Difference Between Communism and Liberalism

Edited by Diffzy | Updated on: May 27, 2023

       

Difference Between Communism and Liberalism

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Introduction

Ideologies are a part of life that are intertwined with everything that happens in the world. There are many ideologies, and some of them have emerged in intense, war-like situations, leading to clashes between opposing ideas. Liberalism and communism are two of the many ideologies in the world, each with its own set of principles.

Communism vs Liberalism

Communism is a political ideology founded on the principle of equality for all. It seeks to establish a communist society where individuals are not divided based on income or class. Communism is a subset of socialism. On the other hand, liberalism is a political ideology focused on individual liberty. It advocates for individual rights such as civil and human rights, freedom of speech, freedom to practice any religion, and so on. Liberalism is a modern phenomenon that emerged in the 17th century as people became more concerned about social acceptance.

The primary distinction between communism and liberalism is that communism does not recognize individual liberty and instead emphasizes equality for all members of society. In contrast, liberalism symbolizes individual liberty. Unlike liberalism, communism leads to a classless society where no one is considered superior or inferior to another. While theory greatly aids in understanding these two terms, the table below provides a practical basis for making clearer distinctions between them.

Difference Between Communism and Liberalism in Tabular Form

Basis of comparisonCommunismLiberalism
Primary IdealEquality of every citizenBased more on individuality and freedom
EconomyThe economy is based on collective ownershipThe economy is based on private property
EthosIntegration of human rights and analogous nationwide culturesA multiplicity of rights and interests
PortrayalFormed as the outcome of a revolutionFormed as the outcome of democratic elections
NationsChina, North Korea, and Cuba, among othersSwitzerland, the UK, and New Zealand, among others

What is Communism?

Communism is a political ideology that advocates for a classless society in which all property and wealth are jointly owned rather than individually owned. The communist ideology, founded by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, is in contrast to the capitalist ideology, which focuses on democracy and capital production to create a society. The Soviet Union and China were great instances of communism. While the former was declared bankrupt in 1991, the latter has dramatically altered its economic structure to integrate features of capitalism. Communism is a political ideology that seeks to achieve a society without classes, in which all property and wealth are collectively owned by communists rather than any one citizen. Following Russia's October Revolution in 1917, communism was first acknowledged worldwide, and in the same year, the country's first communist administration was established. Following this pattern, communism was imposed violently in a number of countries. However, communist parties currently control only a few states.

There are no individual rights under communist philosophy, and everyone is expected to contribute to the welfare of society solely for the general good and not for profit. The resources generated are distributed evenly among people based on their needs rather than their level of commitment to the task. As a result, no individual is deemed superior or inferior to another in a classless integrated society. Historically, communism was first recognized globally in 1917 during Russia's October Revolution. This was when the first communist government was enacted in a nation. Following this pattern, communism was forcefully established in many nations. However, today, only a few nations are controlled by communist parties. Under the ideology of communism, there are no individual rights, and everyone is expected to contribute to the welfare of society for the common good only, and not for profit. The resources produced are equally shared among the people based on their requirements and not on their level of contribution to the work. This results in a classless unified society where no individual is considered superior or inferior to the other.

Communism can only be built by destroying capitalism, and as a result, communist tactics have been widely condemned around the world. According to critics, communism leads to poor economic performance and breaches of human rights. In its primary form, communism is a philosophy centered on equitable property distribution among the residents of a nation and common ownership of all property. It explicitly calls for the control of the means of production, such as manufacturing and agriculture, by the working class or proletariat. Its ultimate goal was to achieve a classless society, at which point the state would become weak. "Communism" is a broad term that encompasses a variety of philosophies. The contemporary meaning of the term may be traced back to the 18th-century French aristocrat Victor Dubois, who supported living in "communes" where all property was shared and "everyone could benefit from everyone's effort." However, the concept was not new at the time: the Book of Acts describes Christian communities in the first century as having equal property under a system known as koinonia, which subsequently led to religious groups such as the 17th century English "diggers" who inspired a refusal to accept private ownership.

Even though communism was initiated for the welfare of society, it failed due to several reasons:

  1. The first reason is a lack of motivation among citizens to produce for profit. Profit motives drive societal rivalry and innovation. In a communist society, however, an ideal citizen was selflessly devoted to social labor and rarely thought about their well-being. "At all times and in all situations, a party member should weigh and prioritize the party's interests over personal issues and interests," wrote Liu Shaoqi, the second president of the People's Republic of China.
  2. Another reason for communism's failure was the inherent inefficiency of the system, such as centralized planning. This type of planning requires the collection and analysis of large amounts of data on a wide scale. It also becomes complex because all projects are planned centrally. In many cases, development data was modified or incorrect to fit projected estimates and create a sense of progress.
  3. The concentration of power in the hands of a few leads to inefficiencies and, ironically, gives them incentives to manipulate the system for their own benefit and maintain their hold on power. Corruption and inactivity became endemic aspects of this society, and surveillance was widespread, as seen in East German and Soviet cultures. These factors also discouraged hardworking individuals from contributing, leading to a struggling economy.

