Hallmarks of Communist Regimes

First Communist regime came to power as a result of the October 1917 revolution and the civil war that followed (Soviet Union or USSR) After WWII the Soviet Union imposed regimes

that were all but carbon copies of its own Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary

and the eastern part of Germany (satellites of the USSR)

Other Communist states arose from the aftermath of WWII (North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, China)

Cuba became a communist state after the Cuban Revolution (1959), led by Fidel Castro, overthrew Fulgencio Batista

Cuba became a Soviet ally and adopted their style of communism in 1961

Communist Party completely controlled political life In a few countries, other parties were allowed to

exist, however they were only pawns of the Communists.

Party dominated the government, the media, the economy, the educational system, and most social and leisure activities

Parties were run according to democratic socialism-- rule by a tiny group of party officials at the top of the hierarchy

Until the late 1950s, the Soviet Union controlled the entire Communist world

New Communist regimes not only adopted Marxism-Leninism but submitted to Moscow’s leadership in determining how their parties would be run

But by the 1950s, the Communist world began to splinter China and the Soviet Union became bitter

enemies

Until late 1980s, Communist countries relied on a command economy, in which government owns almost all industrial enterprises and retail sales outlets Economies were managed by a party

dominated state planning committee Devised detailed blueprints for what was to be produced,

exported and sold (typically in a five year period) Early on, central planning helped to produce rapid

results, but in the long, run the benefits went away

SOCIALISM Four Characteristics

Capitalism and the private ownership of the means of production are flawed

Demand substantial equality of outcome Free from hunger, disease and poverty

Democracy as practiced in liberal, capitalist society is too limited

Providing for public ownership and control of a substantially more egalitarian society will improve human relations

Belief that significant political and economic progress can only occur through revolution, based on key principles Societies pass through stages, evolving from

primitive groups of hunters and gatherers to an industrial society

Societies shift from stage to stage in a wrenching process that Marx called the dialectic

Progress occurs when the distribution of economic power is changed

Conflict between classes is inevitable; Marx believed that the ruling class had to exploit the rest of the population who did not control the means of production

Eventually, the rest of the population will not accept being exploited and will rise up; so those in charge create a superstructure of other institutions The state Religion

Marx believed that despite these institutions, workers (the proletariat) would still resent their exploitation

The spread of mass education and political freedoms that came with a liberal democracy would allow them to recognize their exploitation

Marx believed that a revolution would occur through a wave of strikes and demonstrations that would lead to an overthrow of the bourgeoisie (capitalist class)

The revolution would be followed by a transitional period, the “dictatorship of the proletariat”

The means of production would be taken over and run collectively and the resources would be redistributed equally

Afterward, the society would move into communism; at this point, there would be no need for government because people would work freely and efficiently because they were freed of “ownership”

Marx believed that socialist revolutions would first occur in industrialized countries

However, they came to power in countries in which industrialization and capitalism had not developed very far

To adapt, Marxists had to adopt a very different strategy “democratic centralism”–highly disciplined,

hierarchical organization of professional revolutionaries

Resulted in too much power in too few hands