communism essay questions

117 Communism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best communism topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on communism, 💡 most interesting communism topics to write about, ❓ questions about communism.

• Similarities and Differences Between Communism and Democratic Socialism This is because, according to the proponents of both ideologies, in Capitalist countries, the majority of ordinary citizens are denied the right to have a fair share in the national wealth.
• Communism and Nazism Additionally, the two doctrines Nazism and Communism assert that, it is the economy, which is responsible for all goods and services, and therefore, the public should plan, control and own these goods and services through […]
• Rhetorical Analysis of the Communist Manifesto A famous philologist and linguist Bakhtin described the use of language in its relation to the particular circumstances and he emphasized the process of subject formation: “pre-empts the phenomenological theory of the subject by producing […]
• Communism and Totalitarianism: Political Ideologies Comparison As much as this is a good policy for the good of the larger population, it hinders the development of the agriculture sector of the economy that is the backbone of most economies especially in […]
• Communism and Its Worldwide Impact The idea was to redistribute the wealth of the upper class among the poorer cohort of the population in order to achieve this equality, but it was also vital to communism that all manufacturing be […]
• Christians in Communism and Capitalism After viewing the video “The Cold War in Context,” the role of Christians in analyzing the war and the concepts of capitalism and communism can be clarified.
• Communist Manifesto, Time and Social Issues The primary issue of the manifesto is the vagaries in which the bourgeoisie subject and subjugate the proletariat, all in the struggle for private property.
• The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx Marx predicted the persistent demo of commoditization and additional escalating growth of the capitalist bazaar as one day pursuing the bourgeoisie above the facade of the world.
• Love and Marriage during the Era of Mao in Communist China In the Mao era, the law did not allow polygamous marriage in the Chinese community and through such, the sale of young females within the society ended.
• Capitalism vs. Communism: Economic Ideologies Clash A positive example of this mix is Israel, where socialism is dominant in the rural areas and capitalism, is dominant in the urban areas, this has led to an increase in the welfare of the […]
• The Anti-Communist Movements’ Impact on the US The first was in 1917-1920 and was associated with the fear of revolution in the United States. In the second wave, despite some warming of relations between the USSR and the U.S.in the 1930s, back […]
• Nazism in Germany and Communism in the Soviet Union In particular, it is essential to note that they were characterized by totalitarian thinking as one of the distinguishing features of the first half of the twentieth century and the times of faith in science […]
• McCarthyism and Anti-Communist Campaigns Hence, 1917 was the starting point and impetus for the development of communism and movements against the “Reds,” when the number of strikes in the United States increased against the background of the Russian Revolution.
• Boyer’s The Historical Background of the Communist Manifesto The central argument of Boyer is that Marx wrote this Manifesto during the “hungry”1840s, years when there was a collapse in the economic sector, and communism was well thought of during the coming up of […]
• The U.S. Reforms Against the Spread of Communism Though the U.S.did not manage to protect South Vietnam from communist forces, its spread to the rest of Southeast Asia was blocked, and it is possible to consider this reform effective.
• Successful Anti-Communist Foreign Policies This allowed the U.S.to maintain a capitalist presence in Berlin and convinced Western Europe that the new enemy was the communist U.S.S.R.
• Impact of Communism on the Plot Development First of all, it is necessary to mention that the political theme in the novel is represented as the background of the main theme and the main occasions of the plot.
• Fully Automated Luxury Communism It is often presented as a more humane alternative to capitalism and the ultimate solution to most problems caused by the system.
• Education in Marxism: The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx is the founder of new doctrine and the author, together with Friedrich Engels, of the Communist Manifesto, one of the most influential documents in the history of humankind.
• World History in The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx Communism is the political and economic teaching which goal is to abolish private property and a profit-based economy and introduce public ownership and communal control of the resources instead.
• End of Communism in Eastern Europe This was followed by the Marxist facts in Europe that de-Stalinized the Soviet Union and led to the easing of the cold war in the 1950’s.
• Destiny of the Post-Communist Countries After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the direction of the country’s development changed greatly. The economy of the Soviet Union was not centralized.
• Asian Studies: The Long March and Communist Cause In conclusion, the Long March simplified the rise of Mao, strengthened communism military skill and helped streamline communism cause in China. The Long March contributed to the rise of Mao as the leader of communism.
• Reasons for the Collapse of Communism These economists believed that the problems encountered in society today are due to the unequal distribution of wealth and resources and hence to bring an end to this, the gap between the rich and type […]
• Historiography of East, West Frameworks on Eastern European Women During Communist Era While discussing women’s roles in the communist era of the Eastern Europe, Peto shows that in the post-communist there developed a feminist side of history, but before which history was grossly dominated by patriarchal views.
• Communism and Its Collapse Another occurrence that led to the development of communism was the Russian civil war which led to the state control of factories and railroads.
• Capitalism and Industrialization in the “Communist Manifesto” by Marx In fact, the Communist Manifesto is clear in indicating that industrialization was a process that led to the overall improvement of society in doing away with the hardships of the majority of the population.
• Communism in the Soviet Union In order to understand the processes which occurred in the Soviet Union and led to its disintegration and collapse, it is necessary to consider the development of the state, form of government, the state regime, […]
• Post-Communist Russian Politics Then throw is the challenge of having to establish a new platform that would aid in the promotion of cordial relationships between on the one hand, the military personnel and on the other hand, the […]
• Communism of Karl Marx and the Soviet Union The seizure of Winter Palace by the Bolsheviks gave birth to the communist movement in 1917, when and died in 1989, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and in 1991, when the Soviet Union […]
• Overview and History of Communism: New Socialist System After 1917 It contributed to the decline of the empires of the European powers while giving a tremendous boost to the influence of the united state of America; it led to the overthrow of Russian tsarism and […]
• Chinese’s Perspective of the Communist Party The Cultural Revolution that took place in China in the 1960s and the event that took place in Tiananmen Square has completely changed the political landscape in China and at the same time, the Chinese […]
• Effects of Fall of Communism in Russia The elevation of Mikhail Gorbachev as the successor of Stalin brought about “perestroika” program whose aim was to restructure the political system of the Soviet Union.
• Different Aspects of Socialism and Communism After the collapse of the largest country in the world, the USSR, covering almost half of the continent, with the regime performing within this country, people tend to analyze the mistakes, which were made by […]
• Human Nature in Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto” and Dostoyevsky’s “Notes From Underground“ In such an arrangement, there is a tendency to have the opinion that the development of one individual is a benchmark for the development of another, which eventually leads to laxity among some individuals.
• Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto Analysis The class-consciousness in the capitalist society like United States, according to Marx was instilled in the minds of feudal and capitalist bourgeoisies and not in the working class proletariat.
• Karl Marx and the “Communist Manifesto” He outlined a framework of the future course of events on which he based prescriptions for a strategy on the part of those who wished to change the nature of society.= The Communist Manifesto was […]
• The Result of Western Capitalism Fueling Communism The paper starts with the history of China and elucidates the entry of western capitalism into China in different stages, including the historic opium wars.
• Cuba Remaining Communist: Discussion In order to determine the condition in which the country is in under the communist rule, the peculiarities of the communist ideology should be discussed in order to define its multiple faults and weaknesses and […]
• How the Soviet Union Caused War Using Communism The idea of communism lied on the basis of the organization of any sphere of life in the Soviet Union. Utilizing militarization of the national manufactory, propaganda, and terror, the Soviet Union leaders, managed to […]
• Communist Revolutions in China and North Korea Therefore, it is relevant to examine the events that were a catalyst for the communist revolution, which resulted in societal reconstruction and the remodeling of the ideological orientation.
• “The Manifesto of the Communist Party” by Marx & Engels They voiced their discontent with the capitalist mode of production instead of focusing on the possibilities of adapting a political theory that will favor collectivism in a classless society. In the third chapter of the […]
• World Communism in China and Its Failures Ideologies such as communism were known for excessive use of posters depicting the desired state of things and creating the image of the ideal world where everyone would work to benefit the state and leader.
• Communism Versus Organic Solidarity The article presents a brief overview of the meaning of the terms communism and organic solidarity and compares and contrasts them with respect to societal interactions.
• Economy of Capitalism, Communism, Fascism and Socialism Government structure: the structure of the government in the two countries, involves federal governments that are led by the political elites in the countries. The government has the duty of formulating policies that regulate the […]
• “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels Since the political views of the leaders were shaped in a different social environment and by the time Marx and Engels were coining The Communist Manifesto, European economy and society had undergone considerable development, there […]
• Communist Manifesto as to Production and Ideology The main difference between feudalism and capitalism lies in the possibility of the non-aristocratic people to become the bourgeoisie through owning the means of production.
• Communism in Asia: Crisis and Opportunities During the twentieth century, Communism was prospering in many countries of the world, particularly in the USSR and in Eastern Asia.
