Communism In The 19th Century

Primitive communism was widespread in ancient times due to necessity. This form of communism in modern societies is now impractical. Much of early communist thought was based in religious ideals. Radicals sought to create a heaven on earth through Christian virtues such as simplicity, brotherhood, equality, and other such lofty goals. These groups often sought to escape the rest of society, rather than reform it in whole. The philosophical writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau marked the crossing between the agrarian form of communism from the old days to the modern and industrialized communist beliefs that we know today. His writings later influenced Babeuf. The modern communism of the 19th century emerged alongside capitalism, liberalism, …show more content…
Lenin was an extreme revolutionist who believed that nothing should come in the way of the movement. He was amoral and judged right and wrong simply on whether the advanced the communist party’s agenda. He was also an internationalist and felt that the communist society should be led by a group of elite thinkers, rather than the masses as a whole, and he was the leader of the Bolshevik majority of the Second International. Soviet-style communism held onto the same approach that Lenin upheld: any means are justified in order to reach their desired end. In the same vein as Lenin, the Bolsheviks remained amoral and militant, and consisted of structured elite. The first Bolshevik Party program was created in 1903, and by 1917 they had taken control of the country. In light of all this change, in 1919 the party renamed themselves to the Russian Communist Party and created a new program. The program was joined with the ABCs of Communism, a pamphlet that would explain to the populace. It answered such questions as how labor will work, how items will be distributed, and how the government will administer such changes. The government at this time was not averse to using ruthless force in order to reach the fulfillment of communism. Expropriation was carried out, labor was often forced, and the government increased its involvement in combating opposition to the …show more content…
The constitution adopted in 1918 gave extensive rights to the former working class, while the bourgeoisie were stripped of theirs. Cheka was created around this time, and it soon evolved into a terror mechanism that was used to crush any form of dissention. The suppression of the old bourgeoisie class soon turned into full blown repression of anyone that the government deemed “anti-soviet.” Stalin rose to power in 1929 and held this position up until his death in 1953. During his reign, politics began to shift to a more dictatorial system. The result was the near deification of Stalin, a phenomenon known as the vozdh’. Stalin was perhaps best known for instituting waves of terror through 1929-1932 and 1936-1938 (also known as the Great Terror). The events of this time period have forever shaped the modern view of communism in society. The New Economic Policy was created in 1921, and through this policy a levy on agricultural goods was set in place. After this tax was taken for the government, the surplus could be used by the grower for whatever they desired, including in selling and trade. As a result, capitalism still existed economically in certain forms during the NEP