Economics Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Communism: Communism is a socio-economic ideology advocating for a classless society where resources are shared equally among members. It seeks to eliminate private property and establish a stateless, egalitarian system where the community collectively owns the means of production. See also Socialism._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Friedrich Engels on Communism - Dictionary of Arguments
Rothbard II 327 Communism/Engels/Rothbard: Engels, (…) a bit more of an economist than Marx, (…) [and] was capable of alternating the wildest Utopian fantasies of communism with a suddenly perceptive insight into its economic diffculties. Thus, even in Anti-Dühring Engels at one point admits that 'the task of economic science', as capitalism moves forward rapidly and inexorably to its collapse, is 'to uncover amid the changes of the economic transition the elements of the future new organisation ofproduction and exchange which will remove the previous malfunctioning (of the capitalist economy)'. >Engels/Rothbard, >Production/Engels. It was never a task, however, that either Engels or Marx would ever bother to take aip. Furthermore, in 'The Principles of Communism', an essay written in late 1847 that became the first draft for the Communist Manifesto, Engels laid bare one of the crucial, usually implicit, assumptions of the communist society - that superabundance will have eliminated the problem of scarcity: Engels: Private property can be abolished only when the economy is capable ofproducing the volume of goods needed to satisfy everyone's requirements... The new rate of industrial growth will produce enough goods to satisfy all the demands of society... Society will achieve an output suffcient for the needs of all members, Rorhbrd II 328 this superabundant production somehow will have been achieved by a wondrous technological progress that would eliminate the need for any division of labour. Rothbard: Engels, however, in the midst of this bold assumption, felt compelled to waffle, and to admit that this communist millennium could not be achieved 'immediately', or 'at one blow'. For 'it would not be possible immediately to expand the existing forces of production to such an extent that enough goods could be made to satisfy all the needs of the community'. During the transition period, at least, says Engels, 'industry will have to be run by society as a whole for everybody's benefit. It must be operated by all members of society in accordance with a common plan... Private property will also have to be abolished and it must be replaced by the sharing of all products in accordance with an agreed plan'.(1) 1. English translation by William O. Henderson, The Life of Friedrich Engels (London: Frank Cass, 1976) I, pp. 369-76. Cited in T.W. Hutchison, The Politics and Philosophy of Economics: Marxians, Keynesians and Austrians (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1981), pp. 9-12, 14._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
EconEngels I Friedrich Engels Der Ursprung der Familie, des Privateigentums und des Staats Rothbard II Murray N. Rothbard Classical Economics. An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Cheltenham 1995 Rothbard III Murray N. Rothbard Man, Economy and State with Power and Market. Study Edition Auburn, Alabama 1962, 1970, 2009 Rothbard IV Murray N. Rothbard The Essential von Mises Auburn, Alabama 1988 Rothbard V Murray N. Rothbard Power and Market: Government and the Economy Kansas City 1977 |
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