Essay On Communism

The 20th century can undoubtedly be called the most eventful and violent period in the history of mankind: world wars, arms races, the threat of nuclear war, etc. It was a time of enormous transformations and clashes between powerful competing ideologies. The 20th century can be called the heyday of such a political doctrine as communism, the aim of which was the creation of new society based on the abolition of private property, which is the basis for capitalism.
At the beginning of 20th century parties, who called themselves the representatives of working class have grown rapidly. Some of them called themselves Marxist (Social Democratic Party of Germany, Austria, etc.). Communist parties separated from the most radical wing of the Social Democracy. The Social Democrats have traditionally advocated the expansion of political liberties, and Bolsheviks were actually opponents of the democracy and political liberties, and supporters of state interference in all spheres of life of society.
As a result of the World War I, the old empires have collapsed. However, the Russian Empire was a special case. After the collapse of the Tsarist Empire, the communist empire arose. Communists, who have seized the power on enormous expanses of the former Russian empire, used the terrible consequences of the World War I in very clever way: professional revolutionaries, who promise people such things as equality and social reforms, will gain the support of the people. So, communist ideology was forming during the World War I, gaining more and more power and influence, promoting the unification of the workers of all countries and the so-called dictatorship of the proletariat.
In the period between two world wars the communist ideology was completely formed, becoming more tyrannical. The biggest state, where the communist ideology predominated was the Soviet Union, which has become a major rival and enemy of the capitalist world. After Stalin's coming to power the communism turned into Stalinism, the characteristic features of which were state control over all aspects of society, the cult of personality, total propaganda; and ideology masterfully justified all these phenomena of the communist state. The main enemy of this ideology was capitalism and democratic values in general.
In the World War II had fought two quite similar ideologies - National Socialism and socialism. The USSR wasn’t ready for this war and was losing in the first stage of it. The reason for this was, to some extent, the communist ideology, which was denying patriotism (calling it bourgeois nationalism) and forced the nations to idolize the Communist Party and its leader, of course. During the World War II the ideology of communism was justifying any methods of warfare for the sake of victory.
After the World War II, the world has become an arena of struggle between two different ideologies - communism and capitalism, despotic and democratic. The USSR and the United States were trying to extend the limits of their influence in ideology, arms race, economy as far as possible.
Ideological confrontation between the communist and liberal political systems spread all over the world: so-called Iron Curtain divided the world into two parts that mutually hated and feared each other. During the Cold War, communist policy has become more expansionary. Communist leaders have sought world domination.
So, ideology is a very powerful political tool. Communism, which has emerged as a contrast to capitalism has been one of the major ideologies of the 20th century. Throughout its history it was changing: from the theoretical Marxism to the practical Stalinism. Confrontation between the communist and capitalist systems reached its peak after the World War II.