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			'''Criticism of communism''' may refer to:
	{{Communism sidebar}}
			* ], which is criticism of the practical policies implemented by 20th century governments claiming to follow the ideology of Marxism–Leninism (usually known as communist states)
	Criticism of communism can be divided into two broad categories: those concerning themselves with the practical aspects of 20th century ]s,<ref>Bruno Bosteels, ''The actuality of communism'' (Verso Books, 2014)</ref> and those concerning themselves with communist principles and theory.<ref>Raymond C. Taras, ''The Road to Disillusion: From Critical Marxism to Post-communism in Eastern Europe (Routledge, 2015).</ref> Authors who are critical of communism are typically opposed to both communist principles and historical policies, though they may focus exclusively on one or the other aspect in their writing.
			* ], which is criticism of the political ideology and principles most often identified with the word ''communism''
			{{disambiguation}}

		⚫	]
	Some ] argue that communist theory is directly responsible for the problems of 20th century "communism", while others separate theory from practice while maintaining that they are both flawed in their own way. Likewise, some ] defend both theory and practice, while others argue that historical practice diverged from communist principles to a greater or lesser degree.

	One may agree with communist principles but disagree with many policies adopted by Communist states (this is quite common among ]), or, more rarely, agree with policies adopted by Communist states but disagree with communist principles.

	==Criticism of communist party rule==
	{{main\|Criticism of communist party rule}}

	The actions of communist party ruled ]s that identify their official ideology as ], (i.e. ]s) are frequently subject to criticism.

	Differentiated from both ] and traditional forms of ] such as ], ] rule, notably in the ], one of two world ]s for nearly four decades after the end of ], and the ], the world's most populous state, has represented an important and distinct type of modern political regime.<ref>See "Communist party states" in ''Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World'', 2e. Joel Krieger, ed. Oxford University Press Inc. 2001 for an overview of communism as a distinct type of regime in the history of the 20th century.</ref> Criticisms of these regimes have related to their effects on the domestic development of various states, and their role in international politics, including the ], and the collapse of the ] and later the Soviet Union itself in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

	After the Russian Revolution, communist party rule was consolidated for the first time in ] (later the largest constituent republic of the Soviet Union, formed in December 1922), and criticized immediately domestically and internationally. During the first ] in the ], the takeover of Russia by the communist ]s was considered by many a threat to ]s, ], and ]. Meanwhile, under the tutelage of the ], the only party permitted by the ], state institutions were intimately entwined with those of the party. By the late 1920s, ] consolidated the regime's control over the country's economy and society through a system of ] and ]s.

	Between the Russian Revolution and the Second World War, Soviet-style communist rule only spread to one state that was not later incorporated into the USSR; in 1924, communist rule was established in neighboring ], a traditional outpost of Russian influence bordering the ]n region. However, throughout much of Europe and the Americas, criticism of the domestic and foreign policies of the Soviet regime among ] continued unabated. After the end of World War II, the spread of communist rule throughout ] coincided with the early years of the Cold War. In the West, critics of communist rule stated that the Soviets were imposing ] regimes on unwilling populations in Eastern Europe. Following the ], the People's Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949 under the leadership of the ]. Between the Chinese Revolution and the last quarter of the 20th century, communist rule spread throughout ] and much of the ], and new ]s became the subject of extensive local and international criticism.

	Western criticisms of the Soviet Union and Third World ]s have been strongly anchored in scholarship on ], which asserts that communist parties maintain themselves in power without the ] they rule by means of ], ] disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, repression of free discussion and criticism, ], and ]. These studies of totalitarianism influenced Western historiography on communism and Soviet history, particularly the work of ] and ] on ], the ], the ], and the ].

	Western criticisms of communist rule have also been grounded in ] by economists such as ] and ], who argued that the state ownership and ] characteristic of Soviet-style communist rule were responsible for economic stagnation and ], providing few incentives for individuals to improve ] and engage in ].

	Ruling communist parties have also been challenged by domestic dissent. In Eastern Europe, the works of dissidents ] and ] gained international prominence, as did the works of disillusioned ex-communists such as ], who condemned the "]" or "]" system that had emerged under communist rule.

	''Communism: Promise and Practice'' (1973) detailed what its author termed flagrant gaps between official Soviet policies of equality and economic justice and the reality of the emergence of a new class in the U.S.S.R. and in other communist countries, which thrived at the expense of the remaining population; see ].

	==Criticism of Marxism==
	{{main\|Criticisms of Marxism}}
	Criticisms of Marxism have come from various political ideologies and academic disciplines.

	These include general criticisms, criticisms related to historical materialism, that it is a type of ], the necessity of suppression of individual rights, issues with the implementation of communism and economic issues such as the distortion or absence of price signals, and reduced incentives. In addition empirical and epistemological problems are frequently identified.

	==Further reading==
	{{no footnotes\|date=May 2016}}
	* Bosteels, Bruno. ''The actuality of communism'' (Verso Books, 2014)
	* Blackmer, Donald LM, and Sidney Tarrow, eds. ''Communism in Italy and France'' (Princeton University Press, 2015)
	* Priestland, David. ''The Red Flag: A History of Communism'' (Grove Press, 2009)
	* Resnick, Stephen A., and Richard D. Wolff. ''Class theory and history: Capitalism and communism in the USSR'' (Routledge, 2013)
	* Taras, Raymond C. ''The Road to Disillusion: From Critical Marxism to Post-communism in Eastern Europe (Routledge, 2015)

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	==Notes==
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	{{reflist}}

	{{Fall of Communism}}

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Criticism Of Communism}}
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Latest revision as of 03:20, 30 April 2023

Criticism of communism may refer to:

Criticism of communist party rule, which is criticism of the practical policies implemented by 20th century governments claiming to follow the ideology of Marxism–Leninism (usually known as communist states)
Criticism of Marxism, which is criticism of the political ideology and principles most often identified with the word communism

Topics referred to by the same term

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