The Marxist Ideal Cannot Work

The Marxist ideal, a highly appealing, almost Utopian

society, is impossible to achieve due to the fact that it

demands that the human mind be almost without flaws. It

asks of society and its members to be absolutely without

ranks, without greed or leadership. This has been clearly

impossible for society. Each step to achieving a communist

establishment has been, continues to be, and will be, in

actuality, a step towards the totalitarian societies of past

and current so-called communist countries. Communism

became popular solely in under-developed countries,

contrary to Marx's beliefs as to what should happen, and

its rise in these countries was the beginning of its fall. Marx

believed that the only way to overthrow capitalism was to

create a revolution of the proletariat and in essence this

revolution carries the cause even farther away from true

communism. Equality is the next issue that Marx tackled,

and in the communist ideal, it is absolutely crucial. In the

real world of distorted ideologies, it hovers in the

background. The ultimate in communist ideologies,

however, is that eventually there will be no need for

government. This essay will illustrate how, as communist

societies in the real world progress, nothing could be

further from the truth. Currently, communism, as exercised

in the few Communist countries left in the world, is far from

the Marxist ideal. From its beginnings to the present day

and into the future, communism has become distorted into

something that would be Marx's worst nightmare. Due to

"quirks" in the human mind that just can't seem to be

worked out, the Marxist ideal simply cannot work.

Marx's prediction was that communism would prevail in

the highly industrialized countries of Western Europe.

Instead, it took place in Russia, a country troubled by its

corrupt head of state.

By definition a Communist revolt demanded an

industrialized country as its focus, where a militant and

organized proletariat had had a chance to develop. The

revolution of 1917, however, exploded in Czarist Russia,

one of the most backward countries in Europe.i

Russia in the early 20th century was mainly agricultural,

rather than industrial, but through their exasperation and

strong leadership, the Communists prevailed. The head of

stat...

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...the ideal.

However, Marx underestimated the way in which the

human mind works. Without a doubt, the flaws in the minds

of the leaders of the communist states that have existed,

and continue to exist, have ensured that this ideal will never

be realized. From the very beginnings of a communist

state's existence, to the revolution that brings it about, to

the equality that it lacks, and the impossibility of the ultimate

ideal, Marx's vision is being distorted the whole way

through the process. In theory, communism is a good idea.

However, it fails to anticipate the flaws of the human mind.

It is a good idea that doesn't work out well in practice.

i Ellis, Harry B. (1972). Ideals and Ideologies:

Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism. Nelson, Foster

and Scott Ltd. Pg. 31

ii Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. (1964). The

Communist Manifesto. Monthly Review Press. Pg. 25.

iii Ellis, Harry B. (1972). Ideals and Ideologies:

Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism. Nelson, Foster

and Scott Ltd. Pg. 31

iv Ellis, Harry B. (1972). Ideals and Ideologies:

Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism. Nelson, Foster

and Scott Ltd. Pg. 36