Communism 
Cam Kuhn
• What is Communism? (definitions) 
• Major thinkers 
• Some examples of Communism/Socialism 
• Why Communism? 
• Common arguments
• A stateless, classless, moneyless society in which private 
property has been abolished. 
What is Communism?
• Social ownership of the economy; a “dictatorship of the 
proletariat” 
What is Socialism?
• Socioeconomic system in which the means of production 
are privately owned and operated for profit. 
What is Capitalism?
• Marx 
• Lenin 
• Stalin 
• Mao 
Major Thinkers
• Economist, sociologist, philosopher 
• “Father of Communism” 
• Marxism 
• The Communist Manifesto 
• Das Kapital 
Karl Marx
• Politician, political theorist 
• Russian Communist Revolutionary 
• Leader of the October Revolution 
• Marxism-Leninism 
• Cat lover 
Vladimir Lenin
• Leader of the Soviet Union 
• “Socialism in one country” 
• Hated by many, loved by me 
Josef Stalin
• Chinese Revolutionary 
• Founding father of the People’s 
Republic of China 
• Marxism Leninism Maoism 
Mao Zedong
• USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) 
• PRC (People’s Republic of China) 
• Republic of Cuba 
• North Korea? 
Examples of 
Communism/Socialism
• Morality 
• Democracy 
• Long-term 
• Linked to oppression 
Why Communism?
• “Millions are dead!” 
• People need incentive 
• Communism only works on paper (human nature/greed) 
Common Arguments
Deaths caused by capitalism: 
• Native American Genocide, 1500s-1900s (direct killings and death from plagues; North, 
Central, and South Americas combined): 100 MILLION 
• Atlantic Slave Trade, 1500s-1900s: 4 MILLION 
• Famines in British India, 1837-1900: at least 165 MILLION 
• Potato Famine/Great Irish Famine, 1845-1852: 1 MILLION 
• Belgian Occupation of the Congo, 1886-1908: 10 MILLION 
• World War I, 1914-1918: 16 MILLION 
• United States Intervention in Latin America, 1929-1987: 6 MILLION 
• World War II, 1939-1945: at least 60 MILLION 
• Vietnam War, 1955-1975: 2.3 MILLION 
• Rwandan Genocide, 1994: 1 MILLION 
• Worldwide Occupational Deaths: 6,000 per day 
• Poor shelter, polluted water, inadequate sanitation, often from homelessness: 50,000 per day 
• Hunger: 21,000 per day 
• Occupational Asbestos Exposure: 107,000 per year 
• International Sex Trafficking: 30,000 per year 
“Millions are dead”
• This is the idea that people will not work without 
incentive. This argument proposes that under a 
communist system, where money would not exist, 
nobody would work because they would have no reason. 
• However, research has shown the opposite! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJr9QajdCNc 
• 0:00 – 4:18 
People Need Incentive
• This argument states that while Communism sounds 
great, in practice, human nature would interfere. This 
belief insists that humans are inherently greedy and 
selfish. 
• Primitive Communism 
• “To look at people in capitalist society and conclude that 
human nature is egoism is like looking at people in a 
factory where pollution is destroying their lungs and 
saying that it is human nature to cough.” 
– Andrew Collier 
Communism Only Works 
on Paper
• I hope you learned something cool! 
• Any Questions? 
The End
• https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/index.htm 
• https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/index.htm 
• https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/index.htm 
• https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/index.htm 
• http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/61789411293/whats-a-good-rhetorical-method-of-combating- 
the 
• http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/65700109152/dear-louise-how-do-you-dismiss-and-destroy- 
the 
• http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/57471509442/ive-begun-to-study-communism-and-one- 
argument 
• http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/57243605115/how-do-you-feel-about-communist-states- 
like-the 
• http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/57204753059/can-i-ask-why-youre-a-communist 
• http://fooufoou.tumblr.com/post/95758919147/dont-you-know-communism-has-killed-millions 
• http://www.nationaljournal.com/pictures-video/what-fidel-castro-looks-like-now-20140109 
• http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/72593037729/some-definitions 
References

