Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with communism

Do communists turn conservative?

aqsakal — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:43:19 -0800

"Anyone who was not a communist|socialist at 20 has missed half the point of life, and anyone who is still a communist|socialist at 40 has missed the other half." Who famously said this (or something very similar...)? I've heard variations on this wording, but the basic concept was that your role in society is to be a revolutionary firebrand (or at least to try to get things changed|moving|cleaned up) when you're young, and when you're maturer you should have realised it's worth while trying to conserve what's worth keeping.

I believe it was put in this pithy format by some famous personality in the early C20th (like maybe Bertrand Russell or GB Shaw).

Has anybody got the original quote?

Water Polo movie/scene about Communism?!

mnop — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:23:10 -0800

What movie did I watch with Water Polo as an allegory for Socialism/Communism? The lovely local WETA station shows foreign films, and I caught the very end of one that had me captivated... it was a climactic scene where a water polo player was contemplating where to aim his penalty shot. It had subtitles that read things like "I should go right..." and "The LEFT! The left is better!" It seemed like some allegory for his decision process about accepting socialism/communism, but I'm not sure. I'd definitely like to give the film a proper viewing, and figure out what it was all about!

I saw this many many years ago, so I don't recall any more details. I believe it might have been B&W though.

Any ideas?

Which has a higher body count: Imperialism or Communism?

Jairus — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:48:54 -0800

Which has a higher body count: Imperialism or Communism?

Communist dogs vs Capitalist pigs

man down under — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:32:33 -0800

What game can I play with a History class to demonstrate the differences between Capitalism and Communism? I would like to introduce Capitalism and Communism to the kids I teach prior to starting a unit on the Cold War.

Does anyone know of a game that can either have a two teams (Commies vs. Capitalists) or can have a rule change at half time to show the difference in economic and idealogical outlooks?

Bonus points for not pushing either agenda as the answer to all life's woes!

Why couldn't my dad get married in 1940's Yugoslavia?

the luke parker fiasco — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:24:41 -0800

FamilyHistoryFilter: In Tito's Yugoslavia, in the latter half of the 1940's, what nationalities would two people have to have been to be denied permission to marry, and why? There's very little I know about my father's side of the family. A few of the things that I do know are: my father grew up in Slavonija (then Yugoslavia, now Croatia), between Osijek and the Hungarian border. His father was Austrian, his mother Yugoslav. His first child from his first marriage was born out of wedlock, because he and his first wife were not allowed to marry under Tito's regime.

My father died several years ago, and the only living memory left of that time is my great-aunt, who is now 91 years old and has the memory one would expect of someone that age. I'm trying to piece together what I can of my family history and ancestry, but it's difficult without having some basic facts. One thing I've heard a couple of times over the course of my life was that because of their nationalities, my father and his first wife couldn't get married in Yugoslavia, and had to wait until they left the country. If my father's parents were Austrian and Yugoslav, what ethnicity would his future wife have to have been in order for them to be denied the right to marry? Why was this done, and were there other ethnic groups who were in the same situation?

Both straight-up answers and directions to resources welcomed.

Explain Marx's conception of economic crises.

matkline — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:54:52 -0800

I'm trying to wrap my head around Marx's conception of Capitalist economic crises. He claims that these crises emerge every 7 years, and are caused by "the epidemic of overproduction." Is there any historical justification for this? (Especially in the modern era?)

Help me find examples of Soviet-bloc nostalgia art.

matkline — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:00:17 -0800

Frederic Jameson's Fear and Loathing in Globalization talks about Eastern European/Soviet nostalgia art, "in which a complete set of mass-produced industrial products, from toilet seats to window panes, from shower heads to automobiles, had been invented from scratch, altogether different from the actually existing Western inventory." Are there any examples of this type of art on the web?

Political Theory: Marx, Arendt and ? Need secondary sources and fellow travelers.

caitlinb — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:54:48 -0800

I've got a term paper to write on Arendt, Marx, and general communism and am seeking secondary sources and other theorists. If you can help, please step inside. I have 'The Portable Marx' and 'The Essential Works of Lenin' as well as a couple of books by Trotsky and Arendt. What else should I be looking for, both in the context of commentary on these (especially Marx) or similar thinkers?

So WHAT is wrong with socialism again?

arniec — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:08:06 -0800

PoliSci filter: I was hoping that someone can rationally, without rhetoric, explain to me why the word "Socialism" creates fear and extreme responses in far right-wing people. Soem very detailed specifics within. With all the recent economic turmoil and the elections, I'm seeing the term "socialism" a lot. With the US just today somewhat "nationalizing" some banks the term has been used. Also with Obama's proposed universal health care the term is used again. Also, I recently read that at a McCain speech an attendee said his "biggest fear" was to raise his son in a country raised by "socialists". This really made me want to say "Wha???"

