Marxism in America

Communism has evolved into a buzzword of sorts in modern American political discourse. Its ideology has gained traction is spite of an America that has held fervently anti-communist convictions for the totality of its existence. However, it is more likely than not that leftists will have reason for grievances. The United States is fundamentally anti-communist, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

To preface, I am not anti-communism. I agree with many leftist ideological points and have come to my conclusions after having read political theory from both liberals and Marxists. I think that Marxist ideology has well-constructed and sound ideas, but in terms of level of applicability to the U.S., liberalism is more cohesive with America’s identity and future.

The U.S. was founded on the premise of capitalism and continues to operate as such. The tenets of capitalism - the socioeconomic class hierarchy, the ‘every man for himself’ culture, the American Dream - are all built into the very fabric of what America is. The U.S. lives and breathes capitalism. This comes into direct opposition to communism, which submits that capitalism thrives off the exploitation of workers. Karl Marx and Frederich Engels proposed that the proletariat ought to rise up against the bourgeoisie and create a utopian communist society in which private ownership would cease to exist. This image is the polar opposite of corporation-centric U.S. society, making communism essentially implausible as a future model of the U.S. The U.S. in fact is actively anti-communist. It has a notoriously deep rooted fear of communism, as evidenced in historic and ongoing tensions with Russia, China, and Cuba.

Communism is amazing in theory. The entire notion of everyone having exactly the same resources and having enough to survive is wonderful. However, human nature is simply not conducive to the success of communism. Communism can only work in practice under the condition that human greed is eliminated. But because human nature cannot be altered, historic attempts at communism point to failure of the theory. American fear of communism is generally more of a vehement defensiveness of capitalism, but there are still doubts about the implementation of communism as a plausible system. These doubts are warranted. It is true that historic communist endeavors were pseudo-communist, they did not really embody the ideals that Marx and Engels suggested. However, their deficiencies were again products of indispensable human nature, particularly the quest for power. Communism in its idealistic epitome is simply unattainable. Seeking to convert the U.S. to communism (an effort that will probably never be actualized) will almost certainly resemble Russia, China, and Cuba, the very countries that the U.S. refuses to ever be.

Socialism, however, can and should be applied to the U.S.. Being the transition stage between capitalism and communism, it offers the intended benefits of communism without the repelling and unrealistic nature. The European Union is seen to enact socialist policies and do so quite effectively. Nordic countries, in particular, exemplify the success of socialism with their strong economies and the necessary rights and privileges afforded to citizens that the American government views as expendable. Socialism permits progressive and very necessary policies like healthcare and education, which are things that capitalism will always neglect. The reality of capitalism is that it does not accommodate to humanity. The United States will never give up its market, but its market is one that is incredibly flawed due to the government’s current laissez-faire stance that is a byproduct of capitalism. If the U.S. is willing to relinquish its fixation on the ultra-capitalist market that is dominated by unethical corporations, socialism presents the opportunity to remedy the American model of society, a much needed change.