• The Documentary “The Lost World of Communism” Romania was no exception, and the period from the 1960s to the 1980s is known as an epoch of the Ceausescu dictatorship. It reveals the dreadful truth about the power of the Ceausescu family and […]
• Marx’s The Communist Manifesto in Historical Context The manifesto starts with words ” The history of all hitherto societies has been the history of class struggle,” class struggle is the most important force of history.
• History in Marx’s Manifesto of the Communist Party The Manifesto of the Communist Party is a powerful source of information about the most crucial force in history that is the attention to social and personal interests, the peculiarities of the bourgeoisie with its […]
• The Communist Manifesto and Japan in 20th Century The industrialization process in this country was contributed by many individuals and groups due to the communist’s way of governance in the country.
• “The Manifesto of the Communist Party” The authors of this manuscript provided their own explanation of the nature of the society, the gap between classes as its ever-present historical characteristic, and the predicted development and failure of the capitalist way of […]
• US Anti-Communism in “Memories of the Red Decade” The intended audience of the article includes historians and scholars interested in this subject, ideological sympathizers of the author, and the students of History Departments willing to study the inside of Communist moods and movements […]
• Chinese Communist Party and Authoritarian Regime According to Pye, “the turmoil of Cultural Revolution in China and the subsequent crisis of legitimacy…have been central features of traditional Chinese political culture”.
• The Chinese Communist Party The country’s contentious politics contribute to the stabilization of the authoritarian regime, which has eased political transition to the extent that the country has failed to achieve democratization.
• Chinese National Identity and Communist Revolution In the aftermath of the Revolution of 1911, the Chinese realized themselves citizens, in the Western sense of this word. The validity of this statement can be illustrated, in regards to the passage of a […]
• Latin American and Post-Communist Democracies To compare the historical weaknesses of Latin American democracies and the modern vision of the post-communist democracies, it is necessary to determine the criteria according to which it is possible to assess the level of […]
• Communism in Eastern Europe Therefore, when the call of solidarity was made, there were a lot of people ready and willing to be part of the movement. To them, solidarity was a way of fighting against the evils in […]
• China Communist Party & Economics Introduction China is considered to have been one of the largest and most advanced economies in the world during the nineteenth century. The country’s economy stagnated since the 16th century (Liao 191). In totality, China’s economy deteriorated between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. However, there was a brief recovery during 1930s. Economic reforms that ushered […]
• Communism Collapse in the USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was one of the earliest communist societies to embrace the ideologies of communism. The collapse of communism in the USSR began in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin […]
• The Communism History: Red Scare and McCarthyism Facts The quote means that the world was afraid of a new World war to happen; this is why the most powerful states of the planet became very suspicious of each other.”The climate of fear and […]
• Socialist Market Economy and Communism in China A socialist economy is defined as an economy whose main objective is to create equality and ensure that the means of production in the market is owned by the working class of the state. The […]
• The United States Confrontation to Communism By 1962, the Russian premier maintained the same uncertainty on the nuclear potential of the US, who were a prime threat to the Soviet Union.
• The Cultural Revolution in China and the Chinese Communist Party The need to address Mao’s interests in the rivalry with his opponents was disguised in the fight for the preservation of socialism in China through the Cultural Revolution.
• Afghan Communism and Soviet Intervention The purpose of this paper is to get a better perspective and understanding of Afghan communism and the Soviet intervention by critically analyzing the communism ideology and how it aided the Soviet Union to join […]
• Transition from communism to socialism The change in the country’s governance would imply that the ideas and behaviors that people hold to must also change. The importance of religion and civil freedom in relation to our behaviors becomes manifest.
• Did the structure of international security fundamentally change with the collapse of communism? To do so what will be examined are the reasons why communism collapsed, the impact of communism on the international security infrastructure, the way in which national interests and ideologies affected the structure of international […]
• The Reasons behind the Success of the 1949 Communist Revolution in China The emergence of the state of Communist China in 1949 was one of the most significant events of the 20th century and the Communist Revolution which led to its emergence is hailed as one of […]
• How Realistic or Desirable Was Marx’s Idea of Communism? This was to be made possible through nationalization of the means of production and putting them under the control of the workers; the individuals who he viewed to be the major producers of wealth.
• Equality to All? Karl Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto” In many western nations, the classical movement was driven by the quest to transform the economy and the political philosophy. The intention was to meet the needs and aspirations of the colonial powers.
• Communism in the 20th Century China Although the Japanese remained in control of the cities, the people of China started to view the communists as the probable force behind China’s liberation.
• The Communist Party in Russia Brief Historical Overview The collapse of the Soviet Union initiated the decline of the Communist party with the decline reaching an ultimate following the outlawing of the party by Boris Yeltsin.
• Communism in China and Its Effects Consequently, the stretch of communism in the region resulted into the establishment of the People Republic of China in the fiscal nineteen forty-nine.
• The communist Party in the Soviet Union and China This paper explores some of the factors that may account for the failure of the communist party in Russia, as well as factors contributing to the success of the Communist party in China2.
• Triumph at Kapyong: Canada’s Response to Communist Attacks The book focuses on the Battle of Kapyong, a minor group of hills in the northeastern part of Seoul and Bjarnason as well uses most of his story to explain the incidents which resulted to […]
• Global Culture: Communism Ideologies Relative to Arjun Appadurai’s Argument Appadurai argues that the complexity of global culture is due to economic, political, and social disjunctures that exist in the modern world.
• Gorbachev’s Ideas: Communist Society and Economy Lack of support from the commoners and the leaders led to very slight changes in the economy. In conclusion, not all of Gorbachev’s efforts to improve the country’s economy bore much fruits.
• Socialism and Communism after Marx However; Karl Marx failed in his Marxism theory as a result of the establishment of the middle class. Following Karl Marx’s demise in 1844, Friedrich Engels who was became the narrator of the Marxism theory […]
• How Does Revolutionary Communism Compare With Democratic Socialism? Revolutionary communism holds it that the capitalism would never let go of their hold on community and political power and as such, only a violent revolution can result in the changes that communism calls for.
• Capitalism Versus Communism In the case of capitalism this comes in the form of the widening gap between the rich and the poor while in the case of communism this comes in the form of economic stagnation due […]
• Influence of Nationalism and Communism on the Non-Western World In countries like Japan, class mantra was the order of the day in the areas that were controlled by communists, the CCP which was the main political party was against agrarian radicalism and hence abandoned […]
• Marx’s and Engels’s Communist Manifesto The chain of events starting with the overthrow of the monarchy in the French revolution eroded the traditional power base of Europe, leading to the rise of a new class of oppressors among the serfs […]
• How Capitalism Beat Communism/Socialism This is exactly the reason why USSR was doomed to collapse in just about every society, the functioning of which is being concerned with the observance of Socialist principles, the prolonged continuation of social, cultural […]
• Journey into the Whirlwind: A True Story of an Ordinary Communist Woman She is often at the death’s doors, but she manages to stay alive “to spite them” as she is “consumed by the desire to survive the tragedy”. In spite of her lasting imprisonment and all […]
• The Communist Manifesto: the Statement of Germany Revolutionary Group In the description on the manifesto, the argument shows the division of the society along the line of bourgeoisie or the capitalists who engage in the production fields such as milling, mining and other industrial […]
• Why Is the Transition From Communism So Difficult?
• Has Communism Been Good for Cuba?
• Why the Vietnam War Was an Unsuccessful Effort by the United States Against Communism?
• How Did Albania Change From a Communism to Democracy?
• Why Was the USA Unable to Defeat Communism in Asia Between 1965-1973?
• Was Mikhail Gorbachev Responsible for the Fall of Communism in Russia?
• How Did Australia Respond to the Threat of Communism in 1950?
• Was Americas Main Aim to Stop the Spread of Communism in Europe?
• How Did Communism Influence the US Foreign Policy After WWII?
• What Caused the Clash Between Communism and Capitalism During the Cold War?
• How Did Communism Succeeding in China Affect U.S. Foreign Policy?
• What Does Animal Farm Tell Us About George Orwell’s Attitude to Communism Under Stalin?
• How Did Modern Communism Fail?
• What’s Wrong With Communism?
• How Far Was Fear of Communism the Main Reason for the Rise to Power of the Nazi Party?
• What Was Life Like Under War Communism?
• How Did the Anti-communism Cold War Undermine Some U.S. Freedoms?
• When and Why Did Communism Emerge?
• How Did the United States Attempt to Stop the Spread of Communism Post-WWII?
• Who Was the Man Behind Communism?
• How Did the United States Contain Communism in the Cold War?
• Why Did Communism and the Soviet Union Collapse by 1991?
• How Was America Affected by the Fear of Communism Between 1945 and 1960?
• Why Did North Vietnam Embrace Communism?
• How Was Cuba and China Lost to Communism?
• Why Does Communism Work for China but Not for Russia?
• How Was Soviet Life During Communism?
• Why Did Karl Marx Think Communism Was the Ideal Political Party?
• What Is Socialism and How Is It Different From Communism?
• Why Is Communism Considered as Evil (Like Fascism and Nazism) In the United States?
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136 Communism Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on communism, ✍️ communism essay topics for college, 👍 good communism research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting communism research titles, 💡 simple communism essay ideas, ❓ questions about communism.

