Is True Communism Possible?

[Stellar Colonies]

It seems intrinsically unstable in the same sense as a pool of supercooled water, but maybe with perfectly engineered starting conditions.

Tough to do that though if you're faced with opposition in the form of a civil war, angry voters going against you, an external power doing its best to topple your new regime, etc.

[Rusozak]

It goes against human nature. We are too governed by self-interest for it to ever work. You'd have to change how the human brain functions to get the entire world to go along with it. It's a nice idea, but it can never be implemented beyond a small isolated community.

[PhilTech]

No not possible, because humanity (Mother nature in general) is designed to be hierarchal in some form.

[Paultinetzec]

Communism s not possible whilst in theory it sounds good in practice it has never worked, in communist countries the majority of people are poor. Communism is a political system that only works in poor countries

[PhilTech]

Communism is a political system that only works in poor countries.

I honestly believe that this isn't the case at all...

[Great Heathen Air Force]

While Karl was certainly very good at describing the problems of industrial capitalism, and his critiques are still surprisingly relevant, I do not believe that there is a communist solution. Similarly while Lenin was certainly justified in his opposition to the rule of the Tsars, I don't think he knew how to lead his people to a better future.

This is unfortunate. If communism did offer solutions, if communist leaders did know a way forward to justice and equality, that would be a good thing. Unfortunately they are not prophets. And the best way forward remains unclear.

The best think I think we can do is to imitate policies, many of which are socialist, that seem to work where they have been tried. To experiment carefully with new solutions to our problems. And to relentlessly challenge institutional power that will always and only seek to benefit itself.

[Wallenburg]

So why don't we have a true communist state.

The government would own all property and control the economy to ensure that everyone was equal.?

The fuck is this? I thought we were talking about true communism, but all I see here is some statist bs.

[Sordhau]

No.

[FNU]

On the scale of a local community or a couple of villages maybe, otherwise, absolutely not. Human greed and desire for better and better things will always lead to someone wanting to be above the rest. As nice as it sounds on paper, it's a fantasy that much like utopia, will never come.

[Bistritza]

Not specific enough to give a substantial answer. 'True communism' is a platitude, just like 'true capitalism'. They set utopian ideals as topics before the topic is even constructed. Which communism is true communism: The Young Marxian one? The latter Marxist theory? Leninist vanguard approach? The Menshevik approach? Luxembourgian solutions? Marcusean post-Marxism? Post-materialist Marxism?
Another set of issues is; are you talking about the ideology being achievable or are you talking about a successful implementation of a political-economic theory?
If it's the first, the communist ideology is just another grand narrative from modernism which seeks to answer all issues. It's a carrot in front of a rabbit.
If you're talking about the latter, the original Marxist theory of labour value is very much still applicable and even used. The revolutionary theories which Marx brought was a specific, materially-oriented view of history; the other one being that he first included 'means of production' and human work into the calculations of prices (economic theory predecessors merely included input and output of materials used). He was also one of the few post-Hegelians which successfully managed to both adapt and criticize Hegelian dialectics.
This is the best that I can answer this question structured in such a way.

[Risottia]

I think Lenin's NEP was one of the closest attempts, the other being Sankara's.

[Imperium of Texas]

Communism never works.

[The Reformed American Republic]

In theory, yes, but not in our current state. You'd have two main problems, the first being dictators taking over and using such a revolution to gain power, and the second would be capitalist interests doing whatever they can to prevent such an outcome.

[Sauros]

-snip-

Fully automated luxury communism?

[Tokora]

It's possible. Josip Broz Tito proved it.

[Heloin]

Ghost of Hồ Chí Minh, my people yearn for freedom.

[Page]

Let's see if I can get everybody to agree with 2 statements:

1) True communism is absolutely impossible for a group of a billion people.

2) True communism is absolutely possible for a group of 10 people.

Everyone always assumes communists and anarchists want to assimilate the entire planet, but really we just want to be able to voluntarily associate with each other and have our fair share of land and resources and not be interfered with.

[WayNeacTia]

Some communists say that states like the USSR and China were not "True Communist" States. So why don't we have a true communist state.

But what is True Communism? True communism is the belief that workers must unite to overthrow the capitalist government in their nation. They would turn their state into a society with no social classes, no private property and everyone was equal. The government would own all property and control the economy to ensure that everyone was equal.

So why hasn't this vision of a society ever been carried out successfully? Their have been attempts to carry out this vision but why haven't they worked?

Define "communism"? Marx laid out an agenda that was basically Utopian in nature, and Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Castro and many others perverted it into a cult of personality where they were basically god, who had the power to do whatever suited them.

[El Lazaro]

Define "communism"? Marx laid out an agenda that was basically Utopian in nature, and Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Castro and many others perverted it into a cult of personality where they were basically god, who had the power to do whatever suited them.

Marx would object to the word “utopian” on the basis that his theory of socialism was actually scientific. Sure, Marxism devolved into a dogmatic Marx cult that views criticism as a moral evil while doing nothing to establish communism, but we can still use charitable phrasing.

[Hyidai]

No. No true communism is possible. Not with humans, anyway.

[Rick Perry]

I hope no-one gets close to true communism, I want to get rid of it in general. But hey North Korea seems to be on point somewhat.

[Kubra]

While Karl was certainly very good at describing the problems of industrial capitalism, and his critiques are still surprisingly relevant, I do not believe that there is a communist solution. Similarly while Lenin was certainly justified in his opposition to the rule of the Tsars, I don't think he knew how to lead his people to a better future.

This is unfortunate. If communism did offer solutions, if communist leaders did know a way forward to justice and equality, that would be a good thing. Unfortunately they are not prophets. And the best way forward remains unclear.

The best think I think we can do is to imitate policies, many of which are socialist, that seem to work where they have been tried. To experiment carefully with new solutions to our problems. And to relentlessly challenge institutional power that will always and only seek to benefit itself.

Marx suggestions are the only suggestions that will ever work, specifically the abolition of all indirect taxes.
Without indirect taxes we would all have been living in communism decades ago.

[WayNeacTia]

I hope no-one gets close to true communism, I want to get rid of it in general. But hey North Korea seems to be on point somewhat.

Why? What is your moral objection to it?

[Rick Perry]

I hope no-one gets close to true communism, I want to get rid of it in general. But hey North Korea seems to be on point somewhat.

Why? What is your moral objection to it?

Well I mean no offense but freedom and liberties seem a little bit better the having a job as an uber and getting paid like a brain surgeon.

Unless if I'm wrong and North Korea actually does give you freedom and liberties.

[Catalonia 2070 RP]

Some communists say that states like the USSR and China were not "True Communist" States. So why don't we have a true communist state.

But what is True Communism? True communism is the belief that workers must unite to overthrow the capitalist government in their nation. They would turn their state into a society with no social classes, no private property and everyone was equal. The government would own all property and control the economy to ensure that everyone was equal.

So why hasn't this vision of a society ever been carried out successfully? Their have been attempts to carry out this vision but why haven't they worked?

True communism isn't all property owned by the government. In true communism, the property being owned by the government is simply the transitioning phase of socialism, after that true communism is stateless.