Classics of Socialism and Communism

By Phineas Nyabera

This book is pragmatic, joyous, and informative. When an author writes a book, he or she must predict that the book will still be read after many generations have passed. Because of its unmatched eternal truth, classics of socialism and communism will be read by many generations to eternity.

I have written an orderly account of economic theories in simple and straightforward language.

The author avoids bombastic vocabularies and unwanted symbols, yet the flow of information is exceedingly accurate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638854159

Book preview

Chapter 1

Introduction

Karl Marx, the father and founder of socialism and communism, still stands as the most controversial philosopher even in the modern economics today.

Two-thirds of the world see Karl Marx and his socialist view as an instigator or troublemaker, whose economic preachings have caused workers’ rebellions and revolutions against capitalism and free enterprise. One-third of the world and in Marx and Marxist countries like Russia, China, and Cuba, Karl Marx is their hero. Marxist countries believe that socialism and communism leads to an equal humane society with equal distribution of national resources, wealth, and the equal sharing of the delicious national pie.

This book gives the reader a straightforward and accurate account; blow by blow and page by page illustrates Karl Marx’s passionate feelings toward workers of the world being exploited, suppressed, and repressed by the capitalists.

Therefore, I have carefully investigated Karl Marx’s socialism and communism economic theories right from the beginning. I have used secondary data handed to us by eyewitnesses through several books together with primary data collected by the author himself to reach a sound and educated judgment of socialism and communism systems.

Based on that judgment, it seemed to be a proper time for me to write an orderly account of Karl Marx and the Marxist economic systems so that the future generations can also read and understand the philosophy of Karl Marx and the Marxist economies.

The author wove nine chapters together to reflect the behavior of socialism and communism from different societies on planet Earth.

Chapter 1 The introduction is a clear direct road or GPS map that the reader of this book must follow, read, understand and master the economics of socialism and communism.

Chapter 2 carries and emphatically illustrates the origins of modern economic theories developed by economic philosophers such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Alfred Marshall and John Maynard Keynes.

Chapter 3 is a complete detailed classics of socialism and communism as practiced in Marxist societies.

Chapter 4 surveys Karl Marx alienation.

Chapter 5 examines how Karl Marx the socialist and socialists have been criticized and how the critics have been criticized.

Chapter 6 takes a look at socialism and communism, the Marx and Marxist countries including Russia, China, and Cuba.

Chapter 7 deals with the conflicts between capitalists and the socialists and communists.

Chapter 8 The breaking branch examines how individuals and societies demand changes, the same way Karl Marx advocated and demanded changes.

Chapter 9 The conclusion.

Chapter 2

Economic Theorists

Adam Smith

1723–1790

Adam Smith

The field of economics has been completely revolutionized by modern economic theorists, think tank theorists, and philosophers.

The publication of Adam Smith’s masterful book, The Inquiry into The Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations, in 1776 is the backbone of modern economics. What is more interesting with the publication of his book in 1776 is that while Adam Smith’s inquiry in the nature and cause of wealth of nations profoundly stressed the doctrine of Free Economics and free enterprise among nations of the world, in the same year, July 4, 1776, the United States of America signed the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, which freed all American colonies from the British harsh rules and inhuman laws.

Adam Smith urged for economic freedom—that is, free enterprise and free trade. He further argued that the government should interfere less and less in a free market economy. In his book, Wealth of Nations, Smith argued and stressed that the government should leave its citizens a lone to pursue their interests and their livelihood.

In his famous the invisible hand theory, Smith put forward the idea that there are causes and effects that makes entrepreneurs and businesses promote their interests in every society. And for sure and in general, by promoting and pursuing their interests, individuals promote the interests of the whole society. Smith believed in laissez-faire (French word for leave it alone). But Smith also recognized and believed that the government should intervene in some economic sections like defense and post office, etc.

Adam Smith lived every interesting life. He was never interested in the opposite sex. He never got married—that is, he chose to remain a bachelor in all his entire life on earth. But Smith had his answers for his lack of desire for opposite sex. He stressed that he was married to his books. Smith argued that I am a beau in nothing but my books.

A biographer who watched Smith’s behavior thought that Adam Smith suffered from serious and very severe absentmindedness. The biographer noticed and described Smith as the most informed and the most illustrious citizen in the City of Edinburgh. The biographer wrote that Adam Smith would get up in the morning and stroll in the city street. With his eyes fixed on the unknown objects and his lips moved quite uncontrolled and in silent discourse, he walked a step or two and stopped and hesitated as though he intended to change his direction or even turn back and go back where he came from.

Adam Smith was indeed a genius. He appeared to be a strange person, but when he decided to write anything, he became a real giant eagle. It is believed that Smith was actually the most famous philosopher of his time.

However, Smith was offered and accepted a job by Charles Townshend to tutor his ward. Charles Townshend was an economist with very little common sense. He was the British chancellor of the exchequer who was in charge of the tea tax that actually caused the American revolution and eventually led to the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.

Adam Smith lived four years in France and Switzerland. He met Voltaire and other economists and famous philosophers. But soon after, one of his ward members was found murdered on the street in France. Smith moved back to Great Britain, While in Great Britain, Smith was able to complete his last book, The Wealth of Nations.

Adam Smith went into his retirement but occasionally revised his books. In his last days on earth, he wrote: While I fight the hardship and agony of old age, it seems clearly that old age is coming fast and violently upon and against me. Well, Adam Smith lost that battle and died in 1790 at the age of sixty-seven years old.

