to deal with opposition? Torture, murder, fear, propaganda, as well as a cult-of-personality where they are shown as a semi-divine leader.