USSR
COMMUNISM
• OKAY – HERE IS WHERE WE PLAY
PSYCHOLOGY CLASS
• What is the 1st thing that pops into your
head when you hear the word
“Communism”?
COMMUNISM
• GREAT WEBSITE
• MAP OF COMMUNIST WORLD
• http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/communis.
htm
Thinking About Current and
Former Communist Regimes
•
•
•
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The Impossible (or “The Inevitable”?) :
Collapse of Communism
Some remain, but most with economic reform
Little in common with the socialism Marx and
Engels predicted
Unlikely that these regimes will remain
Communist
MAIN OBJECTIVE
• Our Goal is that each student will be able to
answer the following questions:
• I – Distinguish the major economic systems
• II. What is the difference between
Communism and Socialism?
• III. How did Communism arise?
• IV. Why was Russia not the perfect
incubator for Marx’s Communism?
I. ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
So what are the 2 major
economic systems?
I. ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
COMMAND
ECONOMY
Definition?
COMMAND ECONOMY
• A centrally planned and controlled
economy.
• Govt dictates pricing and
production
COMMAND ECONOMY
• Characteristics?
COMMAND ECONOMY
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Central Planning
Central power makes all decisions
Fixed or gov’t set pricing
Govt’ control of distribution and production
Gov’t control of employment and wages
State owned econ resources
Restricted property rights if any
Use of production quotas and PLANS
MARKET ECONOMY
• Defined?
• An economy in which decisions
regarding investment, production
and distribution are based on
supply and demand based on the
private market with little to no
government control
MARKET ECONOMY
• The Private sector controls and makes econ
decisions and sets prices
• Supply and demand determines allocation of
resources
• Private property rights
• Freedom to choose jobs and econ decisions
• Focus on profits
• Emphasis on competition
• Income / Wage inequality / unemployment
• Economy booms and busts - instability
II.COMMUNISM v. SOCIALISM
• CAN YOU NAME ONE
COUNTRY IN HISTORY
THAT HAS EXISTED AS A
PURE COMMUNIST
STATE?
COMMUN ISM
• Trivia Show Time – It has
never existed in any modern
th
st
state in the 19 to 21
century!!!!
COMMUNISM
• Lets start with reality today and
then work backwards.
• 1. Few Russians desire to return to
the repression of Communist rule.
COMMUNISM
• 2. However, many people still
miss the perks (Yes I said
“Perks”!) –
WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL
THAT IS HOLY IS A PERK OF
COMMUNISM?
COMMUNISM
• 2. “Perks” – low rents, guaranteed
employment, and free health care –
Whooppee!!
COMMUNISM
• 3. Reformed Communist Parties
now do well at the polls in almost
all former communist countries.
The Communist Party is the 2nd
strongest party in Russia.
• Why?
COMMUNISM
• 3. Because they target specific
demographic groups of people –
the “LOSERS” of the transition
from communist rule – Who are
they?
COMMUNISM
• 3. The “Losers” are the
unemployed, the older people on
pensions, people on fixed incomes,
people with little education, people
with limited job skills (Not going
to be the elite of a capitalist
society!)
SOCIALISM
• 1. What is Socialism?
• 2. What are the 4 basic
Characteristics of Socialism?
SOCIALISM
• 1. What is Socialism?
• Economic theory of social organization
advocating state or collective
ownership and administration of the
means of production and distribution
of goods, and the creation of an
egalitarian society
SOCIALISM
• Basics
– Public ownership of means of
production
– Substantial material equality
– Economic and political democracy
– Command Economy (a centrally
planned and controlled economy)
SOCIALISM
• Hard to define as people use different
terms
• But there are 4 basic characteristics of
Socialism
• 1. Capitalism and private ownership of
the means of production are flawed and
lead to unacceptable levels of
inequality
SOCIALISM
• 2. Equality of Opportunity is a start
but Socialists demand substantial
equality of outcome as well – In order
to be free, people need to be “Free
from” hunger, disease and poverty
1. SOCIALISM
• 3. Yes personal freedoms and
competitive elections are vital but
Socialists want to extend democracy to
include POPULAR control over ALL
decisions that shape lives (EX: at
work or religion)
1. SOCIALISM
• 4. Public ownership and control in a
substantially more egalitarian society
will improve human relations.