• Communism in Dave Eggers’s “The Circle”
• Communism: Theory and Reality
• History: The Communist Revolution in East Asia and the Cold War
• Communism and Liberalism’ Diplomacy
• History: Communist Revolutions in East Asia
• McCarthyism and Anti-Communist Campaigns: The Role of Senator McCarthy’s Speech and Red Scare
• Fascism and Communism Ideologies Comparison
• McCarthyism and Anti-Communist Campaigns Within his speech in the State Department, Joseph McCarthy defined communist nations as a significant threat to the United States.
• Anti-Communist Campaign and Film Industry The American society has for a long time been enchanted by reconstructing history on film. Filmmakers in the country have always tried to convey their translations of history through films.
• Communism, Fascism, and the Outbreak of the Second World War The two important ideologies of the first half of the 20th century are communism and Fascism. Despite certain similarities between the two, they are strikingly different.
• Marxism: The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels can still be regarded as relevant to the nowadays political social and economic situation; however, there is no more class struggle.
• “The Communist Manifesto” Book by Marx and Engels The relationships between freemen and slaves are frequently discussed in modern society to find out the roots of social inequality.
• Communist Manifesto vs. the Capital The Communist Manifesto expresses Communist theories while Capital is a scholarly examination of the formation and collapse of an economic system.
• The New Class: Communism and Political Bureaucracy The “new class” has become a tyrannical monster that distorted all noble ideas championed by the communist ideology.
• Communism in China and Its Origins Communism started due to China’s large population, the industrial revolution, and the introduction of the CCP.
• The People’s Republic of China: Impact of the Communist Revolution The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949 following the Chinese Communist Revolution, which had a profound impact on China’s political, social, and economic spheres.
• Communism Economic System in China The communist system has led to mixed reactions among Chinese and diverse views on its impact on China’s relationship with other countries.
• “The Communist Manifesto” Book by Karl Marx The work “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx, depicts the bourgeoisie and the proletariat and how their lives are affected by the domination of the former as a ruling class.
• Communism and Fascism Ideologies of the 20th Century Communism and fascism became the two defining ideologies of the last century. People became adherents of one direction or another and were ready to defend it.
• Stance Against Communist Russia After World War I After World War I, US President Woodrow Wilson took significant steps toward establishing a strict regime of non-acceptance of Soviet ideology and political isolation.
• World War II and Communism Impact on the US Over the decades, the central economic policy that contributed to the significant growth index in America has been capitalism.
• Different Opinions of Communism From Clara Zetkin and Slavenka Drakulic The paper argues communism and feminist have variant ideas about women’s liberation of their rights and freedom.
• The Chinese Communist Party’s Economic Adaptation The Chinese Communist Party has been surprisingly flexible in its economic policies in 1949 – arguably more so than any other Party claiming adherence to communism.
• The Rise and Fall of Communism After World War II Czechoslovakia’s communism was flawed and destined for failure, being devoted to the Russian paradigm and unsuited for a better-industrialized society.
• American International Policies to Thwart Communism Expansion The United States used the domino theory, which held that if a single country fell under the influence of communists, the surrounding countries would inevitably follow.
• Poland: Democratic Nation vs. Communist Country Differences between people living in a democratic nation and a communist country are apparent by looking at Poland before and after communism.
• Transitology in Post-Communist Societies Transitology is a unique theoretical direction that explains the transition from authoritarianism to democracy.
• Communism in Europe and America After World War II A review of the factors leading to communist growth in Europe and its failure in the United States is valuable for understanding this critical historical period and its outcomes.
• Karl Marx’s Communism Manifesto Karl Marx who was a political theorist alongside another German called Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto with the aim of improving the relationship among people.
• Proletariat and Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx This paper will describe the situation of the proletariat and the solution proposed by Marx to the problems of this class.
• How Did the Collapse of Communism Transform Eastern Europe? This paper discusses the collapse of communism in 1989, historical perspective of the collapse, process of political and economic transformation after 1989.
• The Influence of Communism in European Labour Unions in the 20th century Socialism and communism were the political thoughts that tried to replace the socioeconomic problems of capitalism in the 20th century.
• Karl Marx: Manifesto of the Communist Party Marx visualizes and blames the traditional feudal relationship for creating only two classes, among which the bourgeois class is the enhancement of capital over wage labor.
• Communist Manifesto Relation to Other Writers Manifesto of the Communist Party by K. Marx and F. Engels is within the concepts of communism, the decline of capitalism, the class struggle, and the ability of the working class.
• Anti-Communist and Anti-Islam Rhetoric One of the bright examples of such manipulation is the cultivation of the irrational fear of communism during the Cold War by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
• Truman’s Speech on Fear of Communism and Islam The speech was a direct attack on President Truman’s foreign policy, which McCarthy claimed was treasonous because it allowed communist sympathizers to run the State Department.
• Fear of Communism and Islam Joseph McCarthy was famous for his anti-communist rhetoric that resulted in the emergence of a trend called McCarthyism.
• Communist Revolutions and Cold War in East Asia This analytical treatise attempts to explicitly review the historical significance of communist revolutions in East Asia, especially in China and North Korea.
• Totalitarian Autocracies Theory: Fascism and Communism Depending on the different criteria there may be distinguished several kinds of the political regimes. These kinds are presented by the wide range of the political methods of power.
• Revolutionary Communism vs. Democratic Socialism Revolutionary communism and democratic socialism are examples of political ideologies that were byproducts of Marxism.
• The Communist Manifesto: Values and Goals The Communist Manifesto was written by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels in late 1847 and published in February 1848. It contains a summary of the Communist values and aims.
• The Rise and Fall of Classical Communism This paper discusses the progression of industrialization using the speeches of Stalin, and the changes in Europe that brought the power of communism to its end.
• The Communist Revolution in East Asia This paper looks into the historical significance of the Communist Revolution in East Asia. It also discusses the context and outcomes of the Cold War in East Asia.
• Communism as the U. S. National Paranoia Because of the desire to keep the integrity of the American society, the fear for the Red Plague, as known as the communists, has been cultivated in the United States for decades.
• Communism: Theory v. Practice The ideas of Communism appeared in the middle of the nineteenth century and were expressed in works of Carl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
• The Status of Capitalism in Communist China In the current paper, the author reviews some of the important factors needed for a capitalist economy to produce wealth. The discussion will be made in relation to DeSoto’s arguments.
• The Truman Doctrine and America’s Control of Communism
• Difference Between Socialism and Communism
• Link Between Income Inequality in the US and Communism and Oligarchy in Turkey
• The Better Things That Happened After the Fall of Communism in Europe and the US
• Costs Outweighing Benefits From Communism in the 20th Century Leading To a Negative Society
• Conflict, Communism, and Fascism in the Weimar Government
• Gorbachev and the Fall of Soviet Communism
• Communism and Its Role in Changing the Political Culture of Its Time
• Relationship Between Communism and Fascism
• 19th Century America and the Effects of Communism
• Peaceful Transition From Communism in East-Central Europe
• America: Clash With Communism
• Communism and Capitalism Led to Cold War
• Marxism Philosophy and Modern Communism
• Chinese Peasants and Communism
• Communism and Its Impact on the Postwar World
• Contrast Between Capitalism and Communism
• Communism and Marxist Ideologies and the Soviet Union
• Chinese Communism and Women
• The Truth About Communism and Totalitarianism in George Orwell’s Novel 1984
• The Factors That Contributed to the Fall of Communism in Russia
• Pope John Paul II’s Influence on the Fall of Communism
• Differences Between Capitalism, Communism, and Socialism
• China’s Historic Transformation From a Dynasty to Communism
• Communism, National, Liberalism and the Outcome of World War I
• Democracy and Communism During World War II
• Cold War Ended Due to the Failure of Communism
• The Hunt for Communism During the McCarthyism in America
• Communism, Capitalism, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War
• Chinese Philosophy and Communism
• Government, Militarily, and Communism in Greek Sparta
• The Late 1940s and Early 1950s on the Communism
• Individual and State Roles in Communism According to Marx and Engels
• The Advantages and Disadvantages of Communism in America
• Vietnam War: The Product of Capitalism and Communism
• The Difference Between Socialism and Communism
• Corruption and Bad Economy in Cee Countries as a Result of Communism
• Cuban Doctors, Communism Versus Socialism, and North Korea Versus India
• Communism and Its Effect on Society
• Karl Marx and the Rise of Communism
• Communism and the Anti-Communist Rhetoric
• War Communism and the New Economic Policy
• Soviet Communism and the Soviet Union
• Between Communism and Capitalism: Long-Term Inequality in Poland, 1892-2015
• Applied Communism Gave the Power to Vote to Citizens Over Eighteen
• Communism and Cold War Tension Assignment
• History, the Bourgeoisie, the Proletariat, and Communism
• The U.S. Contained Communism in Vietnam
• Communism and Starvation During 20th Century China
• The Russian Revolution Overthrows the Stronghold of Communism
• New Regimes Taken Siege After the Demise of Communism
• Communism, Mind Control, and Acts of Rebellion for Freedom
• Anti-communism and American Foreign Policy: 1945-1970
• Ethical and Social Aspects of Communism Compared to Capitalism and Democracy
• Life Before and After the Fall of Communism in the Czech Republic
• Political Changes Gave Birth to Communism in Russia
• America’s Communism Scare and the Hollywood Blacklist
• The Clash Between Confucianism and Communism
• The Propaganda of the Communism in the United States
• Communism and Its Effects on the United States
• What Are the Main Differences Between Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism?
• How Did the Cold War Stop Communism?
• Why Is Communism Good for the Economy?
• How Many Types of Communism Are There?
• Why Did the US Prevent Communism?
• Did the US Succeed in Containing Communism During the Cold War?
• What Happened During the Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe?
• How Did the US Fail to Contain Communism in Vietnam?
• What Factors Led to the Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe?
• Does Communism Have a Government?
• Why Was the Fall of Communism in East Germany Significant?
• How Did Truman Stop the Spread of Communism?
• Which Factor Contributed to the Fall of Communism in the Soviet Union?
• Is Fascism a Reaction to Communism?
• Where Does the Word “Communism” Come From?
• What Is Karl Marx’s Theory of Communism?
• How Does Communism Affect the Economy?
• Was the United States Successful in Containing the Spread of Communism?
• How Did the End of Communism in the Soviet Union Differ From Communism’s Demise in China?
• What Are the 5 Main Characteristics of Communism?
• Does the Berlin Wall Relate to Communism?
• How Did a Threat of Communism During the Cold War Affect the United States?
• What Was America’s Response to Communism?
• How Does Communism Affect Society?
• In Which Way Are Communism and Fascism Alike?
• How Does Communism Affect Social Classes in “Paradise of the Blind” and “House of the Spirits”?
• What Was the Ideological Goal of Communism?
• How Did Communism End in China?
• Why Did Communism Start in the Soviet Union?
• How Did Karl Marx Influence Communism?

