“They should rule who are able to rule best.”
—Aristotle
Democracy and Communism work hand in hand, as the ideologies of both systems are for the betterment of the society. While Democracy literally means “rule by people”, Communism means “From each according to his ability to each according to his needs”.
In a democracy, the communities of people are considered to hold power over how they are governed. Communism is not the opposite of Democracy. In fact, communist theory advocates true democracy and says that the so-called “democracy” now practised in the United States is hypocritical.
Democracy signifies the ideology of classical liberalism and the economic system of free market capitalism. However, Communism is an ideology traditionally connected with the political system of union/council democracy and the economic system usually referred to simply as planned economy.
Communism
Overall, Communism is a system of government where all the property is public, and the government owns and controls the manufacturing and transportation industries. People share equally the benefits of labour and receive the things they need from the government.
The Russian Civil War (1918-1922) saw the advent of modern-day Communism when Bolsheviks pulled all productive property, such as factories, mines and railroads, under the government control. Russian Civil War and the Bolsheviks are part of history, but Communism lives on in many countries.
Mao Zedong took control of China in 1949 and named China, the People’s Republic of China. At that point, it became a Communist country and was ruled by the Communist Party of China. In China today, the government controls a highly successful manufacturing industry which generates profits for the government through the export of electronics, toys and other consumer goods.
During World War II, Korea was taken over by the Japanese, and after the war, it was divided into Soviet North Korea and American South Korea. In 1948, North Korea became a communist country.
Communism in India
Starting from various religious conflicts to poverty, India, as a religion-diversified developing country, has faced and is still facing several wraths. Active communist militia groups are wreaking havoc on the general public with illegal and violent activities, disturbing India’s sovereignty and diversity. The thinking of violent Communist groups does not gel with the broader ideology of India as a republic and democratic country.
Communism in India has existed as a social or political ideology and a political movement since at least as early as the 1920s. In its early years, communist ideology was harshly suppressed through legal prohibitions and criminal prosecutions. Eventually, communist parties became ensconced in national party politics, sprouting several political offshoots. As of 2023, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) is the largest communist party in India. The party emerged from a split from the Communist Party of India in 1964. As of October 27, 2023, CPI-M is a part of ruling alliances in three states—the LDF in Kerala, Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, and the SPA in Tamil Nadu. CPI-M also has representation in the Legislative Assemblies of 8 states.
Democracy
Former American President Abraham Lincoln is notable for saying, “Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.” Subconsciously, Democracy is entirely opposed to monarchy since it is a kind of exercise of the people’s will. By assuring peaceful coexistence and the adoption of freedom, Democracy brought an end to the monarchy and authoritarian rule.
Democracy, or the political system in which the people themselves govern, is the most popular political idea in the world. Democracies consistently advocate for free and fair elections and the maintenance of law and order.
Around the world, there are numerous states and forms of government. The government, under which people generally live, is responsible for protecting things like people’s rights, freedoms, and welfare.
Forms of Democracy
The political significance of Democracy lies in its ability to reach people directly. In a democracy, the people choose the leaders, who are then accountable to the people. There are two different sorts of democracies: direct Democracy and representative Democracy.
Direct Democracy—The people debate their opinions face-to-face in this form of Democracy and then vote to make decisions. However, this may only work in small groups; it may be unworkable for direct Democracy nationally.
Representative Democracy—In a representative democracy, the people choose their representatives to speak for them through elections.
“Democracy is not an easy form of government because it is never final; it is a living, changing organism, with a continuous shifting and adjusting of balance between individual freedom and general order.”
—Ilka Chase
While total Democracy is not widely spread, many forms of it are seen throughout the world today.
As Winston Churchill once said, “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” Generally, Democracies seem to be more successful economically.
In a democracy, money is the most dominant incentive. On the contrary, in a communist government, a person can work a million times harder than the person sitting next to him and receive equal pay. This results in no incentive on the part of the worker whatsoever. When there is nothing to achieve by working harder, people become slothful, which does little good for a country’s economy. In most attempts, past and present, Communism has failed economically, whereas Democracies have a commendable success rate.
The main difference is that Democracy is a form of government, and Communism is an ideology. The main common feature is that Democracy can coexist with Communism on a social democratic basis.
Democracy is freedom, and with freedom comes many privileges. Although Communism does not discriminate, this leads to too many downsides that may destroy a whole nation. The most adaptable political system in most of the world is Democracy. However, Communism is the least adaptable political system in the world.
In a communist nation, people do not have political freedom, and people do not have self-determination. They have to do what the government says, or else they are put in prison or executed. They are also not allowed to criticise the government at all. There is also more poverty and a lower standard of living in a communist nation. On the contrary, in a democratic nation, people have political freedom, self-determination, fairness, rule of law, justice, and equal rights. They are allowed to criticise the government, and there is less poverty and a higher standard of living for the deserving ones.
Conclusion
Communism has been criticised as an ideology because it leads to slow growth, reduced incentives, and reduced prosperity. It has also been criticised as unfeasible. Communist states have been criticised for poor human rights records. On the other hand, Democracy has been criticised as inefficient and a creator of wealth disparity. It is criticised as a system that allows the uninformed to make decisions with equal weight as the informed and competent people, besides leading to the oppression of minorities by the majority. To sum up, both Communism and Democracy are acceptable systems with certain distinctions. However, Communism works best in small groups, but at the same time, less competition limits the innovation process. People prefer to avoid it when one party holds power for an extended period.