Adam Smith, the economist and philosopher, was born in 1723 in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. His father died while Smith was still too young.

In Kirkcaldy, people used nails as their currency (money). Adam Smith had many problems right from the beginning of his life. His father died as soon as he was born. At age four, Smith was captured and taken away by the Gypsies who later on abandoned him on the streets.

A lot of his friends believed that Smith would have been a very poor Gypsy, or probably a very industrious Gypsy.

In 1737, Adam Smith went to study at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. After those years at the University of Glasgow, he went to Balliol College, Oxford, and stayed there for seven years. In 1748, Adam Smith gave lectures at Edinburgh on the subject of rhetoric and belles-lettres, and met David Hume, who had a major influence in his life. In 1751, Adam Smith became professor of logic at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and after one year, he moved to be the chairman of the Department of Moral Philosophy at the same university. He held that position for seven years.

In 1759, he wrote his first book, Theory of Moral Sentiments. Adam Smith later on moved to France and lived with Quesnay, Turgot, and the d’Alembert Societies. It was believed that he began to write his famous book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, which was published in 1776, the same year the United States signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

*****

Karl Marx

1818–1883

Karl Marx

Karl Marx, the father and founder of socialism and communism, rose to prominence in the late 1800s.

Karl Marx’s economic theory focused mainly on socialism and communism. His main concerns were workers’ miseries, oppression, and exploitation placed on workers by the capitalists. Karl Marx focused his attention on workers’ welfare and how workers’ repression, exploitation, and miseries can be eliminated. Karl Marx urged workers to unite and fight oppression.

In his famous call for workers to fight suppressions and exploitations, he said, Workers of the world, ‘unite,’ you have nothing to lose but your chains. Let the ruling class tremble at the communist revolution. Karl Marx truly believed that capitalists continue to accumulate a lot of capital and wealth, while the workers continue to accumulate a lot of miseries and exploitations. Karl Marx’s cure to these problems was only a revolution. He advocated for socialism and communism where all capital and productive assets’ ownership are controlled by the people or controlled by workers.

In his outburst speeches and writings, Karl Marx showed his emotions and passionate feelings toward workers’ miseries and exploitations placed on them by the capitalists. He clearly condemned miserable conditions, repressions, and exploitations inflicted to them by the capitalists in England and France. Karl Marx predicted that if there was no revolution, the economic system that mistreat workers will continue, and the workers will continue to increase their miseries.

Karl Marx’s economic theories differed greatly with the economic theories of Adam Smith and Alfred Marshall. While Smith and Marshall believed in free enterprise-free economy with private ownership, Karl Marx believed in socialism and communism where capital and productive assets are owned and controlled by the public or the community. He stressed that the national resources and wealth should be controlled by the community and by the people collectively. Karl Marx’s books Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto written in 1848 when Europe was going through political and economic revolutions still stand as the most read books and pamphlet in the communist world today.

Karl Marx was a controversial individual who stuck on his own philosophy and most of the time lived a lonely life avoiding other philosophers. In his strange obsessions, Karl Marx believed that Lord Palmerston who was the British foreign minister was actually a Russian spy.

Karl Marx, the father of socialism and communism, could not hold a steady job because he did not like to work for capitalists. Karl Marx was determined to stop capitalists from turning him into a money machine. His own family lived in poverty because Karl Marx was not willing to work for capitalists, a promise he promised to keep until he died. Karl Marx, the socialist and communist, was evicted and lost his possessions, but that did not deter or stop him from his viciousness against capitalism. His wife had to borrow some money to buy a coffin for their dead child. The only job Karl Marx had was writing passionate articles for the New York Herald Tribune.

After the death of his daughter and his wife, he became desolate and emotionally disturbed. In 1883, Karl Marx gave up his hopes of socialism and communism.

He wrote his remarkable farewell statement, I am not a Marxist. Karl Marx left a blistering history behind his life. Many of his followers believe in Karl Marx as their hero. Karl Marx’s foes stubbornly believe he was a troublemaker, just like Adolf Hitler or Mussolini.

Karl Marx was born in 1818 in a small city of Trier in Prussian Rhineland in West Germany (West Germany and East Germany reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989).

Karl Marx graduated from the University of Born and as a graduate student in Berlin where he associated himself with other radical students.

Karl Marx died in 1883. Today, one-third of the world believe in Karl Marx’s doctrines and theories, while two-thirds reject them.

*****

Alfred Marshall

1842–1924

Alfred Marshall

Alfred Marshall was born in 1842 in Clapham, London, England. His father worked in the Bank of England. As a Victorian believer, Marshall Senior exercised strong parenthood. He wanted to prepare his son for the ministry and even forbade him from playing simple games like chess. In his view, chess was just a waste of time.

Alfred Marshall’s father had strange tyrannical behavior. He wrote a book titled Man’s Rights and Woman’s Duties, which demonstrated his degrading feelings toward the opposite sex.

Alfred Marshall finally stood up to his father and rejected a scholarship to study theology. Instead, he chose to study mathematics and economics. He became a professor at Cambridge University where he used economic diagrams to illustrate the behavior of economic theories and principles. As a matter of fact, Alfred Marshall reigned the British economy for over twenty-five years.

By combining his own economic thoughts with those developed by other economists and his own students, he authored the famous book titled Principles of Economics published in 1890. He became the father of modern microeconomics, which deals with the detailed study showing how individual goods can be produced, marketed, and priced in an open