With the rise of the Industrial Age came concepts such as capitalism, socialism, and communism. Capitalism allowed the growing economic market to thrive freely but also created unfair advantages that left many toiling in poverty, even with its promise of social mobility. Socialism and communism emerge to combat this problem. Socialism by advocating the vesting of the ownership and the control of the means of production and distribution of capital, land, etc. in the community as a whole. And communism by proposing a system based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state. However, one can question the “feasibility of applied socialism [and communism], arguing that capitalism
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For one, communism believes in “equal obligation of all to work”. However, this means that even if one were a rocket scientist who works hard all their life or an uninspired busboy, they would make the same amount of money, leading to a stagnant economy. This sense of equality also brings in a lack of individuality, similar to the Jewish assimilation in the 18th century, which led many Jews to lose part of their uniqueness when they attempted to become more like the nations surrounding them. Moreover, although communism wants to do away with the class system, there will always be someone else who wants to be at the top of a power structure — it is human nature. This is why Karl Marx believes it is completely legitimate to use violence to solve political opposition “where the violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie lays the foundation for the sway of the proletariat”. But this can only lead to a circle of violence, such as communism attempts to eradicate. The Bolsheviks in Russia promised communism as a form of democracy, and they end up sacrificing almost all of their basic principles in an effort to gain power.
All in all, every system has its flaws, but at the end of the day, capitalism is the one that so far is worth working for. While both socialism and communism have potential on paper, time and time again they have proven to be ineffective. Although they may seem better in comparison
For one, communism believes in “equal obligation of all to work”. However, this means that even if one were a rocket scientist who works hard all their life or an uninspired busboy, they would make the same amount of money, leading to a stagnant economy. This sense of equality also brings in a lack of individuality, similar to the Jewish assimilation in the 18th century, which led many Jews to lose part of their uniqueness when they attempted to become more like the nations surrounding them. Moreover, although communism wants to do away with the class system, there will always be someone else who wants to be at the top of a power structure — it is human nature. This is why Karl Marx believes it is completely legitimate to use violence to solve political opposition “where the violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie lays the foundation for the sway of the proletariat”. But this can only lead to a circle of violence, such as communism attempts to eradicate. The Bolsheviks in Russia promised communism as a form of democracy, and they end up sacrificing almost all of their basic principles in an effort to gain power.
All in all, every system has its flaws, but at the end of the day, capitalism is the one that so far is worth working for. While both socialism and communism have potential on paper, time and time again they have proven to be ineffective. Although they may seem better in comparison