Capitalism keeps us from reaching our
potential so removing the limits of
capitalism makes us better off.
III. EVOLUTION OF COMMUNISM
• Where did Communism originate?
• From the growth of the socialist
movement
• Russia became the incubator of
Communism
COMMUNISM
• 1. Who were the “founders”?
• 2. How does a society evolve into a
communist state?
• 3. Why was Russia NOT a logical
place for Communism to develop?
MARXISM
• Who? Theory developed by Marx and
Engels that calls for revolution to lead
to a classless society where all goods
are publicly owned.
•
2. Evolution of Communism
• A. Societies evolve through steps
of social development – from
“Primitive Communism” huntergatherers to feudalism to
industrialized capitalistic society to
pure communism
Evolution of Communism
• B. DIALECTIC – which means
that societies evolve through
dramatic bursts as opposed to
incremental reform (Gradualism
anyone?)
Evolution of Communism
• C. “Historical Materialism” refers
to changes in the distribution of
economic power which leads
society to break into social classes
based on wealth and ownership
Evolution of Communism
• D. Money is the driving force in
capitalism. The pressure to make a
profit makes capitalism exploitive by
nature. Power comes from
controlling the means of production.
• Hello Wal-Mart!
Evolution of Communism
• E. Private ownership has
CONTRADICTIONS – Private
ownership has built in flaws that
will lead people to rise up in
opposition to the rulers due to
Inequality and Exploitation of
Capitalism
Evolution of Communism
• F. So what does capitalist society
do to prevent this rebellion by the
classes?
• SUPERSTRUCTURES
Evolution of Communism
• F. SUPERSTRUCTURES Institutions like the State and
Religion that try to control masses
and slow down rebellion
Evolution of Communism
• F. “Religion is the opiate of the
masses.”
• Karl Marx
Evolution of Communism
• G. Marx on Capitalism – What is
wrong with it???
• Marx believed that progress was
due to conflict between social
classes – So where does the
conflict come from?
Evolution of Communism
• H. BOURGEOISIE - The
Capitalist Class or the upper class
• vs.
• PROLETARIAT – The working
class
Evolution of Communism
• I. As the desire for profit grows,
capitalism expands and the
Bourgeoisie grows smaller while
the Proletariat gets larger
Evolution of Communism
• J. Workers resent the exploitation
and their sense of class
consciousness grows with the rise
in education (“OCCUPY” that
Marx!)
Evolution of Communism
• K. Another side effect of
capitalism is improved education
which leads to an increase in
freedoms in a liberal democracy
which leads to worker protests and
expression of unhappiness
Evolution of Communism
• L. Contradictions of Capitalism
would lead to REVOLUTION –
But it would come after the
industrialized democracycapitalism stage
Evolution of Communism
• M. Revolution would be peaceful
with Proletariat protests and strikes
and demonstrations that overthrow
the Bourgeoisie
Evolution of Communism
• N. Marx felt that these revolutions
would spread around the world
after the industrialized democracy
– capitalism stage
2. MARXIST THEORY
• O. Next would come a transitional
period – ‘THE DICTATORSHIP
OF THE PROLETARIAT”
• the means of production taken over
and run collectively with an
egalitarian distribution of resources
Evolution of Communism
• P. Next Stage = Pure Communism
• no need for government or
superstructures as people would no
longer exploit each other
• Freed of ownership, people would
work freely and efficiently
Evolution of Communism
• “From each according to his
ability, to each according to
his needs.” Marx
Evolution of Communism
• Why was Russia not the ideal
incubator of Marx’s Communism?
• Because it was an agrarian society
and not an industrialized economy
• Lenin had to improvise!
WHAT COMES NEXT
• Students need to move into Chapter 9 and
answer the following questions:
• “How and why did the USSR collapse?”
• “How does its legacy affect the way Russia
has evolved?”