UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE

(FOURAH BAY COLLEGE)

MOUNT AUROEL

BACHELOR OF ART (MAIN STREAM)

PRESENTATION NOTES.

MOUDLE:…………………………………………………………………………………….……..INTRO
TO POLITICS

GROUP:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….F
OUR(4)

DEPARTMENT:……………………………………………………………………………………….B.A.
MAINSTREAM

TASK TO PERFORM…………………………………………………………………….…..GROUP
PRESENTATION

LECTURER IN CHARGE:
………………………………………………………………………………..ELVIS T. ENOH

NAMES OF STUDENTS:
1. David S. Kamanda ( group leader) (10). Alma E. Kanu
2. Tracy Gray (11). Ceerl F. Macauley
3. Mohamed A. Kamara (12). Ruth Salma Kargbo
4. Allie Andrew Dumbuya (13). Alie Yusif Koroma
 5. Abdul Sesay (14). Ezekiel Josiah
6. Mariama Olive Conteh (15). Yayah Williams
7. Makalay Bangura (16). Zainab Kamara
8. Estherlyn Kargbo-Gargba (17). Samuella H. Mansaray
9. Muritalah Muhammad Balemo (18). Adonis Brown

Brief history of Communism

"Communism" is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of ideologies.
The term's modern usage originated with Victor d'Hupay, an 18th-century
French aristocrat who advocated living in "communes" in which all property
would be shared, and "all may benefit from everybody's work." The idea was
hardly new even at that time, however: the Book of Acts describes first-
century Christian communities holding property in common according to a
system known as koinonia, which inspired later religious groups such as the
17th-century English "Diggers" to reject private ownership. 

What Is Communism?
communism is an economic, political, and social system in which most or all
property and resources are collectively owned by a class-free society rather than
by individual citizens. According to the theory developed by the German
philosopher, economist, and political theorist Karl Marx, communism results in a
society in which all people are equal and there is no need for money or the
accumulation of individual wealth. There is no private ownership of economic
resources, with a central government controlling all facets of
production. Economic output is distributed according to the needs of the people.
Social friction between white and blue-collar workers and between rural and
urban cultures will be eliminated, freeing each person to achieve his or her
highest human potential.
Under pure communism, the central government provides the people with all
basic necessitates, such as food, housing, education, and medical care, thus
allowing the people to share equally from the benefits of collective labor. Free
access to these necessities depends on constant advances in technology
contributing to ever-greater production.
In 1875, Marx coined the phrase used to summarize communism, “From each
according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Characteristics of Communist System

The following are the Characteristics of Communism:

⮚ Abolition of Private Property

The first feature of the communist economic system is the abolition of the private ownership of
means of production. In this system, an individual can own nothing except necessaries of life. No
one can run private business.

⮚ Collective Ownership of Means of Production

In this system all means of production such as factories, farms, land, trade; construction, mines and
means of transport and communication are under state ownership and control.

⮚ Central Planning
Utilization of national resources and production and distribution of consumer goods is done through
comprehensive planning. In other words, the work of effecting a balance between demand and supply
of goods is not left to the Mechanism of Prices. The forces of demand and supply are balanced by
central planning.

⮚ Elimination of Unfair Gaps in Incomes

Each individual is paid compensation according to his need. This eliminates unfair gaps
in incomes. The abolition of revenue, interest and private profit puts the system of
distribution of wealth on a just and fair basis.

⮚ Provision of Necessaries of Life

In communist system, state is responsible to provide work and compensation according
to the capabilities of every individual

ADVANTAGE OF COMMUNISM
1.Communism may help to close the gap between the
poor and the rich
One key advantage of communism is that it can help to close the gap
between the rich and the poor.
In many countries all over the world, we have a huge wealth gap and
a small minority of people owns almost all of the wealth while the
general public owns almost nothing. This can be considered to be
quite unfair and politicians often talk about how to close this gap.
One possibility to lower the wealth gap would be to introduce the
communist idea since in communism, almost nothing can be owned
by people.
This also implies that wealthy people would lose their wealth while
the general public would greatly profit from a redistribution of
wealth.
Assurance of supply with medical equipment
Communism can also help to assure the supply with important
medical equipment in case of emergency.
Since production processes are controlled by the state, the
government can decide how much medical equipment should be
produced and in case of emergency, the government can simply
expand production processes in this field so that everyone gets
proper medical treatment. Hence, the local population may also be
better protected against several health issues in a communist
regime.
Food supply is assured
In a communist country, the government not only controls the
production processes regarding medical equipment, it also controls
the food production processes.
As we all know, we need sufficient amounts of food and water in
order to be able to survive.
Thus, our food supply is a vital component for a working society and
it can make sense that the government controls those crucial
processes in order to assure the food supply of the local population.
Enhancement of the education infrastructure
In communist countries, the government often also controls all
education facilities. Therefore, chances are that those educational
institutions are also funded with plenty of money in order to assure a
high level of education.
This will give more people from families with a low income the
opportunity to get proper education, which would otherwise not get
this opportunity.
For instance, if you live in a rather capitalistic country, chances are
that you will have to pay high tuition fees to attend college and many
kids from poor families will not be able to afford this kind of higher
education.
Thus, communism can also lead to a higher level of educational
equality.
Important investments in infrastructure
Since there will almost be no private property in communist
countries, the government is responsible to maintain and to expand
the local infrastructure.
This can be quite beneficial for the general public since many
important infrastructure projects can be completed in a rather short
period of 
Moreover, most infrastructure projects will aim to benefit the
majority of the local population instead of just a small interest group.
Social goals are more important than the goals of small
elites
Another upside of communism is that the goals of the general public
will be more important than the goals of small elites.
For instance, in many capitalist countries, there is plenty of lobbying
when it comes to political decisions and many decisions will benefit a
small corporate elite instead of the general public.
Hence, in order to really do what’s good for the majority of the
people in a country, communism may be a great way to represent
the needs of the general public and to avoid lobbying in political
decisions.
Lower unemployment rates
In communism, everyone has to contribute his or her part for the
benefit of the general public.
This also means that almost nobody will be unemployed since almost
everyone can make a positive contribution in one way or the other.
Therefore, people will stay busy and everyone will make a certain
contribution in order to improve the overall living conditions in a
country.
May improve the overall safety level in a country
Since the government will have plenty of power through the control
of production and employment processes, chances are that this will
also increase the overall safety level in a country.
For instance, if someone behaves in an unlawful manner, the
government can decide to cancel certain benefits for those people or
that those people have to work in jobs with quite poor conditions.
In turn, people will be less eager to break the law.
Communism can reduce social tensions in a society
In many capitalist countries, social tensions have increased
substantially over the past decades.
This is often due to the fact that the gap between the rich and the
poor increased dramatically, which in turn leads to plenty of
frustration for the poor part of society.
Chances are that at one point in time, those poor people will no
longer accept the current political system

