Communism: Is there a place for it in the modern world?
It is a political, economic and social term which is usually reserved in the realms of history. In a negative form it was executed in Russia, China and wider parts of Asia to spread fear and totalitarianism; yet Communism is something which is in one form or another at least partially relevant in the modern world.
The concept has a predominantly negative reputation, primarily due to how it has been used throughout history. The Russian Revolution of 1917 allowed Communism to be used as a tool to change a nation. Tsar Nicolas II had failed to efficiently lead his country back home and his failure as a military leader during the First World War had pushed his people to the brink.
The promise of a change of political system and a better life was enough for millions of Russians to fight and die for a Communist system. By the mid-1950s Joseph Stalin had turned Communism into a much dirtier word by slaughtering millions of his own people in its name. Communism prides itself on equality of financial distribution and people working for each other, however Stalin made sure his people were still slaves to the state. Those who opposed the rule of the party were simply sent away to work camps.
A modern day look at Communism is far more watered down. It exists as the main named opposite to hard right political ideologies, and it lives on because of resentment towards the right.
Communism has always thrived in times when centre or right-wing political models have failed. Furthermore, it exists because of the failings of capitalism. When Marx and Engels first created the Communist Manifesto, they did so to show how society and the economy can be operated differently to the inequality brought about through capitalism. An end to the corruption and unequal distribution of wealth were two of the basic principles within early communism.
In 2019 these are still features which affect a huge percentage of the global population, proving that there is still lots of people who could find a place in their life for communist ideals.
Those at the top of the capitalist ladder still receive swollen paycheques even after the greed and incompetence of those and other highly paid financiers almost caused a complete meltdown in the American housing market little more than ten years ago. These people got off very lightly compared to millions of Americans who lost homes and savings as a result. There is no justice in this branch of capitalism, events like this will surely continue to keep an avenue for more left wing financial ideas.
My short (ish) answer the questioned posed in this article is no. The strength and reliance on capitalism, as well as the fear mongering against communism, means that the western world is far away from adopting this structure. Communism may not do a lot to promote itself as an alternative structure, but the longer people will feel forgotten about through capitalism, the less likely it will be that Communism remains in text books to gather dust on shelves of shops and libraries across the world.