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These essay examples and topics on Communism were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

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Questions About Communism

• Why Is the Move from Communism So Difficult?
• Is Communism Beneficial to Cuba?
• Why Was the Vietnam War an Unsuccessful American Effort Against Communism?
• How Did Albania Transform from a Communist to a Democratic State?
• Why Was the United States Unable to Defeat Communism in Asia from 1965 to 1973?
• Was Mikhail Gorbachev to Blame for Russia’s Communist Demise?
• How Did Australia React to the Communist Threat in 1950?
• Was America’s Primary Goal to Prevent the Spread of Communism in Europe?
• How Did Communism Influence US Foreign Policy Following WWII?
• What Caused the Cold War Conflict between Communism and Capitalism?
• How Did the Success of Communism in China Affect US Foreign Policy?
• What Does George Orwell’s Attitude toward Communism under Stalin Reveal in Animal Farm ?
• What Caused Modern Communism to Fail?
• What’s the Problem with Communism?
• To What Extent Was Fear of Communism the Primary Reason for the Nazi Party’s Rise to Power?
• How Was Life Under War Communism?
• How Did the Cold War’s Anti-Communism Campaign Undermine Some American Freedoms?
• What Caused the Rise of Communism?
• How Did the United States Attempt to Prevent Communism’s Spread After WWII?
• Who Was the Man Who Created Communism?
• How did the United States Keep Communism at Bay During the Cold War?
• What Caused Communism and the Soviet Union to Collapse by 1991?
• How Did the Fear of Communism Affect America between 1945 and 1960?
• What Motivated North Vietnam’s Adoption of Communism?
• How Did Communism Take Over Cuba and China?
• Why Does Communism Work So Well in China but Not in Russia?
• What Was Life Like in the Soviet Union During Communism?
• Why Did Karl Marx Believe that Communism Was the Ideal Political Party?
• What Exactly Is Socialism, and How Is It Distinct from Communism?
• Why Communism (Like Fascism and Nazism) Is Considered Evil in the United States?

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Home — Essay Samples — Government & Politics — Political Systems & Ideologies — Communism

Essays on Communism

Communism essay topics.

Communism is a political and economic ideology that has shaped the course of history and continues to be a topic of debate and discussion in academic circles. Whether you are studying political science, history, economics, or sociology, writing an essay on communism can provide a unique opportunity to explore the complexities of this ideology and its impact on society. In this guide, we will explore some compelling communism essay topics that can help you delve deeper into this fascinating subject.

1. The Rise of Communism: A Historical Analysis

One of the most popular communism essay topics is the exploration of the rise of communism and its impact on the world. You can examine the historical events and factors that led to the emergence of communism in countries such as Russia, China, Cuba, and Vietnam. Discuss the role of key figures such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Fidel Castro in shaping the ideology and its implementation.

2. The Ideological Foundations of Communism

Another interesting topic for an essay on communism is to delve into the ideological foundations of the ideology. You can explore the core tenets of communism as outlined by Marx and Engels in the Communist Manifesto, and analyze how these ideas have been interpreted and put into practice by different communist regimes around the world. Consider the principles of class struggle, the abolition of private property, and the vision of a classless society.

3. The Soviet Union and the Legacy of Communism

The rise and fall of the Soviet Union is a rich subject for an essay on communism. You can examine the impact of the Bolshevik Revolution, the consolidation of power under Stalin, the Soviet economic model, and the eventual collapse of the USSR. Consider the lasting legacy of communism in Russia and the former Soviet bloc countries, and how it continues to shape political and social dynamics in the region.

4. The Cultural Revolution in China

Another compelling topic for an essay on communism is the Cultural Revolution in China. You can explore the origins of the movement, its impact on Chinese society and politics, and its legacy in contemporary China. Consider the role of Mao Zedong in initiating the Cultural Revolution, the mass mobilization of the Red Guards, and the long-term effects on Chinese culture, education, and economy.

5. Communism and the Cold War

The Cold War is a pivotal period in modern history, and writing an essay on communism can provide insight into this global conflict. You can explore the ideological and geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, the spread of communism in Eastern Europe, and the proxy wars fought in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Consider the lasting impact of the Cold War on international relations and the global balance of power.

6. The Legacy of Communism in Contemporary Society

Finally, you can choose to write an essay on the legacy of communism in contemporary society. You can explore how former communist countries have transitioned to market economies and democratic political systems, and the challenges they continue to face in reconciling their past with the present. Consider the impact of communism on social inequality, political corruption, and cultural identity in post-communist societies.

