Why did the economies of communist countries fail?
Capitalism prevails while socialism or communism promotes mediocrity at best.
In the end, greed will out.
Fear. Totalitarian rule of the few over the masses. Too many years of suppression. Perestroika was the end of Communism not because it was so oppressive per se, but it was a softening of the isolationism that had for decades kept the people in ignorance about the world around them. There was no point in upholding a government that didn't really allow people to benefit from the fruits of modernization.
They were too centralized. There was no private enterprise of any kind. Eveything was in the hands of a few powerful leaders and their cronies in the various communist parties. They spouted Communist lines but they behaves in the most unashamedly mercantile manner. The corruption and cupidity was not to be believed. In addition, an inordinate amount of money was spent on armaments to the detriment of the people\s well being.
Communism did not fail. It imploded.
The exception is China. But in China it is glorious for everyone to make the lolly.
one word: Totalitarianism and the subduing of individual rights and opportunities for the sake of a collective...
The more wealthy people's money runs out. Communism and/or Socialism destroys incentitives to others who desire to work harder and smarter to get ahead of others.
The greatest reason is the US under Ronald Reagan forced the USSR into economic disaster. They could not match our superpower status, because the communist state owned economy could not keep up with our borrowing power.
When their superpower failed, the rest of the communist dominoes began to fall.
As a general rule, people don't give up what they have voluntarily. Therefore, if you want to have a communist country where everybody shares the wealth, somebody has to force them to share. That somebody is the government, and it has to be pretty powerful to control all the property in the entire country. With this powerful government in control, you can bet the leaders and lawmakers will make sure they get a little bigger slice of the pie than everyone else. Plus, the whole pie is a little smaller because people aren't working quite so hard. All the profits get so spread out and diluted that the individual can't see any real payoff for working hard.
Because, in the end, they were not actually communist.
The USSR actually ceased to be communist when Stalin took over. There was a movement within Soviet Russia itself to regain power and reinstate Leninism.
And in some cases, because nobody will give them a chance. Cuba could do amazingly well if we opened up to them and helped them start becoming a producer... that would in turn make them more open to discussion of human-rights issues in the country.
They tryed to build a collective capitalist system (It wasn't about having all in common, it was about forcing everyone to work for the betterment of ALL (especially ALL those at the top of the system). True communism can't work because we are all, individually too selfish and self-motivated. It might work if we were all as selfless as Jesus is portrayed to be. The only other system we have allowed to survive is capitalsim, where we eat our young to fuel unending growth.
I am an artist, not an economist, although I have done much research on the subject. In short, economies cannot be controlled by government without force. When prices, wages, and availability of commodities are controlled their values become arbitrary and intangible. Wealth redistribution only benefits those in power. When the incentive of accomplishment and wealth accumulation is removed, people cannot be forced to work to the best of their ability.
Because they were corrupt. After each revolution the communist leaderships left their 'for the people' policy behind and built empires for themselves. Building a strong economy went against the principles of communism and they preferred to live in denial of failure rather than losing face to their critics.
America won the weapons race
They weren't truly communist. |
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