Communism and political evolution

Abstract

In its modern form derived from Marxism, communism has evolved several competing variants, resulting primarily from the different times and circumstances in which communist parties have existed and come to power. The history of the movement displays many paradoxes, not least in the obvious contrast between the goal of communist society and the reality of communist rule. Once established, communist regimes have competed with a capitalism that proved singularly more vibrant than Marxists believed, and established an international environment in which communist systems were found wanting; the communications revolution, in particular, undermined basic ground rules of communist power. The concept of evolution raises theoretical issues of relevance to the study of communism, notably the adaptability of a system to its changing environment. On that score, the Stalinist form of ‘communism’ is doomed as a system, but some of its effects will be transmitted to the next stage of those societies' evolution.