Marxism in the USSR
In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels boldly declared in The Communist Manifesto: "A spectre is haunting Europe, the spectre of Communism." Indeed, the stirrings of Communism were witnessed that year in the revolutions that occurred in countries from France to Germany. However, Marx's visions of a communist revolution would not be carried out until nearly seventy years later with the Russian Revolution of 1917. Yet, Marx's predictions of a stable economic system were soon crushed, as despotism and greed- staples of the "overbearing" capitalist system, soon reigned in Russia. Despite the Soviet's attempts to instate Marx's theories, they found that many of his theories were either too vague, or simply inapplicable in society. Thus, as seen in the case of the USSR, Marx's economic theories are not applicable on a grand scale. In the USSR, various aspects of Marx's economic plan were implemented. While at first the major Russian industries were nationalized and private trade was prohibited, this radical economic change led to economic chaos. Thus, Vladimir Lenin, the first ruler of Communist Russia, implemented a slow process of socialization called the New Economic Policy. Under the New Economic Policy (NEP), the government cont
Another reason why Marxism failed in the USSR, and cannot easily be applied in today's society, is that Marx left no concrete plan on how to carry out his programs. In The Communist Manifesto, Marx outlines what the philosophy and tenets of a Marxist society should be, yet he never once indicates how a government should implement or carry out these measures. Thus, without a plan, the USSR reverted to dictatorship and elitism that was reminiscent of the despotism of the Czars. rolled the large industries, yet it turned the smaller industries over to private owners. The purpose of the NEP was to facilitate a smooth transition to a Marxist system that would not be overly rash. Under Stalin, however, a different economic philosophy dominated, for he believed that the state should dictate and hasten the collectivization of agriculture, and the industrialization and socialization of the economy in Russia. Thus, Stalin implemented a series of Five-Year Plans, all of which led to the greatest industrial growth ever witnessed in the history of the world. The Five-Year plans regulated industrialization, and determined what resources were needed for production, all for the purpose of increasing the wealth and
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Approximate Word count = 814
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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