The Origins of Communism

Day 188, 08:08 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Stan Wephen

(Before I start this article, I want to thank everyone who's read, commented, voted and subscribed on this newspaper! It's truely encouraging to see people participating in this newspaper, especially the big names in government)

Many people believe communism was a dream cooked up by Karl Marx and just popped into exsistence sometime in the 19th century. However, this is not the case. Throughout history we see communism in communities, in tribes and even in the animal kingdom. This article will be about the true origins of communism, not from Karl Marx, but from the natural impulse from humans to work together collectively to ensure a better life for all.

1) The farming community. Before the formation of huge industralised nations, many people lived in small villages and communities, where farmers would plough the land and feed the people. There, people would have to share the tools, workload and most importantly, the produce of the harvest. We would see everyone working equally to produce enough grain to last the winter, enough clothes to stay warm and enough housing for every villager. This ideal was sadly lost when people moved into the big cities and were exploited in factories by capitalists seeking to make the biggest profit. Communism is trying to restore that principle of community but on a grander scale.

2) Nomads and wandering tribes. If we go even further back into history, before people settled in one place to live, we would find people who travelled across the land. These people would have to work together to survive, sharing what little resources they had. Hunters would hunt for food, wives would sew together clothing, the craftsman would produce weapons, but you would never find them selling it according to 'supply and demand' like in today's society. Food would not become more expensive if there was a lack of it, and nor would the wives trade clothes for more money if there were people naked. In fact, money wasn't even a concept during that time - what was more important was the survival of the community. This is what communism aims for - that community is most important, more so than money and self-gain.

3) The animal kingdom. Observe the lion pack. They hunt together, feed together, mate together, doing what it takes to survive together. You never see one single lion profiting over the other lions, lazing aroung and gaining all the food whilst the others work. Animals share that inherient spirit of community that we humans have lost with the introduction of capitalism. Ants will stop at nothing to protect the colony. Bees will continue to build the hive even if they must give their lives. But today humans will sell their soul for more money, rather than give their all for the community.

Do you see? Communism is something that used to be held tightly in every group, something lost today. If may not have been called communism then but the ideal is identical. Isn't it fascinating that before the creation of 'civilised nations', there were no classes, no oppression, in the small communities. The name of this type of system is often called 'Primitive communism'. But as I see it, these 'primitatives' were far more civilised than capitalists ever were.

"The true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality." (Che Guevara)

Stan Wephen