StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The History of Capitalism and Communism - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "The History of Capitalism and Communism" states that capitalism and communism have dominated competing for economic and social systems in the twentieth century. Because of communism's strict ideology on social control, it has often led to oppressive dictatorships around the globe…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.9% of users find it useful
The History of Capitalism and Communism
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The History of Capitalism and Communism"

Two ideal examples of a communist nation can be found in our own hemisphere, with Cuba just 50 miles from our shore. Mixed results can also be found in one of our large trading partners, Chile. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Cuba had been a Spanish Colony. Cuba was formally granted independence in 1903 and throughout the century Cuba fell under a series of radical and often corrupt regimes. In the 1950s Batista ruled Cuba with a strong dictatorship under the influence of Mafia corruption.

Opposition to the Batista regime resulted in the overthrow of the government by Castro backed forces. Castro increasingly turned to communism as an ideology. Today, the per capita income is $3,000 per year, largely restricted by reduced trade opportunities ("Background Note: Cuba")Castro's popularity was severely tested by the aftermath of the Soviet collapse, which led to a cutoff in aid, the loss of a guaranteed export market for Cuban sugar and the loss of a source of cheap imported oil. Conditions in Cuba are indicated when Mantilla reports, " [.] home with a washer and dryer would be a very rare home indeed". In Cuba, however, these events were not sufficient to persuade Cuban Communists that they should voluntarily give up power. General Pinochet Ugarte was head of the military council that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, which took control in a violent coup that overthrew the Socialist President Salvador Allende. He has been responsible for human rights violations, which have sparked international outrage. According to human rights watch groups, more than 600 military officers have been arrested for violations (Augusto Pinochet Ugarte).

He has been accused of massive corruption and has been involved with accusations of looting the national treasury. Recently, Pinochet has been indicted by the Spanish government, arrested by the British government, and prosecuted by the Chilean government itself. There are indications that Pinochet's crimes were committed with the complicity of the US government. According to Kornbluh, recent revelations have led, "New York Representative Maurice Hinchey calling on the CIA to provide Congress with a full report on its covert action in Chile at the time of the coup, and its relations to General Pinochet's regime".

Communism has not fared well for either Cuba or Chile. As with the Soviet experience it is viewed as a failed experiment and has resulted in isolation for Cuba. Communistic ideology makes a possibility for totalitarian regimes, which almost always leads to massive human rights abuses. Cuba has been an example of a communist country that has tried to maintain its ideals through the years, though a large number of refugees have been an indication of the lack of freedom afforded to the people. Economic conditions in Cuba and the human rights violations in Chile are certainly the result of centrally controlled dictatorships that communism fosters. 

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1522635-communism
(Communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1522635-communism.
“Communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1522635-communism.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The History of Capitalism and Communism

State Capitalism

communism tries to achieve the socialism objectives by giving more benefits to the working class.... Name of author: State capitalism capitalism refers to an economical system in which production system is owned by private people for making profits.... State capitalism has several meanings and definitions; however, it can be generally defined as a society in which productive elements were controlled by the state in a capitalist manner....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

Communist manifesto

Studies have shown that powerful and populous European monarchy during the political revolutions in North American colonies of Britain ignited a variety of revolutionary movements in Latin America, Haiti, and Europe in initiating seemingly and profound irreversible effects on western society.... ....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

'Anti-capitalism today is a meaningless concept.' Do you agree

The central theme of capitalism is to exploit wage labourers, provide an economy that supports competitive markets and ensure capital growth.... However, there is ample support that the anti-capitalism doctrine offers solid arguments about the inefficiency, financial waste and inequality that occurs as a result of capitalism.... Anti-capitalism today is not a meaningless concept BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE DATE HERE Anti-capitalism today is not a meaningless concept Introduction capitalism is defined as a holistic economic system in which industry, commercial trade, and methods of production are controlled through private business ownership with the ultimate ambition and objective to ensure profitability in a particular economy (Durlauf and Blume 2008)....
16 Pages (4000 words) Essay

Understanding the Communist Manifesto and Its Implications in our Modern Day Society

To help us understand the communist manifesto and it implications to our modern times, let us look into the theories of capitalism and communism that served as the foundations of the manifesto.... For anti-capitalists, the Communist manifesto represents the history of the struggle of the proletariat and the path towards the transition from capitalism to socialism.... Here, Marx discussed at length the effects of capitalism in relation to labor....
9 Pages (2250 words) Case Study

Industrial Revolution Capitalism and Communism

which demanded Running Head: Industrial Revolution: Capitalism Industrial Revolution: capitalism and communism NameDate of SubmissionIndustrial Revolution: Capitalism and CommunismIntroduction: Two Major Social Consequences of Industrial Revolution Industrial revolution can be regarded as the culmination of the transition period between the medieval and modern ages of human history.... Rise of capitalism and Development of Communism Capitalism is not directly responsible for the development of communism....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Themes inU.S and Wold History

The first difference between capitalism and communism is that, in communism, the community solely owns the resources or means of production.... The rise of capitalism and the development of communist theory Without capitalism there could be no existence of such term as communism.... Before industrialization there was no capitalism and work was done on one's convenience and stride.... ontribution of the First Industrial Revolution to the rise of capitalism Rise of capitalism can be related to the first industrial revolution....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Aspects of Communism That Posed a Challenge to Liberal Capitalism

The paper "Aspects of communism That Posed a Challenge to Liberal Capitalism" highlights that in the current world communism is no longer practiced, even countries that term themselves communists are not communists but a mix of communism and capitalism.... ince the shift from communism to capitalism system was preferred towards the first half of the twentieth century, several aspects of communism posed different challenges to liberal capitalism....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

What, for Karl Marx, Is Wrong with Capitalism

Marx in the Communist Manifesto argues that the 'history of hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles' (246).... The logical structure of capitalism is the source of the problems apparent in this system.... Secondly, capitalism will be compared to feudalism in order to understand the historical role of capitalism.... lthough Marx is not making a moral critique of capitalism, it is worth discussing how such a critique would look like and why Marx avoids using it....
7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us