3.1.2.1: Marxism and Communism
In capitalism, private property rights are fundamental and freedom in economic interactions is paramount. Marxism and communism offer an alternative explanation of socioeconomic structures that focuses more on the exploitative potential of capitalism. How else is Marx's view of social-economic relations different than the capitalist view?
Read the section "The Communist Economic System", and then click "next" twice so that you also read "The Benefits of Communism", and "The Disadvantages of Communism". These sections expand upon the ideas introduced in the previous reading. Be sure you click "next" twice so that you read all of the relevant sections. In particular, these sections describe the economic features of a communist system, which include collective state ownership of capital, and state control over inputs, outputs, labor, and prices. In theory, communism provides some benefits, such as equality and job security for all. However, in practice, communist economic systems have been shown to be quite inefficient. Do you think it will ever be possible to create a well-functioning communist state?