Communism and its Unfortunate Flaw
Throughout the course of history, colonies, city-states, and countries alike
have attempted different forms of government. From monarchies to anarchies, it has remained clear what manner of government works best, both for the economy and the people- a capitalist society. Capitalism breeds competition and individual accomplishments. Unfortunately Karl Marx did not feel this way when he published his short piece, The Communist Manifesto, a cry for all those in favor of a communist world to stand up and unite. According to Marx, the capitalist form of government "has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation" (82). He goes on to describe more of these crimes the government, notably the bourgeoisie, has inflicted upon the populace, the proletariat. Yet Marx proves to over-generalize himself on a majority of issues. Although communism is itself almost infallible theoretically, it simply cannot exist in the overwhelmingly competitive, capitalist world that exists today. George Orwell's Animal Farm is an exceptional example that illustrates the faults of communism. In this fictional tale similar to the Russian Revolution of the early 1900's, a group of farm animals overthrows its corrupt farmer and forms its own society. The parallels to communism become clear as all
animals are made equal and work toward the same goal of building their farm. Unfortunately, human nature and competition sink in, as the intelligent pigs become the all-knowing leaders. This is not so much to say that competition is a negative aspect of the economy; on the contrary, it has been very much an overall positive influence. Communism also does not take into account that human nature has a tendency to create competition. People strive to do their best, for when they do they are most often rewarded. Communism does no such thing, and provides for one of the main flaws that attributes to its failure.
In Marx's ideal communist world, the entire populace is equal, and shares everything. There is no competition, and no one is rewarded more or less based on his or her individual achievement. Yet with this newfound sense of a worldwide sharing, there, in theory, is no poverty or hunger. Marx advocated free public education and tax rights for the common people, and believed communism should occur in more economically advanced countries. He discusses in his manifesto how the proletarian factory worker is exploited by his bourgeoisie, and then later by "the lower strata of the middle class-the small trades people, shopkeepers, and retired tradesmen" (88) as they go about their daily lives. Marx encourages all levels of the middle and lower classes to bring to a halt these relentless attacks on each other-the very same people with whom they should be fighting the bourgeoisie. This situation draws parallels to the Los Angeles Riots of the early 1990's. The destruction and violence ruined neighborhoods, while not even addressing the real problems at hand. Accordingly, as Marx proclaims, the proletarians must stop
their constant attacks on one another, and concentrate on the bourgeoisie. With this must come a massive uprising, calling for "working men of all countries, [to] unite!" (121).
However, Marx did not foresee his ideal society revolutionizing itself into the totalitarian regime for which it is now known. He did not take into account that calling for a massive bloody revolution would lead to so many problems. This is where human nature takes its course. It is simply human nature that causes certain individuals to rise to power, even in situations where one is not anticipated.
George Orwell's Animal Farm proves to be an excellent example of this. The revolution, inspired by Old Major and led by Snowball and Napoleon, occurs and a series of drastic new changes transpires. The more intelligent pigs begin the process of establishing new laws, organizing the chores and educating the others. Among the other original seven "commandments", the final is viewed as the most important: "All animals are equal" (____). The theme of "Four legs good, two legs bad" (____) becomes of the utmost importance to these newly freed farm animals, who rely heavily on the thoughts and ideas of Snowball. Unfortunately for all parties involved, the concept of human nature finally becomes an issue, as a power-hungry Napoleon runs Snowball off the farm and forcefully proclaims himself as a sort of dictator. This is where the idea of communism begins to fall apart, both in the novel and realistically speaking. In Animal Farm, the pigs rise to power while oppressing all rights of the other animals. In the real world, communism takes on many of the same outcomes. It is simply not true that one's social structure determines how a society behaves, for look at Marx's ideal social structure of communism. Greed and competition found their way in Cuba, the Soviet Union and China, and they are now or once were economical disasters to many. If these behaviors, courtesy of human nature, are allowed to go unchecked in one or a small group of people, disaster strikes. It has been proven time and time again throughout history. When Napoleon's greed and power got out of hand, all other animals suffered. Marx's ideal society simply cannot exist successfully in the world today, as human nature makes a mockery of it.
It is human nature to want those possessions that one cannot have. It is also human nature to want to be powerful, wealthy and successful. Human nature drives the populace to do their best in life, for hard work almost always has its rewards. Simply speaking, there is human nature in all of us. It cannot be referred to as a negative characteristic, for many times it has been responsible for outright goodness in life. In conclusion, it is human nature that creates the separation between the exploited and the exploiter, not the social structure in which one lives. If this were the case, Karl Marx's communism would be a raging success in the world, instead of the economical and social failure for which it is now known. Human nature has caused this failure. A person's need for power can sometimes be far too great, thus affecting the final outcome for his or her entire people. It is the social structure in which one lives, however, that can keep this from becoming a problem. Marx's flaw was that he did not provide for this situation, thus causing his theory's downfall.
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