Communism, Defined.

Economics Political Theory
1

Of the most recent babble I have taken part in the other person spewed this statement, “Under Communism, there is no state”. I’ve debated people many times when communism is brought up, and when the Soviet Union was brought up, whether or not it’s a State. I’ve even heard people claim that Marx wasn’t a communist, from a communist. (I’ve even had people tell me communism and anarchism are synonymous.) There are some points I’d like addressed as best as possible.

  1. Is communism a State and why?

  2. Are socialism and communism synonymous?

  3. Was the Soviet Union communist?

  4. Was Marx a communist?

These questions may sound a bit “stupid”, but I need some good clarification and points next time I get involved in these types of conversations.

2

it depends on who you ask. I think rosa luxemburg was right when she said the state socialism is really state capitalism.

3

all of the original self-proclaim anarchists were socialists/communists/individual anarchists.

Marx was many things,

4

Well in the full, pure realization of communism, no. In the crude, transitory period known as the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’, it can be.

People like to think there is a difference but generally they were the same until the 20th century.

Crude Communism, yes.

Absolutely. Honestly, who asked you such crap?

Here is a short materials list concerning Marxism and some general socialism. Any more questions, just ask.

5

Not true, Chuang Tzu, the first anarchist was actually not a socialist.

6

Chat room denizens.

7

A case could be made that the 1st anarchists were people who brought an unsatisfactory chaos and disorder to the ancient Greeks that we know of who used the word,

8

Ah so people who claim to be Marxists or socialists and yet have never read Marxist or socialist works.

9

Well if you can find such a people that existed before 4th century BC. Unless such a person or persons can be found then I think the first person is actually the one who called for the concept of no rule, not really the person who invented the word for it.

10

Ha, I bookmarked the Marxism - A materials list thread and completely forgot about it.

11

That makes my work feel important. [8o|]

12

You can’t say debunking Marxism is work. That’s like me saying yawning is exercise [:P]

13

Actually, I’ve come across 2 people who claimed to be college professors and tried to argue from a communist standpoint.

14

If I wasn’t tired I would curse at you…repeatedly.

15

Having a degree doesn’t make you smart.

16

That’s a given. Beyond not being able to construct an intelligent argument, their grammar was horrible. Regardless if it’s a chatroom, proper grammar is a must.

17

It is how the word is used in ancient greek texts, where the word derives from. I think the word is most likley similarliy used in anything before William Godwin used the phrase in a positive light (?). I do not think the term was used in a positive light before that. I am not arguing with the concept of “anarchism” as a term the way people at Mises.org would define the use, I am just pointiong out what I find an interesting tidbit in the history of the word, which has been in use for over a millenia.

18

Communism, according to the traditional definition, is a socioeconomic system characterized by the abolition of money, markets, and the state. To that end, the term “communist state” is a Western contrivance, as not even the self-described socialists governing those countries believed that they were “communist” in nature. Whether they were socialist is a more complicated issue, but none of them described themselves as having established “communism.”

19

How can this system be “economic” if there’s no money or markets? Oh, I get it. Communism is the ideal of returning humanity to the pre-Stone Age.

20

I said first Self-Proclaimed anarchist!