First, as I understand it (and it's been a looong time since my Policital Science classes in college) the US is a Capitilistic Republic. That being two different things. Capitalistic is one thing, the Republic being another (even though we're commonly referred to as a "democracy", as I understand it we are truly a republic).

Continuing that, if we WERE to become socialist then we would STILL be a republic, people would still have freedoms and people would still vote, correct? It's not that Socialism = Communism, is it? Because can't one have a Socialist Republic country and a Capitalist Communist country?

Next, given that Socialism in theory would equalize all people financially in some or all respects depending on how far it went, why are some of the most radical opponants of it lower income blue collar people? Wouldn't those be the ones benefitting most from such a change?

Finally, I look at Canada, which I know has socialized health care. The people in Canada seem happy. I know several Canadians on a very personal level and they do not seem oppressed nor limited. They are not smuggling themselves over the border to escape socialized health care, in fact the benefit of their cheaper nature of pharmacuticals is constantly cropping up in my e-mail. So again, why the fear?

Even if we DID socialize health care (which I don't believe is actually Obama's plan but merely a right-wing framing and demonizing of Obama's plan), that would not make us "socialists" would it? To have a single natioanlized health care institution as Canada does? IS Canada socialist?

Can someone help me clear this up??

Thank you!

Searching for a Cold War Soundtrack

DOUBLE A SIDE — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:46:11 -0800

I am looking to make a music playlist that recaptures that '89 cold war, fall of communism feel. Think Scorpions - Wind of Change. I'm living in Eastern Europe for the first time, a whole bunch of friends and family are coming over for a special occasion and I really want to create a playlist for a night of drinking in an old communist apartment. I'm not so interested in traditional folk music or patriotic songs...but popular music with subject matter relating to the cold war or the fall of communism (or Russia and Eastern Europe in general). I don't mind how cheesy they are and the song doesn't necessarily have to be western.

To Begin:
Scorpions - Wind of Change
Elton John - Nikita
David Hasselhoff - I'm Looking for Freedom
Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhatten [for the Berlin mention]
Nena - 99 Luftballons

Not Interested in:
The Beatles - Back in the U.S.S.R
Novelty songs - e.g anything by Weird Al

There were these nuclear songs previously, but maybe a bit too nucleary for me.

How do Kosovar Albanians differ from Albanians in Albania?

jason's_planet — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:26:01 -0800

How do Kosovar Albanians differ from Albanians in Albania? Kosovar Albanians and Albanians in Albania proper share a nationality but their historical experiences seem so different that I wonder if the division has produced cultural differences between the two. The historical analogy that comes to mind is that of Germany, where the Iron Curtain produced distinct “Ossi” and “Wessi” identities which persisted even after reunification

So, how are Kosovar Albanians different from Albanians in Albania? Do they speak a different dialect of Albanian? Do they speak with a distinct accent? How did their experiences under Yugoslav Communism affect them culturally? And how do the two groups view each other?

Many thanks in advance.

10 Planks of the Communist Manifesto

Geppp — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:28:17 -0800

How many of the 10 Planks of the Communist Manifesto have been adopted into modern society? For example, #10 for the most part, has seemed to been enacted throughout modern society. Are there any other examples of successful (or unsuccessful) implementations of any of the other planks? (I'm not just talking about modern society, but historical and other examples also)

Calling MeFibrarians and MeFanarchists

arcticwoman — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:55:49 -0800

I have been asked at the last minute to incorporate some Bakunin into my paper (due Friday) on 19th Century theories of community. Not having read any Bakunin before, and not having much time to work on this, I am in a bit of a pickle. I am more than happy to do the relevant reading if only I can identify it. Can someone who has read Bakunin please recommend to me some specific pieces I should read? I am interested in ideas of what community is and should be, how it is created and maintained, why it is necessary, etc. For reference, the major theorist I am drawing on for this paper is Ferdinand Tonnies.

Red Dawn Russian Style

occidental — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:25:30 -0800

Are there any movies that match the campiness of Red Dawn from Russia? I was recently discussing the movie Red Dawn with friends and we were curious if Russia created any films that have cheesy action centered around the United States invading. Other countries will work but we would primarily like to know about Russian films in particular. Thanks!

East Germany after the wall fell?

neuron — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:36:42 -0800

What was East Germany like immediately after the Wall fell? (Lives of Others spoiler alert) What did people in East Germany do in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall? (And does the fall of the wall equate with the fall of the GDR government?) Can you recommend a book (preferably nonfiction) on the subject? And what's it like there now--is it assimilated?

Near the end of The Lives of Others we see some Stasi bureaucrats using steam to open letters. One of them hears on the radio that the wall has fallen. They arise from their desks and calming walk out. Would they have come back to work?

