Common Misconceptions About Communism

The general attitudes regarding communism, particularly in the West, stem from a misunderstanding and series of misconceptions about the theoretical (as well as the historical application of) principles of the system itself. The purpose of this article is to outline a few of the basic misconceptions (rather than actual critiques) and put them in their proper context and address their mistakes. Many of these misunderstandings come from only a vague understanding of what communism is, for which the responsibility can be placed on the various outlets of socialization which disseminate disinformation to the public.

Everything I'm about to say can be found in the various works of Marx, Engels, Lenin specifically, but also others as well. I will reiterate the points authored by these men, rather than try to reconstruct responses to the misconceptions, to demonstrate that these allegations were based on disinformation from the original sources, rather than legitimate criticisms that arise from the system itself. That being said, when possible I will try to redirect readers to the appropriate texts so they can read for themselves. My goal is to make this accessible and informational to the casual reader who has never read any firsthand works by Marx, Engels, or Lenin and posit a solid refutation of these general misconceptions from a theoretical standpoint.

Misconception Number 1:

"Communism seeks to abolish the family"
This is not only false, but factually contradictory, for capitalism has done more damage to the family unit than communism ever could; capitalism has wrought degeneration of the family whereas communism tries to restore order and balance in familial structure and relations.

Marx addresses this problem in Chapter 15, Section 3 of his work Das Kapital. He points to the way that the traditional family was dictated by Capital to enter into the labor force through the mechanization of production. Prior to technological advancements, most labor needed to be conducted by physically apt individuals, who tended to be men, while the independent labor of the home was divided accordingly to the wife, and lesser extent children. Upon mechanization of production, the physical aptitude of labor drastically changed, and this changed the makeup of the labor force itself. Women and children replaced men in many factories which no longer needed strong physical attributes, but employed every member of the workers' family (while at times replacing the worker himself) and thus putting a great strain on the traditional family unit. Children and women, under the direction of Capital, were thus turned into means of labor to be used by capital at lesser costs than their predecessors. Communism seeks to restore order and decency back to family relations through the elimination of production for exchange, and into a system based on production of need. It is not hard to speculate how such a system would work; by transcending the production for exchange and the wage-labor system, communism seeks to develop the family, not employ it.

Misconception Number 2:

"In communism, sexuality will be dictated by 'free-love.'"
Again, this is a total falsehood that was addressed (quite humorously) by Lenin himself, and is nothing more than conventional fear-mongering on behalf of social conservatives who fear the abolition of the production for exchange (capitalist system). Communism views such practices as "free-love" to be harmful to the community and to the worker himself. In a letter to Clara Zetkin, Lenin addresses the analogy of sexual relations in communism as likened to something simple as drinking from a glass of water. Lenin reproaches his comrades for taking such an un-Marxist view on human sexuality. Lenin goes on to say that sexual liberation of the flesh is neither progressive nor communist, and originates in the preaching of "emancipation of the heart" in bourgeois romantic literature, which degenerated into "emancipation of the flesh." Lenin continues that the proletariat is a rising class, and one that does not (and should not) indulge in the intoxication of chemical substance or unrestricted sexual desires as that of the bourgeoisie. He clearly states (regarding what he calls the hypertrophy of sex) does not liberate nor empower one's life, but rather takes these things away - and makes one a slave to pleasures of the flesh, and is essentially anti-social.

This misconception is understandable in some regards, especially with the rise of the New-Left in the 1960's. The New-Left has used 'sexual liberation' as a means of propagating revolution, but as Lenin claims (and I do think rightfully so) this is un-Marxist and counter-productive to the emancipation of the proletariat.

Misconception Number 3:

"No matter how hard you work, everyone will be paid the same"
This is yet another baseless claim that has absolutely no factual reality within the theoretical framework of communism, nor in its historical application. The fact is, communism most certainly does not guarantee a "free-ride." The 8^th plank of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels clearly states the exact opposite - calling for an equal obligation of all to work. This means that nobody who does not contribute his labor to the collective good will receive any of the benefits from the collective good. In historical application, this misconception proves false as well. According to the 1936 Constitution of the USSR, work was considered a duty and honor of all able-bodied citizens according to the principle stated above, if you don't work, then you don't eat. As you can see, the alleged collective action problem is addressed in both theory and praxis, and thus this misconception is entirely false.

Misconception Number 4:

"Communism attempts to force 'unnatural' equality on all humans, restricting their mental and physical capacities to the lowest common denominator"
This is another baseless accusation that can be easily refuted through even a simple reading of the texts themselves (and again in the historical application of socialism). Communists never deny that indeed in physical and mental faculties, men are not equal. Lenin, in his 1914 work entitled, A Liberal Bourgeois Professor on Equality, professes that no sensible person would deny this, and most certainly no socialist either. Rather, communism seeks economic equality through the dissolution of the class-system as sustained in capitalism, as well as equal rights to the benefits of production from the perspective of labor. The aforementioned equality is egalitarianism and utopianism, and has no room in communist theory. Communism makes possible the development of one's physical and mental capacities to their fullest extent, rather than hindering them through the denial of opportunities that exist in the class-system.

Misconception Number 5:

"Capitalism equals democracy, communism equals totalitarianism."
Not only is this theoretically false, but also confused. There is a fundamental difference between capitalism and democracy. The former is nothing more than an economic system based on arrangements of private ownership to the means of production; the latter represents a political system. In Marxist-Leninist terms, the economic system of capitalism is the base and democracy is the super-structure (which includes political ideology, systems and arrangements of power, culture, religion, etc.). The economic base determines the super-structure, which is historically seen through transitions of economic bases and the reflected transitions in super-structure. With the bourgeois revolutions towards capitalism there also came transitions in the political climate tending towards a bourgeois form of democracy. It follows then, with the transition from the capitalist base to a socialist, and then communist one, the super-structure will transition as well. An economic base that is more equal will result in more political equality as seen in socialism and then communism. From capitalism to communism, a quantitative change in democracy occurs, and the proletarian conception of democracy transcends the mere bourgeois characterization.

That capitalism is fundamentally linked to democracy (and bourgeois democracy being the best system) is a tactic of socialization and propaganda that has been employed since the early days of bourgeois revolutionaries against feudalism and monarchy. It relies on a connection between private property and democracy, one that is only correlative rather than causal. The fact is, capitalism can be democratic or autocratic. Capitalism itself, unrestricted, lends itself towards the former. However, capitalism unrestricted also lends itself towards socialism.

There are plenty more misconceptions regarding communism, socialism, and Marxism in general which have in their origins political strategy for the purpose of propaganda rather than any seed of truth. Clarifying these misconceptions means stripping away the half-truths and lies and leaving behind the core of Communist theory as it was explained through the authors themselves.