Communism is real

During the Cold War Zbigniew Brzezinski headed up US propaganda against Communism. He drew up the ideas we have today of Communism being an autocratic, oppressive and poor regime.

In the same way America spent a fortune on pro-Capitalist propaganda selling the idea that it was good for workers to work hard and make profits for their capitalist bosses.

But obviously all this is just propaganda. And the result is that virtually no one in the West knows what Capitalism or Communism are.

But they are huge subjects and worth a lifetime of study. I wanted to make a simple point instead.

Why was Magna Carta signed on 15 June 1215 A.D. and not in 1215 B.C.?

Why did it take mankind such a long time to decide that everyone should be subject to Law and that no one was above the law?

Well Marxism and Communism is the theory that set out to answer this.

Communism analyses the equilibria that occur in societies, that may be stable for long periods of time. But equilibria occur between opposing forces and eventually they break down as the forces become unbalanced. In Communism its much more profound as the competing forces lead to new ideas and new original social structures in an evolution.

Now we can see why it took so long for animals to evolve into humans and to evolve beyond the state of Kings and Subjects. There are relatively stable equilibria between the periods of revolution and change.

And so eventually the world evolved beyond Feudalism and into Capitalism.

It is worth nothing some dates here. Communist Party Manifesto was published 1848. Darwin's theory of Evolution 1859 and Das Kapital 1867. So in just 20 years the world was shook by a series of ideas that looks at nature and society in terms of evolution. Obviously the ideas existed before this, but these are the seminal publication dates in retrospect. Hegel for instance 1806. Anaximander C7th BC believed in evolution.

Now Marxism argues that Capitalism is still just an equilibrium between competing forces. And obviously it is. In Capitalism some people own industry (the capitalists) and gain their income through dividends and rent, and the rest own nothing and instead are employed by the capitalists (the workers) gaining their income through wages. This is most notable in Jane Austin stories where eligible gentlemen come with an annual income, yet have never and will never do a day's work. This is inequality ripe for conflict and evolution.

Without going into details the eventual evolution Marx argues creates Communism. All conflicts are resolved when mankind arrives at Communism, and individuals are fully realised and equal.

Borrowing from Hegel he argued that the ultimate state of humans is the "I that is We, and the We that is I." A resolution of the ultimate conflict between the Individual and the Collective. Given this how absurd that Brzezinski should make out that Communism was about Collectivism. And then how absurd that Americans should respond to Brzezinski's view of Communism by arguing for Individualism. All these ideas are pre-19th Century.

So Communism is very real, and the seeds of its growth are very real indeed as they exist within Capitalism. The greater and more successful Capitalism becomes the closer we get to Communism.

But perhaps were I disagree with standard views of Marxism: this is not a political struggle. I'm more Hegelian. Communism will happen all by itself. People will develop and grow tired of pointless Capitalist production, and the thrill they got from owning capital and businesses will fade, and parading their wealth around will start to become vapid as they realise what other people think isn't important, and if they can't value the wealth themselves then what point. And since wealth was relative anyway it holds no real intrinsic value. And the system of hoarding (Capitalism) and working will disintegrate. This will happen all by itself as humans evolve. There is nothing to do.

Let the Americans struggle to create propaganda and try to brainwash the world to accepting their Empire. It is all ultimately pointless. You can't disguise the truth.