The Communist Manifesto and The Declaration of Independence, were both very
significant documents written for their time period. The Declaration of Independence and the
Communist Manifesto both show aspects of communism. While the Communist Manifesto is
only for the theory of communism by Karl Marx, The Declaration of Independence takes the
sides of capitalism and communism. It just takes the different aspects of each and puts them
together into one document to help create a democracy. It also has some aspects of socialism.
They both have many similarities and differences, as well as many pros and cons.
The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4, 1776. It was written because the
thirteen colonies of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts
Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, all wanted their independence from the rule of Great
Britain. The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress to put
together the colonists’ motivations for independence. The Declaration had many good outcomes.
It helped the colonies get free from under British rule, helped them get away from the British
quarrels with the European neighbors, it also paved a way for the other countries towards
freedom from the British rule and gain their own independence. That means they could be freed
from obeying british laws and could create a democracy of their own. However, The Declaration
of Independence did have a few faults. Some Americans had family in Britain and caused family
conflicts, they were the first country to try and have a democracy away from Britain, the British
Empire was the largest power at this time, and they made enemies with the British.
The Communist Manifesto, which was written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, was
originally published in 1848. The Communist Manifesto formed the basis for the modern
communist movement, arguing that capitalism would inevitably self-destruct, to be replaced by
socialism, and ultimately communism. The Communist Manifesto explains the goal of
communism and argues that class struggles or exploitation of one class by another, are the
motivating force behind all historical developments. The Communist Manifesto has been banned
in three countries, those being, the United States, Germany, and Turkey over three different time
periods. While there were few good things compared to the bad things that came from the
Communist Manifesto, there were still pros. Communism has a centrally planned economy, they
can quickly mobilize economic resources on a large scale, execute massive projects, and create
industrial power. The cons were multiple and a few examples are that it stems from its
elimination of the free market, laws of supply and demand meaning the government set the
prices, leading to the suppliers loss of the valuable feedback the prices provided them with, they
lost the up-to-date information about what the consumers needed, leading to a constant surplus of
items that were not needed, and a shortage of necessities. It also led citizens to create the black
market to get what they needed.
Both documents had various points that they put across, and they both affect the way
society works today. The Declaration of Independence taught us how to create a democracy that
works and it also gave us freedoms many countries do not have, like the right to vote. The
Communist Manifesto taught us that we can not run society as a communist only society and it
all works. However that did not stop a few countries from becoming a rule under communism.
Some communist countries that we have today are China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and
Vietnam.
While both documents taught us a lot as time went on, they also helped us understand and
learn that certain ways of life are not one we would want to live. While some people do not get
that choice, being in the United States, we have more freedom than any country out there. We
live in a socialist and capitalist society and we have proven to be fairly content as a country, and
we attract many immigrants who want the freedoms we have. While we are not the best country
out there, we do have more freedoms than any other. In the future, we will more than likely
always keep a democracy and stick with the ways that we have learned to work the best.