A Misleading Philosophy
By Kaitlyn
This writing is inspired by the exploration into Russian Literature and worldview, along with exploration into Communism.
In Harry S. Truman's inaugural address, he claimed, “Misled by this philosophy (Communism), many peoples have sacrificed their liberties only to learn to their sorrow that deceit and mockery, poverty and tyranny, are their reward.” In 1848, Communism was created to end Capitalism, and allow the common everyday people to become equals with the upper classes. However, this philosophy lead to the corruption of the people and their government which became obsessed with a lust for power and wealth. The Communist system didn’t provide individuals significant opportunities to thrive financially and therefore lead the common, everyday people to corruption.
When speaking about Communism, Reference.com stated, “Wealth is redistributed to bring members of the upper class down to a lower class, while bringing the poor up to the middle class. This idea of equality may sound appealing, but it does come at the cost of certain personal freedoms due to strong government control.” The redistribution of funds based on someone else’s opinions of needs leads to the miniscule amounts of opportunities for people to thrive in a Communist system. In fact, if you are working hardly for a living, or hardly working, all of your money is going to be picked over and collected like a vulture on roadkill so that you will never be able to truly get ahead in life. It prohibits you from building a foundation for your family and your future. In the Russian Literature piece, The Queen of Spades, the main character is consumed with a lust for money and power, so much so, that he murders an old defenseless woman in hopes of finally catching a break and getting ahead in society. The story is set long before the time of Communism but depicts how Russian’s, just like all of humanity, can succumb to the desires of greed and power. The book says,“ he could dream of nothing but cards, green tables, piles of banknotes and heaps of ducats.” Also, “Hermann went out of his mind, and is now confined in room Number 17 of the Obukhov Hospital.” This evidence that the people can be lead to corruption is so compelling because it has occurred even before Communism was incorporated into the government.
Stanford.edu stated, “Communism is often criticized for its inability to create a sustainable economic system where people have incentive to perform efficiently and act ethically in their work. The abolishment of private property is often cited as a major cause for laziness and corruption.”
According to Boundless.com, Communism, “theoretically, helps to raise labor productivity and advance a society in its development.” They also said, “People are equal. In a communist regime, people are treated equally in the eyes of the government regardless of education, financial standing, et cetera.” However, if this advance in society is at the cost of freedom, the ability to thrive, and even sanity, then is it worth it? Listverse.com stated, “Communist rule may be directly blamed for the deaths of at least eighty-five million people in the twentieth century. Stalin alone murdered about twenty million, although other estimates range from fifty-three million to eighty million.” This tragedy may seem harrowing, but even worse is the fact that this never would have happened if Stalin hadn’t become corrupt with his intense desire for power, control, and wealth.
Communism eradicates the significant opportunities for citizens to thrive. An article on 10 Reasons Why Communism Sucks claimed, “When there are no extra incentives available—such as in a Communist state, where all reap an equal share in what some have worked harder to sow—the people in difficult jobs quickly lose their motivation.” They also said, “They are also likely to grow bitter at the government for failing to give them recognition when they do a good job. Revolts become a distinct liability; many a Communist state has fallen because of this problem of reduced incentives.” This shows how a Communist system limits opportunities and promotes corruption within a society.
Boundless.com stated, “There are defined limitations for the amount a business can produce and how much money it can earn.” They also claimed, “Communism places strict rules as to how businesses operate in such a way that a classless society is born. No matter what field a business specializes in, the same amount of funds will be allocated to each, and each worker will receive the same amount of money. This can cause emotional unrest between workers who wish to be specially recognized for their work.”
Now some may say that Communism builds strong social communities and promotes equality of finances, but the accounts of this system in history have shown nothing but segregation and poverty. In John F. Kennedy’s speech in Berlin he claimed, “And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.” He wrote this speech in a time when Communism was behind the construction of the Berlin Wall that destroyed Berlin’s ability to financially thrive, separated families, and focused on extinguishing hope in order for this system to succeed.
Though many countries throughout history have incorporated Communism into their governments, none of them have thrived without detriment their economy and citizens. This system doesn’t supply the common everyday people significant opportunities to thrive financially and therefore leads them to corruption.
Bibliography
Source: Boundless. “The Benefits of Communism.” Boundless Business Boundless, 20 Sep. 2016. Retrieved 20 Feb. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/business/textbooks/boundless-business-textbook/economics-and-business-2/businesses-under-communist-systems-31/the-benefits-of-communism-166-7381/
Flamehorse. "10 Reasons Why Communism Sucks." Listverse. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. <http://listverse.com/2013/01/17/10-reasons-why-communism-sucks/>.