What is Liberalism?

The term "liberal" comes from the same Latin root as liberti, which means "free." Before the nineteenth century, the phrase meant "liberal or accommodating." Liberalism is a political theory that seeks to safeguard individual rights such as civil and human rights, freedom of expression, religious freedom, and so on. People also adhere to liberalism as an intellectual tradition. An English philosopher, John Locke, popularized the concept of liberalism around the world. John Locke is regarded as the founder of modern liberalism. Liberalism was recognized for the first time in the 17th century. Many revolutionary reforms around the world were influenced by the concept of liberalism, including the growth of secularism, constitutionalism, and nationalism. The first liberal government was enacted in the UK by the Liberal Party in 1905.

People have individual liberties under liberalism's worldview, and everyone is free to act privately on their own and follow other religions and beliefs. People's resources and earnings are fully dependent on the work they conduct. As a result, people in liberal societies tend to be diverse in terms of economy, class, religion, and so on. Additionally, liberalism results in a diversity of cultures and rights in society. Liberalism is based on democratic elections in which all citizens have the right to vote. Because it emphasizes the independence of every individual, liberalism is both examined and condemned for its ideals, but it also creates an undesirable split in society based on income. One of the main arguments of liberalism is that the concentration of unaccountable violent power is a fundamental threat to individual liberty and must be stopped. Institutions and norms are the main means of controlling power, both at the domestic and international levels. International institutions bind the authority of states by boosting collaboration and giving means to penalize those who disrupt these transnational contracts.

Economic institutions are especially effective at promoting cooperation because of the significant benefits that come from economic interdependence. Finally, liberal norms constrain the exercise of power by changing our sense of what forms of behavior are acceptable. Liberalism is not the 'utopian' philosophy that once appealed to label the dream world of peace and happiness. It provides a coherent response to realism that is well supported by data and based on a solid foundation.

Core liberal values:

  • Individualism is the concept that the individual is more important than any social group or collective body.
  • Nyaya - the equitable distribution of rewards and penalties.
  • Tolerance is the readiness to accept ideas or facts with which one disagrees or rejects.
  • Accountability - the ability to accept accountability for one's financial and social circumstances.
  • Rationalism - the concept that the world has a rational structure that can be manifested through human behavior.
  • Justifications and Important Inquiries
  • Liberty - the ability to think or act according to one's own desires through self-determination.

Main Differences Between Communism and Liberalism in Points

  • Communist states are the result of revolutions, whereas liberal societies are formed by democratic elections.
  • Communism results in a classless society where no individual is considered above or below others. On the other hand, liberalism divides society based on social status and economic wealth.
  • There are now only a few communist nations, whereas there are a large number of liberal nations.
  • Communist nations are dependent on the government for the economy, whereas liberal nations depend mostly on the private sector.
  • Liberalism is a political ideology that believes in individual freedom from all interferences and restrictions. Communism does not give emphasis to individual freedom.
  • In communism, power is equally shared by everyone. In liberalism, there is no power-sharing, but everyone considers themselves free from others.
  • There may be some form of government in liberalism, but in communism, there is no government as it implies a classless and stateless society.

Conclusion

Overall, liberalism and communism are two distinct ideologies with different ideals and understandings. They result in contrasting ways of life, encompassing culture, religion, money, and freedom. In recent decades, people have become more enlightened about individual liberty, leading to the rise of liberalism. As liberalism focuses on individual liberty, most governments based on this ideology rely on democratic elections. In these societies, individuals have the freedom to work independently, and wealth is distributed fairly based on labor. However, it should be noted that liberalism also creates social divisions based on factors such as income and religion.

On the other hand, communism is not widely favored in the present era due to its ideology. Communist nations operate independently from the rest of the world, and private labor is not allowed. Criticisms of communism include human rights violations, lack of freedom, unequal economic distribution, and other issues. Currently, China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos are the five communist nations in the world. In contrast, liberalism has gained widespread influence and is currently at its peak. Individual liberty is a fundamental principle of liberalism.

Liberalism is a political theory that emphasizes a person's freedom from interference and constraints. In contrast, communism does not prioritize individual liberty. Communism promotes equal sharing of power among all individuals, while liberalism does not advocate for a separation of authority, and individuals believe in their independence from one another. Communism does not endorse the idea of one individual being superior to another. In terms of the economy, liberalism envisions a free market, while communism envisions community or societal control over the economy and means of production. Profit is distributed evenly in communism. Therefore, the fundamental difference between the two ideologies is that one is based on public welfare, while the other is based on the welfare of individuals.


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"Difference Between Communism and Liberalism." Diffzy.com, 2024. Thu. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.diffzy.com/article/difference-between-communism-and-liberalism-1221>.



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