Communismsdf

  • 1.
  • 2.
    • What isCommunism? (definitions) • Major thinkers • Some examples of Communism/Socialism • Why Communism? • Common arguments
  • 3.
    • A stateless,classless, moneyless society in which private property has been abolished. What is Communism?
  • 4.
    • Social ownershipof the economy; a “dictatorship of the proletariat” What is Socialism?
  • 5.
    • Socioeconomic systemin which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit. What is Capitalism?
  • 6.
    • Marx •Lenin • Stalin • Mao Major Thinkers
  • 7.
    • Economist, sociologist,philosopher • “Father of Communism” • Marxism • The Communist Manifesto • Das Kapital Karl Marx
  • 8.
    • Politician, politicaltheorist • Russian Communist Revolutionary • Leader of the October Revolution • Marxism-Leninism • Cat lover Vladimir Lenin
  • 9.
    • Leader ofthe Soviet Union • “Socialism in one country” • Hated by many, loved by me Josef Stalin
  • 10.
    • Chinese Revolutionary • Founding father of the People’s Republic of China • Marxism Leninism Maoism Mao Zedong
  • 11.
    • USSR (Unionof Soviet Socialist Republics) • PRC (People’s Republic of China) • Republic of Cuba • North Korea? Examples of Communism/Socialism
  • 12.
    • Morality •Democracy • Long-term • Linked to oppression Why Communism?
  • 13.
    • “Millions aredead!” • People need incentive • Communism only works on paper (human nature/greed) Common Arguments
  • 14.
    Deaths caused bycapitalism: • Native American Genocide, 1500s-1900s (direct killings and death from plagues; North, Central, and South Americas combined): 100 MILLION • Atlantic Slave Trade, 1500s-1900s: 4 MILLION • Famines in British India, 1837-1900: at least 165 MILLION • Potato Famine/Great Irish Famine, 1845-1852: 1 MILLION • Belgian Occupation of the Congo, 1886-1908: 10 MILLION • World War I, 1914-1918: 16 MILLION • United States Intervention in Latin America, 1929-1987: 6 MILLION • World War II, 1939-1945: at least 60 MILLION • Vietnam War, 1955-1975: 2.3 MILLION • Rwandan Genocide, 1994: 1 MILLION • Worldwide Occupational Deaths: 6,000 per day • Poor shelter, polluted water, inadequate sanitation, often from homelessness: 50,000 per day • Hunger: 21,000 per day • Occupational Asbestos Exposure: 107,000 per year • International Sex Trafficking: 30,000 per year “Millions are dead”
  • 15.
    • This isthe idea that people will not work without incentive. This argument proposes that under a communist system, where money would not exist, nobody would work because they would have no reason. • However, research has shown the opposite! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJr9QajdCNc • 0:00 – 4:18 People Need Incentive
  • 16.
    • This argumentstates that while Communism sounds great, in practice, human nature would interfere. This belief insists that humans are inherently greedy and selfish. • Primitive Communism • “To look at people in capitalist society and conclude that human nature is egoism is like looking at people in a factory where pollution is destroying their lungs and saying that it is human nature to cough.” – Andrew Collier Communism Only Works on Paper
  • 17.
    • I hopeyou learned something cool! • Any Questions? The End
  • 18.
    • https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/index.htm •https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/index.htm • https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/index.htm • https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/index.htm • http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/61789411293/whats-a-good-rhetorical-method-of-combating- the • http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/65700109152/dear-louise-how-do-you-dismiss-and-destroy- the • http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/57471509442/ive-begun-to-study-communism-and-one- argument • http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/57243605115/how-do-you-feel-about-communist-states- like-the • http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/57204753059/can-i-ask-why-youre-a-communist • http://fooufoou.tumblr.com/post/95758919147/dont-you-know-communism-has-killed-millions • http://www.nationaljournal.com/pictures-video/what-fidel-castro-looks-like-now-20140109 • http://minipops1917.tumblr.com/post/72593037729/some-definitions References

Editor's Notes

  • #3 What im going to be touching on in this seminar
  • #4 Stateless – no state/government Classless – no social classes, everyone equal Moneyless – no money Private property – consists of land, factories, farms (the means of production) Possessive property – your belongings (cellphone, blankets, car)
  • #5 Marxist sense – socialism is the stage where “” is established, to abolish bourgeois class and wither away the state
  • #6 The means of production (farms, factories, etc) are owned by a small amount of people, who reap the benefits without performing the labor. Operated for a profit – to create a profit, one must underpay the worker.
  • #7 These are the four major thinkers who I believe contributed the most to communist theory
  • #8 One of the 6 main sociological thinkers we learned about in class Primarily economist Marxism – socioeconomic worldview based on the notion that history is defined by class struggle (the theoretical framework of communism) Marxists want to replace capitalism with communism
  • #9 Led the Great October Socialist Revolution, turning russia into a socialist country Leninism Leninism – realizing organizational and revolutionary methods. introduced theory of imperialism Cat Lover – picture of lenin taking his cat for a walk
  • #10 Leader from Lenin’s death to the USSR’s death Executed an excessive amount of people for various reasons Created the world’s first socialist society, defeated Nazi Germany
  • #11 Cause unjust sufferings of thousands through famines Liberated China, doubled lfie expectancy from 35 to 69 years Responsible for the further communist advance in history Maoism – expanded upon the framework, organizational methods, and how to handle revolution and the aftermath of one. Also discussed military theory.
  • #12 USSR – disbanded, essentially capitalist atm PRC – technically still a socialist country, although most do not consider it to be one Cuba – most common and best example of a current socialist system
  • #13 Morality – end of prejudice, hierarchy and domination. Equality, everyone deserves basic human rights, Democracy – as opposed to a democracy like ours, where rich politicians can easily be bought out for money and don’t truly represent what the masses want. Communist democracy is the most pure and direct form, in which everyone has a say and power/money do nothing to sway the results Long term – Capitalism is geared towards short term profit. It is the main reason for environmental damage. It uses resources faster than they can be renewed Oppression – capitalism is perpetuated through racism, sexism, etc. and would be dismantled under a communist system
  • #14 The 3 most common arguments people bring up against communism
  • #15 The “Communist Death Toll” is commonly cited as 94 Million people. This number is often contested and is estimated to actually be lower. (Stalin and Mao are attributed to the majority of deaths under communism) The Capitalist Death Toll (only by legitimate statistics that could be found) – 369 Million people, although its estimated to be MUCH higher 77000 people will die tomorrow, due to capitalism.
  • #16 Why do you do housework, if you aren’t rewarded for it?
  • #17 Primitive Communism – A theory that states: For 90% of human’s existence, they lived in communes and practiced an early form of communism.
  • #18 Thank you for listening