When choosing a communism essay topic, it's important to consider the specific requirements of your assignment and your own areas of interest. You may also want to consider the availability of primary and secondary sources to support your research. Regardless of the topic you choose, writing an essay on communism provides a valuable opportunity to engage with complex ideas and historical events, and to develop a deeper understanding of this influential ideology.

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Essay Samples on Communism

Pointless struggle: the aftermath of the fall of the soviet union .

“I, like many others knew that the USSR needed radical change. If I had not understood this, I would have never accepted the position of General Secretary”, that was said by Mikhail Gorbachev. Over a long period of time, the Soviet Union or (USSR) stood...

• Soviet Union

Why Communism Is Good For People And Economics

  Joseph Stalin has dominated the Soviet Union for years in communism and the country has remained in our history from 1922 to 1991 with Stalin’s occupation from 1929 to 1953. Soviet Union was the biggest country in the world and its field was comparable...

• Joseph Stalin

Ronald Reagan's Speech On Capitalism And Communism

Reagan's speech was delivered to crowd of thousands while at the Berlin Wall to order Gorbachev bring the wall down to protect citizens freedoms. By arguing against the wall, the president would be able to repress communism which is what George Kennan attempted to do...

• Ronald Reagan

The Different Ideologies Of Capitalism, Socialism And Communism

The two belief systems are altogether different, they are both financial frameworks dependent on how society should function and its objective. Free enterprise depends on the normal challenge of creation in ventures and ranches for instance while communism is driven by balance with various classes....

The Issues Of America: Capitalism Vs Communism

Following quite a while of being a verboten belief system, communism is presently being proclaimed as an answer for the issues of America. Many in the broad communications, lawmakers both old and new, surely understood online life characters have all been vocally for the United...

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Karl Marx's Criticism Of Capitalism And View Of Communism

Marx criticized capitalism and proposed a solution for a better and stronger economy system, a system that will make our future safer where no one is lift behind (communism). Karl was not a big fan of capitalism because he saw how the workers are being...

The Debate On Capitalism And Communism Under Karl Marx's Philosophy

No one would be opposed to a world without poverty, but this is a tough concept to imagine. What most people fail to realize is that a world without poverty is not as far out of reach as most might think. Communism is an economic...

Different Forms Of Government: Communism Versus Democracy

Among different forms of the government, democracies overwhelmed other major systems that it somehow is being more questioned by intellectuals that created our democratic system. It has come to question whether all countries are democratic or but does raise a possible obstacle for the future....

• Democracy in America

The Manifestation Of Communism And Democracy In Us And Europe

Since the early 1500s, the manifestation of God throughout Europe was a spiritual revolution and the norm of society. God was known in every household as the answer to all questions and the explanation of the unexplainable. God was the center of the universe thus...

Tensions Between West And East Germany During Cold War And Their Reunification

In the late 18th century, Germany was very divided while simultaneously facing the threat of Napoleonic forces. This hurtful division was shortly realized by nationalists who supported the ideas of a single, unified Germany. Nationalism is the ideology of having an individual's political identity aligned...

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The Inevitable Role Of Marxist Ideals And Mass Psychology In Modern Day American Society

Karl Marx and Gustave Le Bon were philosophers from a distant time. Whilst Marx tackled issues of class and revolution, Le Bon focused on a crowd’s mindset within a mass society. These two philosophers seem to hold different ideals, at first. However, with a closer...

• Communist Manifesto

Impacts Of The Red Scare On The Canadian Society

The “Red Scare” is a powerful and controversial term used to promote communism within a society. In the late 1940s, the cold war was declared in Canada which was against the Soviet Union and the beginning of the western democratic becoming suspicious of the communist...

History of Socialism and Communism in China

What is Socialism and Communism? And what it is like in China? Answers are not easily available. The country holds its secret as close to its chest as freemasons used to do. Socialism believes in private ownership and distribution based on contribution to production. On...

History of Communism and Its Foundations

Abstract Communism was associate degree economic-political philosophy supported by revolutionist and socialist within the last half of the nineteenth century. Marx and socialist met in 1844, and discovered that they'd similar principles. In 1848 they wrote and printed 'The Communist Manifesto.' They desired to finish...

Factors that Assisted Stalin During His Rise to Power

Although it appears that the factors which assisted Stalin’s ascent to power were interconnected and equally important, the pivotal reason for Stalin’s rise to prominence was due to the influence of the Party Machine, “His control of the party machinery gave him indirectly control of...

• Leon Trotsky

The Positive and Negative Sides of Vladimir Lenin's Leadership

Vladimir Lenin was a very sharp and powerful man who changed history in many different ways. He was the founder of the Russians communist party and the inspiration to the Russian Revolution. Prior to 1917, Russia was dated and falling behind the rest of the...

• Vladimir Lenin

Social Stratification Perspectives: Dahrendorf, Lenin, And Mao Tse Tsung

Social Stratification for Schaefer and Lamm (1995:209) means a structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society. In other words, stratification is an existing pattern of inequality in which a status of an individual is classified...

• Social Stratification

The Evaluation of Soviet Foreign Policy in the Interwar Period

Introduction The new Bolshevik government did not seem to survive in November 1917. After 24 years, in the autumn of 1941, few observers thought the Stalinist dictatorship to last out the year. These two facts showed the primary aim of foreign policy of the Soviet...

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The Progress Industrialization in China

In 1949, Mao Zedong established the Communist Peoples Party that tries to solve China’s problem of land distribution and poverty. Mao changed China's social and political order. Before 1949, China was a divided country with no national identity and pride, this limited progress. Mao instilled...

• Industrialization

United States' Stance on Vietnam War

During the early years of the Vietnam War, many American supported liberating South Vietnam from communist influence. Communism was a spread of ideas that threatened free government globally and it was not tolerated by the United States. When the war began to be seen as...

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McCarthyism vs Trumpism: The Parallels

Senator Joseph Mccarthy of Wisconsin gained political power through the capitalization of society’s fear of communism in the 1950’s by falsely accusing innocent people of political corruption, these actions created a deep-rooted problem that is still ingrained in the government, entertainment industry, and American history....

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What Che Guevara is Famous for: Political Life of a Freedom Fighter

Che Guevara is known for his image that has been plastered on millions of t-shirts. Most of those who wear Che’s image just think that it looks cool or symbolizes defiance. Yet they generally know very little of the man and his ideas. The mainstream...

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Maria Brito'S Art And Her Homeland Perspective

Maria Brito came from difficult circumstances, but pushed past struggles and continued to aim for the stars. Born in Cuba, Brito lived there until 1959 when Batista was overthrown and Cuba became a communistic country. She, and her brother, then escaped to the United States....

• World History

The Comparison Of Capitalism, Communism & Socialism

The dictionary definition of capitalism is “an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.” Capitalism makes it so that someone with very minimal wealth and resources can work their...

Best topics on Communism

1. Pointless Struggle: the Aftermath of the Fall of the Soviet Union 

2. Why Communism Is Good For People And Economics

3. Ronald Reagan’s Speech On Capitalism And Communism

4. The Different Ideologies Of Capitalism, Socialism And Communism

5. The Issues Of America: Capitalism Vs Communism

6. Karl Marx’s Criticism Of Capitalism And View Of Communism

7. The Debate On Capitalism And Communism Under Karl Marx’s Philosophy

8. Different Forms Of Government: Communism Versus Democracy

9. The Manifestation Of Communism And Democracy In Us And Europe

10. Tensions Between West And East Germany During Cold War And Their Reunification

11. The Inevitable Role Of Marxist Ideals And Mass Psychology In Modern Day American Society

12. Impacts Of The Red Scare On The Canadian Society

13. History of Socialism and Communism in China

14. History of Communism and Its Foundations

15. Factors that Assisted Stalin During His Rise to Power

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History Grade 11 - Topic 1 Contextual Overview

What is Communism?

Communism is a social, economic, and political ideology whose aim is to establish a communist society in which there is a collective ownership of the means of production [1] . The goal of communism is to eliminate social classes in society. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are considered the founding fathers of communism [2] . Communism believes that the current order of society comes from capitalism. Communism views capitalism as a system which mainly consists of class struggles between the proletariat (working class) who make up the majority of the population and the bourgeoise (capitalists), who make profit from exploiting the working class through private ownership of the means of production and they form the minority of the population. Communism believes that through a revolution , the working class could seize power and establish social ownership of the means of production where the main goal would be to transform society into a more equitable one towards communism). Karl Marx was a key figure in conceptualising this ideology.

