Evolution Of Communism In Europe

Evolution of Communism in Europe

Outline:

Thesis: Communism in Europe faced a lot of mutations with the contribution of big philosophers and leaders like Marx, Lenin, and Gramsci and evolved to become the socialism we know today.

I - Marxism

A - Overview

B - Major Elements

II - Stalinism

A - Overview

B - Contribution of Stalin

III - Eurocommunism

A - Overview

B - Description

C - Major Elements

IV - Socialism

A - Overview

B - Major Elements

V - Future of Socialism

Evolution of Communism in Europe

It's not that easy to agree on when communism initially appeared. For some people the works of Plato (Republic) described the perfect commonwealth; others see in the bible signs of socialism or communism. What is more certain is that communism became a political ideology in the early 19th and reached its apogee in the early 20th century with the contributions and writings of Karl Marx. Since these days communism in Europe faced a lot of mutations with the contribution of big philosophers and leaders like Marx, Lenin, and Gramsci and evolved to become the socialism we know today.

I - A - The Marxist thought, based on the ideas and writings of the German Philosopher Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) were theoretical and political ideas that constituted the main substitute to the liberal rationalism that dominated Europe in the contemporary age.

Furthermore, Marxism was the biggest rival of capitalism that was spread in the United State and all western world between 1917 (The End of WW1) and 1991 (The collapse of the Soviet Union).

B - The major elements of Marxism are:

Historical Materialism: It's a method which accounts for the development changes in human history according to material development.

Dialectical Change: It's a process of interaction between competing forces that results in a higher stage of development.

Alienation: It's a state of depersonalization, whereby the labor is abridged to being a simple service.

Class Struggle: It's a class conflict between the bourgeoisie class and the proletarian class.

Proletarian Revolution: According to Marx the revolution of the working class was inevitable.

Communism: It's the organization of the social life with the collective ownership of property as a foundation. (Heywood 2002)

II - A - The "Stalinism" is a brand of communist theory, that dominated the Soviet Union and the countries that were the Soviet sphere of influence, during and after the leadership of Joseph Stalin. Stalin was not a theoretician, but a communicator who wrote several books in language easily understood, and, in contrast to Marx and Lenin, made few new theoretical contributions. Rather, Stalinism is more in the order of an interpretation of their ideas to apply those ideas in ways fitting the new needs of society. Many people teaching Marxism or Leninism view Stalinism as a perversion of their ideas; Trotskyists, in particular, are virulently anti-Stalinist, considering Stalinism a counter-revolutionary policy using Marxism as an excuse.

From 1917 to 1924, Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin often appeared united, but, in fact, their ideological differences never disappeared. In his dispute with Trotsky, Stalin de-emphasized the role of workers in advanced capitalist countries. Also, Stalin polemicized against Trotsky on the role of peasants, as in China, where Trotsky wanted urban insurrection and not peasant-based guerrilla warfare.

B - The main contributions of Stalin to communist theory were:

-Socialism in One Country.

-The theory of aggravation of the class struggle along with the development of socialism, a theoretical base supporting the repression of political opponents as necessary. (McLellan 1979)

III - A -Eurocommunism was an attempt in the 1970s by various European communist parties to become a substitute to both soviet and Chinese vision of Marxism, and to express clearly their fidelity to democratic institution.

B