Source: Boundless. “The Disadvantages of Communism.” Boundless Business Boundless, 20 Sep. 2016. Retrieved 21 Feb. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/business/textbooks/boundless-business-textbook/economics-and-business-2/businesses-under-communist-systems-31/the-disadvantages-of-communism-167-559/
"Communism and Computer Ethics." Communism: Work Ethic and Motivation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. <https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/communism-computing-china/workethic.html>.
When speaking about Communism, Reference.com stated, “Wealth is redistributed to bring members of the upper class down to a lower class, while bringing the poor up to the middle class. This idea of equality may sound appealing, but it does come at the cost of certain personal freedoms due to strong government control.” The redistribution of funds based on someone else’s opinions of needs leads to the miniscule amounts of opportunities for people to thrive in a Communist system. In fact, if you are working hardly for a living, or hardly working, all of your money is going to be picked over and collected like a vulture on roadkill so that you will never be able to truly get ahead in life. It prohibits you from building a foundation for your family and your future. In the Russian Literature piece, The Queen of Spades, the main character is consumed with a lust for money and power, so much so, that he murders an old defenseless woman in hopes of finally catching a break and getting ahead in society. The story is set long before the time of Communism but depicts how Russian’s, just like all of humanity, can succumb to the desires of greed and power. The book says,“ he could dream of nothing but cards, green tables, piles of banknotes and heaps of ducats.” Also, “Hermann went out of his mind, and is now confined in room Number 17 of the Obukhov Hospital.” This evidence that the people can be lead to corruption is so compelling because it has occurred even before Communism was incorporated into the government.
Stanford.edu stated, “Communism is often criticized for its inability to create a sustainable economic system where people have incentive to perform efficiently and act ethically in their work. The abolishment of private property is often cited as a major cause for laziness and corruption.”
According to Boundless.com, Communism, “theoretically, helps to raise labor productivity and advance a society in its development.” They also said, “People are equal. In a communist regime, people are treated equally in the eyes of the government regardless of education, financial standing, et cetera.” However, if this advance in society is at the cost of freedom, the ability to thrive, and even sanity, then is it worth it? Listverse.com stated, “Communist rule may be directly blamed for the deaths of at least eighty-five million people in the twentieth century. Stalin alone murdered about twenty million, although other estimates range from fifty-three million to eighty million.” This tragedy may seem harrowing, but even worse is the fact that this never would have happened if Stalin hadn’t become corrupt with his intense desire for power, control, and wealth.
Communism eradicates the significant opportunities for citizens to thrive. An article on 10 Reasons Why Communism Sucks claimed, “When there are no extra incentives available—such as in a Communist state, where all reap an equal share in what some have worked harder to sow—the people in difficult jobs quickly lose their motivation.” They also said, “They are also likely to grow bitter at the government for failing to give them recognition when they do a good job. Revolts become a distinct liability; many a Communist state has fallen because of this problem of reduced incentives.” This shows how a Communist system limits opportunities and promotes corruption within a society.
Boundless.com stated, “There are defined limitations for the amount a business can produce and how much money it can earn.” They also claimed, “Communism places strict rules as to how businesses operate in such a way that a classless society is born. No matter what field a business specializes in, the same amount of funds will be allocated to each, and each worker will receive the same amount of money. This can cause emotional unrest between workers who wish to be specially recognized for their work.”
Now some may say that Communism builds strong social communities and promotes equality of finances, but the accounts of this system in history have shown nothing but segregation and poverty. In John F. Kennedy’s speech in Berlin he claimed, “And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.” He wrote this speech in a time when Communism was behind the construction of the Berlin Wall that destroyed Berlin’s ability to financially thrive, separated families, and focused on extinguishing hope in order for this system to succeed.
Though many countries throughout history have incorporated Communism into their governments, none of them have thrived without detriment their economy and citizens. This system doesn’t supply the common everyday people significant opportunities to thrive financially and therefore leads them to corruption.
Bibliography
Source: Boundless. “The Benefits of Communism.” Boundless Business Boundless, 20 Sep. 2016. Retrieved 20 Feb. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/business/textbooks/boundless-business-textbook/economics-and-business-2/businesses-under-communist-systems-31/the-benefits-of-communism-166-7381/
Flamehorse. "10 Reasons Why Communism Sucks." Listverse. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2017. <http://listverse.com/2013/01/17/10-reasons-why-communism-sucks/>.
Source: Boundless. “The Disadvantages of Communism.” Boundless Business Boundless, 20 Sep. 2016. Retrieved 21 Feb. 2017 from https://www.boundless.com/business/textbooks/boundless-business-textbook/economics-and-business-2/businesses-under-communist-systems-31/the-disadvantages-of-communism-167-559/
"Communism and Computer Ethics." Communism: Work Ethic and Motivation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. <https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/communism-computing-china/workethic.html>.