Karl Marx Writings:

Karl Heinrich Marx was born in Germany (5 May 1818- 14 March 1883) and was an economist, political theorist, and philosopher.  Karl Marx became stateless because of his work that mainly consisted of political publications which forced him to live in exile with his wife and children [3] . Marx’s best-known works include the 1848 pamphlet titled The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital which consisted of 3 volumes of this work. His works have had and continue to have a significant influence on intellectual, economic, and political history.

Marxism is collectively understood as Karl Marx’s criticisms of existing societal arrangements, economic and political systems as well as his offerings of alternative arrangements. Marxists believe that all human civilization has come out of conflict, more specifically, class conflicts. Class conflicts show themselves in the capitalist mode of production. In this mode of production, class conflicts arise from the differences between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie is better understood as the ruling class that owns and controls the means of production (land) and the proletariat would be the working class that exchange their time and labour for living wages, thus, allowing for production in the capitalist mode of production.

Part of Marx’s predictions around capitalism are that it would produce internal tensions that would lead to its own destruction followed by the replacement of that system by a new communist mode of production. The contradictions under capitalism would drive the proletariat to revolt against the capitalist system in a quest for political power and a classless and communist society categorised by a free association of producers. Marx actively advocated for this ‘Dictatorship of the Proletariat’, arguing that they (the proletariat) have the power to organise a proletarian revolution that would eventually lead to the capitalist system overthrown and begin to promote economic and political freedoms.

1905 Revolution: Issues that led to the Revolution

The Russian Revolution of 1905 which was also known as the First Russian Revolution was a time of mass social and political unrest which took place in various parts of the Russian government, some of which were aimed at the government [4] . The unrests took the form of worker strikes, peasant unrest and military rebels who wanted to overthrow the government. These strikes led to many constitutional reforms in Russia such as the establishment of a State Duma , the multi-party system, and the Russian Constitution of 1906.

The 1905 revolution was propelled and fuelled by various causes such as the Russian defeat in the war against Japan which ended in 1905. The revolution was also caused by a growing realisation by many sectors of society for the need for reform in Russia. In addition to this, the revolution was spurred on by newly emancipated peasants who were earning low wages with limited land rights and ownership. Ethnic and national minorities also added to the discontent in Russia as they resented the government because of how it oppressed and discriminated against them such as stripping them of voting rights and limiting their schooling options. Another sector of society were the industrial working class who hated the government for not protecting them and suppressing their voices by banning their strikes and labour unions. University students developed a new consciousness with growing radical ideas to overthrow the government was another major course of the revolution [5] . Collectively these issues created the recipe for the 1905 revolution.

Link between the 1905 and the 1917 revolution including political, economic and social causes:

Following the 1905 revolution, Nicholas 2nd (Russia’s last Emperor) promised the Russian people changes and better living conditions, however, he failed to do this and Russia’s social and economic problems continued. In 1914, Russia entered World War one to support their French and British allies (Wade, 2017) [6] . However, Russia’s involvement in the war became disastrous as their military was inferior to Germanies military which resulted in mass casualties that they had never faced before in previous wars.  This war caused food and fuel shortages in Russia which significantly increased inflation which crippled Russia’s economy (Wade, 2017).

Like the 1905 revolution, these conditions in 1917 caused demonstrations for bread and better living conditions by way of mass participation of workers and peasants. Even though authorities opened fire and killed protesters, they continued to protest and gained momentum. Eventually, the revolution brought an end to the Tsarist monarchy on February 1917. This victory saw Trotsky return to Russia and became the leader of the Bolsheviks [7] . Here Trotsky played a pivotal role in the October Revolution where they orchestrated the overthrow of the new provincial government. Following this, Trotsky was appointed the Commissar of foreign affairs in government and played an instrumental role in pulling Russia out of World War one. From 1918-1925 he oversaw the Red Army .  

The civil war and war communism:

After establishing peace with Germany, the Soviet state soon saw disgruntlement within itself from dissatisfied sections which did not approve of the radical policies of the Bolsheviks (Raleigh, 2002) [8] . To show their discontent, centres of resistance were formed in southern and Siberian Russia by anti-Communist forces who called themselves the whites who were led by former officers of the tsarist army. The Whites and the Red Army soon waged a civil war which would determine Russians future. By 1920, the communist were the clear victors of the Civil War (Raleigh, 2002). The White Army had been defeated and were divided and had not clear cause which led to their demise.

The Soviets state communists applied control in the economic life of the country by applying extreme measures which became known as war communism (economic policies applied by Bolsheviks during the cold war) [9] . This war communism meant coordinating Russia’s economic resources such as nationalising industry across Russia and rejecting workers control of these factories and brining in experts to run these.

Lenin’s seizure of control of the State:

After the overthrow of the Tsar in 1917, Russia came under the command of a Provisional Government which was against violent social reform and who continued Russia’s involvement in WW1. While this was happening, Lenin began planning a coup d'etat of the Provincial Government (Medvedev, 1979) [10] .  His selling point of this overthrow was advancing that workers and peasants should directly rule. This was welcomed by workers and peasants as they demanded immediate change in what became known as the October Revolution . Lenin secretly organised factory workers, peasants and soldiers in a successful coup d'etat which was bloodless (Medvedev, 1979). The Bolsheviks seized power of the government and by extension of the Soviet state and made Lenin the leader of the communist state.

Lenin’s economic policy:

In 1921, Lenin adopted the New Economic Policy (NEP) as a temporary retreat from its previous policy of extreme centralization and doctrinaire socialism. Lenin saw this economic policy as the one that would include a “free-market” and “capitalism”. These are assumed to be subject to state administration, whilst socialized state enterprises would function on a “profit-basis”. [11] In the light of the depressed Russian economy, the NEP and its insistence on market-oriented economic policies were deemed necessary after the Russian Civil War which dated from 1918 to 1922. In this context, the nationalization of industry (formed during the War Communism of 1918-1921) was partially withdrawn by the Soviet authorities and had thus implemented a system of mixed economy. On the one hand, this system allowed private individuals to own small enterprises . On the other hand, the state continued to regulate banks, foreign trade, and large industries . Furthermore, the NEP has dismantled prodrazvyorstka (forced grain-acquisition) and introduced a system known as prodnalog which basically imposed taxes on farmers, payable in the form of raw agricultural product. [12] This allowed them to keep and trade part of their produce. It is argued that, initially, this tax was paid in kind.

Thus, the adoption of the NEP signalled the promulgation of a new agricultural policy. For example, the Bolsheviks saw traditional village as ‘pre-modern’ and ‘backward’. Hence, the NEP only permitted private landholdings because the idea of the collectivized farming met strong backlash. In the light of severe economic conditions in Russia, Lenin’s policies opened up markets to the greater degree of free trade, hoping to lure the large population to increase production. However, James Gregor argues that Lenin’s policies did not only restore private property rights, profits, and a whole range of other capitalist enterprises, but his policies turned to international capitalist markets for support and aid. [13] Lenin had the belief that in order to achieve socialism, he had to create the “missing material prerequisites” of modernization and industrial development that made it possible for Soviet Russia "fall back on a centrally supervised market-influenced program of state capitalism". [14] In this regard, Lenin followed the logic of Marxist vision that a society must first reach the full stage of capitalism as a pre-condition for socialism to be inaugurated. Zickel, Raymond postulates the use of Marxism-Leninism as a concept to describe Lenin’s approach to economic policies which were seen to support policies that paved the way towards the realization of communism. [15] However, the death of Lenin in 1924 brought the NEP to an end.

At the start of the 1930s, Stalin implemented a host of radical that completely changed industrial and agricultural face of the Soviet Union. This came to be known as the Great Turn as Russia moved away from the near-capitalist NEP and instead adopted a command economy. The NEP adopted by Lenin was implemented in order to ensure the survival of the socialist state following seven years of war  (World War I, 1914–1917, and the subsequent Civil War, 1917–1921) and had reconstituted the Soviet production to its 1913 levels. However, Stalin and the majority of the Communist party felt that the NEP compromised communist ideals and did not deliver adequate economic performance, and this rendered the policy inadequate to create a socialist state. It was thus believed that the pace of industrialization had to be increased in order to catch up with the west.

