List of Pros and Cons of Communism
For those who are unfamiliar, communism is a political ideology used in certain countries around the world. Communism advocates for communal ownership and the main objective is not to turn a profit, but to provide every citizen of the nation with the same access to education and health care.
The communist system believes that all citizens should be able to live on equal footing. While this is a great idea on paper, countries that embrace communism do not always turn into the delightful utopias that their leaders envision. The following is a closer look at the pros and cons involved with the communist ideology.
List of Pros of Communism
1. Everyone Can Receive Health Care
Unlike capitalist countries like America that restrict health care access to those with the most wealth and influence, communist nations allow of their citizens to receive the medical attention that they need, typically free of cost. When ordinary citizens are able to get the health care that they need, this is a huge boon to the development of a nation.
Instead of losing members of the workforce to illness, disease or easily prevented disorders, a communist nation is able to maximize and mobilize its workers. Free and easily accessible health care eliminates one of the many excuses that the unmotivated proletariat has at their disposal. Removing the idea of turning a profit takes away a hospital’s incentive to turn away those who are truly in need of help.
2. Unemployment Rates Dramatically Decrease
When every member of society is able to work and contribute, naturally, you will see a great dip in the overall unemployment rate of a nation. This leads to a decrease in crime, as no one is forced to commit any sort of illegal offense in order to ensure that their family is fed and their bills are paid. Instead, they have the peace of mind that accompanies the knowledge that work will always be plentiful.
Peasants no longer have a need to fear a lessened economic status in a communist nation. As long as they are willing to go to work each day and perform their duties, they are assured of always having a roof over their head, food on their table and clothes on their back. There are very little social gaps to speak of.
3. Education Is Easily Accessible
One of the easiest ways to ensure a class-less society is to break down the barriers of education. In a capitalist society, it is typically only the very wealthy who have access to high level secondary education, which only serves to widen the divide between the upper and lower classes.
In communist nations, this is no longer a worry. Since every child is given the same level of educational opportunity, the divide between classes shrinks until it is essentially nonexistent. Children who are able to go to the school of their choice are also far less likely to drop out and join the workforce at a young age.
List of Cons of Communism
1. Businesses Are Limited In What They Can Earn
While it is great for some citizens to all live under the same economic terms and be assured of the same paycheck each week, this is not an environment that allows businesses to flourish. Instead of existing in a capitalist society, where the sky is the limit as to what a business is able to earn, a communist society puts a hard cap on a business’ ability to grow.
A business is not able to produce to their heart’s content, as communism limits their ability to create new products and earn the proper compensation for their hard work. Since each worker receives the same amount of money, this eliminates their motivation to go above and beyond.
2. Poverty Is Prevalent
On paper, everyone earning the same amount of money for the same amount of work should beget a proletariat paradise. Unfortunately, communism often leads to widespread corruption among elected officials and typically encourages greed. The goal is to allow everyone to obtain an equal profit for the work they’ve done, but it rarely works this way.
When the lower class is unable to question the actions of their superiors, this amount of power tends to corrupt those who have it. The ruling class of communist nations tends to become quite greedy, since there is no way for the classes beneath them to gain insight into how their nation truly works.
3. No Personal Freedom
Many of the personal freedoms that capitalist societies take for granted are eliminated under a communist regime. Not only is freedom of speech completely taken away, but those who openly criticize the workings of the government are often subject to severe and overly harsh punishments.
Even if a family is able to save money from their typically meager earnings, they are not allowed to provide any sort of inheritance for their family members after they have deceased. Equality is great, but when a person is not able to accumulate any sort of savings or personal property, this leaves their close relatives with very little to remember them by once they are gone.
Creative pursuits are no longer encouraged. Communism focuses on production and agriculture, things that will support the long term growth of the nation. When this happens, art and music tend to fall by the wayside. If you cannot own artwork or earn a paycheck creating music, there is very little motivation to partake in creative outlets.