Communism

Communism

Communism is the ideology of a classless society in which all people are equal and all people are subject to the same rights and opportunities. Karl Marx could arguably be the first philosopher to ideate a truly communal society. The idea, itself, has been around since Greek philosophers such as Plato, as he puts forth a very socialist ideology in his Republic. Communism was never truly attempted until the formation of Soviet Union under Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, more commonly known as Lenin. A truly communist state has never been attained, and this could either be due to the leaders who imposed communism or because of the people it was imposed upon. Thus, the argument is; can communism be attained or is it against human nature?
Marx famously stated that, “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles”. Throughout every civilization, there is always people being oppressed and subsequently people oppressing. This division in classes, Marx thought, is the major flaw in society and the dissolution of the classes would lead to a perfect or utopian world. Marx believed that this transition into communism would occur from a natural revolution of the proletariat, or working class. Once the revolution was complete, everyone would be equal and there would be a transitional period. In this time people would be educated about the communist ideology, and after a period of time, the state would relinquish their central power. After this happens, everyone lives in a completely communal society, where there is no crime, money, or division of classes. Everything is ‘perfect’.
The problem with Marx’s philosophy lies in the time of transition from one way of life to another. Marx states that there is always one class benefitting and one being oppressed. In this time, the working class largely benefits, while the wealthy are the only ones to really lose. People cannot be expected to idly let all their property be taken away. The only...