In reading these important debates in the history of the Russian revolution, how and where do we position women’s involvement in these male-dominated spaces? The Russian Revolutions of 1917 saw the collapse of the Russian empire – a temporary government and the establishment of the world’s first socialist state under the Bolsheviks. In this regard, explicit comments were made to promote the equality of men and women.  It has been an article of faith in history writing in that men in society are considered the legitimate political subject, whilst women remain domesticated, confined to the home, and thus defined outside the domain of politics and economics. There is a clear line demarcated here between the private and the public sphere. The former is understood to be the mere zone of passivity, and thus its primary constituents (women) are rendered as ‘pre-revolutionary’ and ‘pre-political’ subjects in this regard. The latter is assumed to constitute the domain of politics. The experiences of women before the Russian revolution are no exception to these male dominated narratives of ‘formal’ political participation in public life. It was thus believed that the revolution would grant women the decorum to move out of the private realm and enter the public realm as revolutionary subjects.

These ideas underwrote the communist vision of women’s emancipation in Russia and elsewhere in the world.  Katie McElvanney’s work complicates this understanding and shows how women’s involvement in the Russian revolution merely put burden on them as they were expected to perform dual duties. On the one hand, they were expected to perform traditional demands of the private sphere i.e., taking care of children and a host of related traditional gender roles. On the other hand, they were expected to be active in the demanding politics of public life. It was mainly urban based, educated, and wealthy women who actively participated in the Russian revolution. As mentioned above, the traditional village life was viewed outside the domain of politics and economics. As a result, towards the end of the 19th century, many women began to migrate to industrial urban cities to work in factories or domestic service. It is in this context; they began to affiliate themselves to the revolutionary movements and furthered the project of women’s liberation.

Lenin’s interpretation of Marxism:

Karl Marx assumed and theorised that the working class would gain a collective class consciousness and be powerful enough because of their numerical advantage and be able to control the most vital sectors of industry to gain social and political power to form a classless and stateless society which was equal (Evans, 1993) [16] . Lenin’s theory can be considered a development of Marx’s theory. Lenin on the other hand had theorised that the minority working class of the Soviet Union could be able to conscientize and inspire peasants and other workers in other countries to seize state power and not abolish the state as in Marx’s analysis and political thinking

Lenin’s government deviated from Marxism temporarily by introducing the New Economic Policy (NEP) which was an economic policy adopted by the government from 1921-1928 which was a temporal retreat from their exclusive centralization and doctrinaire socialism (Richman, 1981) [17] .  The NEP replaced war communism as the official economic policy and war communism almost brought the Soviet economy near collapse. The NEP ended gran confiscation and replaced it with a fixed tax and people to own small businesses and allowed them to sell surplus goods which meant a return of market (Richman, 1981).

Women and the Russian revolution:

In 1905 the young Russian feminist movement were delighted by the uprising of 1905 which was followed by a loosening of some of the restrictions that women were subjected to and the creation of the national parliament. In 1908, there was a pushback to this and feminists had to retreat (Ruthchild & Goldberg, 2007) [18] . This meant that women were not allowed in institutions of higher learning and moral among liberal forces was low.

However, the outbreak of the war in August in 1914 came as a surprise and as a result the Empire was not adequately prepared for this. While men enrolled into the army, millions of women assumed new roles which were vacated by the men. Industrial centres saw a significant increase from 1914 to 1917. Women were assuming work roles and came out of domesticated roles as peasant women also took new roles taking over some of their husbands’ farm work. Some women fought directly in the war often disguised as men and thousands more served as nurses. These new roles women assumes during the war affected the subsequent roles women would play in the coming revolutions.

Following the collapse of the Provisional Government, the Bolsheviks created the world’s first socialist state. The Bolsheviks made conscious and explicit commitments to promote the equality of men and women. Even before this, many Russian working women and feminists actively participated in the war and were affected by the events of the war and thus were included in the new policies of the new government. The Bolsheviks advocated for liberalism and made Russia one of the first countries to allow women to vote. Amongst the laws the Bolsheviks implemented that liberated women were: liberalizing laws on divorce and abortion. decriminalising homosexuality and giving women a higher status in society.

The role of the Bolsheviks Government in changing the lives of women:

The first years of Bolsheviks rule inaugurated substantial changes to the lives of many women. Alexandra Kollontai was a people’s commissar for Social Welfare and the first woman in the Bolshevik Government. Through her activism and others, the question of women in the revolutionary struggle became more pronounced and this led a number of reforms concerning the liberation of women in public life. The provisional government that took power after the February 1917 overthrow of the Tsar promoted liberal values and made Russia the first major country that enfranchised women- giving them the right to vote and hold public office. In relation to reforms that transformed the lives of women, notably, the Family code of 1918, granted women equal status to men, secularized, granted equal legal rights to both ‘illegitimate’ (children born outside of wedlock) and ‘legitimate’ children, and allowed a couple to take either a husband or wife’s name once married. In addition, divorce became easily obtainable, abortion was legalized in the 1920s, and communal facilities for childcare and domestic tasks. These changes were instituted with the aim of relieving women of household chores.

However, these reforms that liberated women were short-lived. In the mid- to late 1920s, both public and party attitudes on family policy had leaned towards conservative politics. In the 1930s, Stalin reversed most of the progressive policies enshrined in Family code of 1918. In addition, closed the party’s women bureau in 1930s with the view that women’s emancipation has been achieved in the Soviet Union, and therefore this department was no longer necessary, according to him. This was a puzzling development considering the fact that women only constituted (on average) only 3-4% of the party’s central committee.

Death of Lenin and the power struggle:

After Lenin’s death in 1924, there was a power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky for who would be next in charge of the party and by extension, the country. The two did not see eye to eye in matter of policy in 1927 which led to Trotsky’s expulsion from the party which led to Trotsky going into exile in 1928 (Mandel, 1995) [19] . After Trotsky went into exile, this meant that Stalin became in charge of the state.

Two conflicting schools of thought dominated regarding the future of the Soviet union within the party after Lenin’s death. Trotsky believed that world revolution was necessary for socialism to survive in the Soviet union.  Stalin on the other hand was of the belief that socialism should be in one country. With this stance, Stalin ousted his opponents who advocated for world revolution as he gained support from the party’s right wing which was sufficient to get him to stay in power.

Stalin’s interpretation of Marxism-Leninism:

After  taking charge of the state, Stalin implemented various policies that came to be known as Stalinism . Stalinism were the policies and governance implemented by Stalin in his rule of the Soviet Union which reined from 1927 to 1953. Amongst these were one-party totalitarian police state, collectivization of agriculture and rapid industrialisation .

What this autocratic rule under Stalin did in the country was force anyone or any organisation it saw as a threat to hide their discontent with the state because being openly against the state meant either being arrested, executed, forced into labour in concentration camps or exiled.

The coming of the Second World War:

The Soviet union and Germany signed a peace agreement with Nazi Germany in 1939 (Roberts, 1995) [20] . Within this agreement was a secret clause that included how these two nations would divide certain parts of Eastern Europe such as Romania, Poland, Estonia and Finland. However. Germany invaded Poland on September 1 with the Soviet Union following the invasion of Poland as well on the 17th of September. However, the invasions of Eastern Europe caused tensions between the two nations as they did not stick to ‘their’ respective territories. 

On June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union.  With the help of its West allies, the Soviet Union managed to stop Germany. Over the next 4 years, the Soviet Union continued defending itself and eventually led to victory. While the Soviet Union managed to stop Germany from fully invading, it suffered the most casualties, losing more than 20 million citizens. Stalin met with Britain’s president Winston Churchill and the United States of Americas president Roosevelt at the Tehran Conference to discuss war against Germany and the future of Europe. In April 1945, Berlin finally fell with Germany defeated.

This content was originally produced for the SAHO classroom by Sebastian Moronell, Ayabulela Ntwakumba, Simone van der Colff & Thandile Xesi

[1] Douzinas, Costas and Zizek. “The idea of communism”. Verso Books, 2010. p. 145.

[2] Marx, Engels and Moore. Manifesto of the communist party. Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1972. p. 28.42.

[3] Werner. Karl Marx: an illustrated biography. Verso, 2000. p. 4.