Help Me Before the Revolution Commences. . .

boubelium — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:17:56 -0800

Bookfilter: Recommend a good book on Leon Trotsky and Trotskyism. I am just finishing up Robert Service's Comrades! A History of World Communism and I greatly enjoyed it. However, it was a little light on Trotsky and the underpinnings of his brand of Marxism. Can anyone recommend a good book that gives an overview of Trotsky's life and philosophy?

Extra caveats: I don't want anything that is overly glorifying of Trotsky or Communism (I am not a Marxist). I would also prefer a concise single volume work. I am interested in getting a good overview, but this isn't something that I want to delve deeply into.

What are these East German Commies saying, anyway?

jason's_planet — Mon, 07 May 2007 08:11:03 -0800

German-speakers: What are the Commies in these (very brief) clips from East Germany saying? Yesterday, I did a front page post on East Germany. My YouTube research uncovered quite a few clips that were amusing and interesting but not appropriate for the post itself. Two that caught my eye are listed below:

The first is a straightforward propaganda clip from (I assume) the Fifties. (:42)

The second is a Stasi surveillance video with an anti-Western speech inserted as a soundtrack. (:58)

If there are any German-speakers out there, could you please tell me what they are saying? I don’t need a word-by-word translation. Just the gist would be fine.

Many thanks in advance.

Are there any essays or studies naming and analyzing the concept of 'freedom' as developed on the internet?

Lockeownzj00 — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 06:56:34 -0800

Are there any essays or studies naming and analyzing the concept of 'freedom' as developed on the internet? What I mean to say is, there seems to be a strain of ideology that is prevalent amongst serious Internet users: in this highly utopic fashion, it says that things "should" be free. Software "should" be free, operating systems "should" be free, filesharing "should" be free, music "should" be free*. My question is:

What is the source of this? Why are people so easily motivated to become part of it? How does it differ from political ideologies which are so similar and yet so reviled (communism/anarchism)? How has it inoculated itself and separated itself from the bad stigma of aforementioned ideologies?

I know there have been sociological studies on "da internet" before, but I'm looking for something particularly on this topic. If you've any ideas yourself, feel free to contribute.

*not that i disagree with any of this. i'd number myself with them. which is precisely why i want to know why i think this way.

How many in Hong Kong supported reunification?

grouse — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 07:31:37 -0800

How many Hong Kongers supported reunification before it happened? Now? I'm aware that in the 60s at least there were pro-communist groups in Hong Kong. But did people want reunification in the 80s as the Sino-British Joint Declaration was made or in the 90s when the changeover occurred? How about now—would Hong Kong people prefer to be independent or under the British again?

Feel free to comment or compare on Macao and Taiwan as well. John Woo's film Bullet in the Head inspired this question.

Meanwhile, back in communist Hollywood

soundofsuburbia — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 06:12:14 -0800

A russian James Bond? A russian friend of mine (whom I've since lost contact with, alas) once told me in passing that the Soviet Union produced their own James Bond type movies, ie action packed popcorn movies in which the main protagonist fights against capitalism by any means necessary. I'd like to learn more about those, so I was just wondering if you guys could give me some titles or point me in the direction of some books or websites. The fact that I don't speak russian is probably a liability, but I'm hoping that it doesn't have to be.

Memory trigged by this article.

Evidence of un-American activities

stammer — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 01:04:38 -0800

Is there a site where I can read ALL the transcripts of the evidence given by "friendly witnesses" before the House Committee on Un-American Activities? I've found a couple with transcripts of the really prominent ones, like Ayn Rand and Ronald Reagan, but I'm looking for the whole lot. I'm specifically interested in Josh White.

Intellectual property is theft!

adamrice — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 10:11:52 -0800

Legal status of creative works from the USSR. Intellectual property and the public domain are relatively big issues among this crowd, and this got me wondering how creative works from the USSR (or other Warsaw Pact states) are handled today. This seems like a triple-whammy problem, because A) many of those works were (I'm guessing) the property of the state or the people (in the USA, this means "public domain"); B) the legal framework under which those works were created no longer exists; and C) what was one country is now many, each of which has a different legal framework.

Trotsky v. Marx

xmutex — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 22:50:18 -0800

Like, what are the main differences between Marx's Communism and Trotsky's Communism?

Help me weed through all those blogs about Asia

dead_ — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 13:32:23 -0800

What are the best blogs dealing with East Asian politics, specifically China, the Koreas and Japan? Bonus if commentary about US foreign policy toward these nations is included.

In AskMe the questions come to you

pieoverdone — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 06:57:56 -0800

I'm looking for nonfiction accounts of daily civilian life in the former Soviet Union / Eastern Bloc nations. Please recommend some titles. Thanks!