[4] Abraham. The revolution of 1905: Russia in disarray. Vol. 1. Standford University Press, 1994. p. 127-150

[5] Abraham. The revolution of 1905: Russia in disarray. Vol. 1. Standford University Press, 1994. p. 304

[6] Rex. The Russian Revolution, 1917. Vol. 53. Cambridge University Press, 2017. p. 176

[7] Trotsky. History of the Russian revolution. Haymarket Books, 2008. p. 793

[8] Raleigh. Experiencing Russia’s civil war: politics, society and revolutionary culture in Saratov, 1917-1922. Prince University Press, 2002. p. 80

[9] Lih. “Bolshevik Razverstka and War Communism.” Slavic Review 45, no. 4 (1986): p. 673-688

[10] Medvev. The October Revolution. Columbia University Press, 1979. p.80-92

[11] Lenin, V.I. "The Role and Functions of the Trade Unions under the New Economic Policy", LCW, 33, p. 184., Decision of the C.C., R.C.P.(B.), 12 January 1922. Published in Pravda No. 12, 17 January 1922;  Lenin's Collected Works , 2nd English Edition, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1973, first printed 1965, Volume 33, pp. 186–196.

[12] Ibid.,

[13] A. James Gregor , Marxism, Fascism & Totalitarianism: Chapters in the Intellectual History of Radicalism, Stanford: CA, Stanford University Press, 2008, p. 55-56

[14] Ibid.,

[15] Zickel, Raymond E (1991).  Soviet Union a Country Study. 2nd ed . Washington D.C.: Library of Congress. Federal Research Division. pp.  64 . Important to note is that Marxist theory sees the revolution from an evolutionary perspective.

[16] Evans. Soviet Marxism-Leninism: the decline of an ideology. ABC-CLIO, 1993. p. 29-45

[17] Richman. “War Communism to NEP: the road from serfdom.” The Journal of Libertarian Studies 5, no.1, 1981. p. 89-97

[18] Ruthchild and Goldberg. “Women’s Suffrage and Revolution in the Russian Empire, 1905-1917.” Aspasia 1, no.1, 2007. p. 1-35

[19] Mandel. Trotsky as alternative. Verso, 1995. p.32.

[20] Roberts. The Soviet Union and the origins of the Second World War: Russo-German relations and the road to war, 1933-1941. Macmillan International Higher Education, 1995. p.62

• Ascher, Abraham. The revolution of 1905: Russia in disarray. Vol. 1. Stanford University Press, 1994.
• Blumenberg, Werner. Karl Marx: an illustrated biography. Verso, 2000.
• Douzinas, Costas, and Slavoj Žižek. "The idea of communism." (2010). Verso Books, 2010.
• Evans, Alfred B. Soviet Marxism-Leninism: the decline of an ideology. ABC-CLIO, 1993.
• Lih, Lars T. "Bolshevik Razverstka and War Communism." Slavic Review 45, no. 4 (1986): 673-688.
• Mandel, Ernest. Trotsky as alternative. Verso, 1995.
• Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, and Samuel Moore. Manifesto of the communist party. Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1972.
• Medvedev, Roy A. The October Revolution. Columbia University Press, 1979.
• Raleigh, Donald J. Experiencing Russia's civil war: politics, society, and revolutionary culture in Saratov, 1917-1922. Princeton University Press, 2002.
• Richman, Sheldon L. "War Communism to NEP: the road from serfdom." The Journal of Libertarian Studies 5, no. 1 (1981): 89-97.
• Roberts, Geoffrey. The Soviet Union and the origins of the Second World War: Russo-German relations and the road to war, 1933–1941. Macmillan International Higher Education, 1995.
• Ruthchild, Rochelle Goldberg. "Women's Suffrage and Revolution in the Russian Empire, 1905-1917." Aspasia 1, no. 1 (2007): 1-35.
• Trotsky, Leon. History of the Russian revolution. Haymarket Books, 2008.
• Wade, Rex A. The Russian Revolution, 1917. Vol. 53. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
• Blumenberg, Werner. Karl Marx: an illustrated biography. Verso, 2000.

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In Kyiv, Blinken Adds Rock Notes to a ‘Free World’ Message

The secretary of state, a longtime guitarist, strummed along to a song chosen to underscore a central message of President Biden’s foreign policy.

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Blinken Plays ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ for Ukraine Soldiers

During a visit to kyiv, secretary of state antony blinken played neil young’s “rockin’ in the free world” with a local band at a bar in a show of support for ukraine..

Listen, I know this is a really, really difficult time. Your soldiers, your citizens, particularly in the northeast in Kharkiv, are suffering tremendously. But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you. And they’re fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for the free world. And the free world is with you, too. So maybe we can try something? I don’t know if we can pull this off — we’ll see. [music: “Rockin’ in the Free World”] [cheering]

By Michael Crowley

Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine

At the end of a somber day in the Ukrainian capital, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken slipped into a seat at Barman Dictat, a crowded basement cocktail bar where a punk-jazz band was squealing away.

After a few songs, the band’s frontman called Mr. Blinken onstage on Tuesday and, by prearrangement, America’s top diplomat slung a red Epiphone guitar over his shoulder.

“I know this is a really, really difficult time,” said Mr. Blinken, who had discarded his typical dark suit and tie for blue jeans and a dark button-up shirt. It was a reference to recent Russian military gains. Ukraine’s soldiers, particularly in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, he said, “are suffering tremendously.”

“But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you,” he said, hitting the core message of his unannounced visit to Kyiv, a trip intended in part to spotlight nearly $61 billion in additional military aid signed into law by President Biden in April after months of delays mainly caused by a small band of right-wing House Republicans.

The troops, he said under bright stage lights, “are fighting not just for a free Ukraine but for the free world — and the free world is with you too.”

“So, maybe we can try something?” he added. “I don’t know if we can pull this off.”

A moment later, the band had started up, and Mr. Blinken — a longtime guitarist who has played in bands and even has a few tracks available on Spotify — began strumming the opening chords of Neil Young’s anthemic “Rockin’ in the Free World” with at least basic competence.

With its 1989 vintage and a chorus that matches its title, the song evokes America’s triumphalism as Soviet communism began to collapse. It was clearly chosen to underscore one of the central messages of Mr. Blinken’s tenure and the Biden presidency: that Western democracies are in a vital struggle with reactionary authoritarian forces.

To Mr. Blinken, Ukraine — a young democracy at war with Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia — is a front line of that battle.

Critics might question the song choice: the Canadian-born Mr. Young is no American nationalist, and the song’s lyrics are cutting about the state of an America with young mothers addicted to drugs, and mocked President George H.W. Bush’s promise of a “kinder, gentler” nation.

In that sense, the song is often misunderstood, much like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” — which is not a patriotic anthem but a stinging indictment of Reagan-era America. (That may be one reason Mr. Young sued President Donald J. Trump to stop him from playing his track at 2020 campaign rallies.)

Mr. Blinken’s onstage foray quickly drew barbs online from critics who, citing starvation in Gaza or horror in Kharkiv, said that this was no time for a cabinet official to be jamming in jeans. “This is not a serious administration,” a Republican National Committee account posted on the social media.

But the moment appeared to serve its purpose. A policy address by Mr. Blinken earlier in the day about long-term support for Ukraine was something less than a hit on social media. By Tuesday afternoon, however, his politically tinged rocking was going viral.

Michael Crowley covers the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The Times. He has reported from nearly three dozen countries and often travels with the secretary of state. More about Michael Crowley

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

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President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill allowing some Ukrainian convicts to serve  in the country’s military in exchange for the possibility of parole at the end of their service, a move that highlights Kyiv’s desperate attempts to replenish its forces.

NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces . The move would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war.

With his army making advances in Ukraine and his political grip tightened at home, President Vladimir Putin of Russia arrived in Beijing  in search of another win: more support from his “dear friend,” Xi Jinping .

World’s Nuclear Inspector: Rafael Grossi took over the International Atomic Energy Agency five years ago at what now seems like a far less fraught moment. With atomic fears everywhere, the inspector is edging toward mediator .

Frozen Russian Assets: As much as $300 billion in frozen Russian assets is piling up profits and interest income by the day. Now, Ukraine’s allies are considering how to use those gains to aid Kyiv .

Rebuilding Ukrainian Villages: The people of the Kherson region have slowly rebuilt their livelihoods since Ukraine’s military forced out Russian troops. Now they are bracing for another Russian attack .

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