In order to prevent this kind of social instability, communism can

reduce social tensions since it aims to benefit the general public
instead of just a small elite and the wealth gap between the rich and
the poor could be closed.
Avoidance of corporate monopolies
In countries where there are free markets and just low levels of
political and economic regulations, chances are that big corporate
monopolies will form over time which are usually owned by private
shareholders as well as by institutional investors.
Monopolies are usually quite harmful to the general public since they
often lead to higher prices for the end-consumer and also imply a
certain social welfare loss.
Hence, communism can also be quite important to prevent those
corporate monopolies to form and therefore, the overall public
welfare could be increased through lower product prices.
Absent of classes may reduce the problem of
discrimination of minorities
Communism claims to be a classless system where everyone has
similar opportunities.
In turn, this also implies that certain minorities will have it easier to
get proper education and to succeed in the job market since they will
no longer be discriminated against.
In contrast, in many capitalist countries, the discrimination of
minorities is still quite prevalent and people who belong to those
minorities will have many disadvantages in all parts of their life.
Thus, communism can also improve the chances of minorities in
various parts of their life.
Everyone gets similar chances to succeed in life
In general, in a communist country, every citizen should have similar
chances to succeed in life.
This means that everyone should have similar access to education,
similar chances for good jobs and so on

List of the Disadvantages of Communism

The government owns everything, including property, businesses, and
production means.
The most significant disadvantage of communism is the fact that it
eliminates the free market from domestic society. That means there
are no laws of supply and demand available to set the prices for
consumers to pay. This issue causes planners to lose the feedback
they need to understand what is necessary for the production cycle
and what could use an upgrade. There is no up-to-date information
about what the needs of the consumers happen to be either.
Because of this disadvantage, it is not unusual for the government to
produce too much of one item and too little of another. Surpluses
and shortages in critical need areas can be strong enough at times
that government disruptions can occur

The government owns everything, including property, businesses, and

production means.
The most significant disadvantage of communism is the fact that it
eliminates the free market from domestic society. That means there
are no laws of supply and demand available to set the prices for
consumers to pay. This issue causes planners to lose the feedback
they need to understand what is necessary for the production cycle
and what could use an upgrade. There is no up-to-date information
about what the needs of the consumers happen to be either.
Because of this disadvantage, it is not unusual for the government to
produce too much of one item and too little of another. Surpluses
and shortages in critical need areas can be strong enough at times
that government disruptions can occur

2. There is no freedom of speech in the typical communist

government.
The needs of the government are indistinguishable from the best
interests of society in a communist system, which means the idea of
individual freedoms is incompatible with the ideology being practiced.
The only reason to suppress this right is to keep those who are in
power from losing it, which is why there are restrictions made on
individual expressions, journalistic thought, and other challenges to
the actions of the government.
Even Karl Marx, who is often vilified because of his ideas involving
socialism, argued in favor for the people to have a right of expression.
He even defended the free press in such a society, stating that
censoring these ideas would lead to the implementation of a class he
referred to as the bourgeois elite. Marx said that censorship is a tool
that the powerful always use to oppress the powerless.
3. Efficiency and productivity are difficult since there is little motive
for workers.
There is never a need to have entrepreneurs operating in a
communist space because the government maintains control of
everything. That means the production cycles operate just well
enough to produce what is needed for domestic consumption and the
limited export market that may be available. Because innovation is
what pushes an economy forward, shepherded by the development
made possible by entrepreneurs who wish to experience success, the
living situation in a country practicing this form of government can be
exceptionally stifling.

4. There are strict rules in place that govern the structure of a

classless society.
Not only does communism control the means of production in
society, but it also places strict regulations on businesses that
operate in the market so that there is a lack of class structure within
the population. The same amount of funding is allocated to each
organization, regardless of their industry, and each worker receives
the same reward. That means farmers are going to receive the same
compensation as an administrative worker, which can cause
problems in some societal segments since the work can be more
demanding. This disadvantage can cause high levels of emotional
unrest for a variety of reasons. You never receive recognition for your
work because this would set you apart from the rest of the society,
so there is an expectation to be productive and remain that way for
basic survival

5 .Opposition is not allowed unless the communist government

authorizes it.
The goal of the communist party once it comes into power is to hold
onto that leverage by any means necessary. Since the government
controls every aspect of society, they can send out propaganda
through all media channels with enough truth to make the stories
believable. A single official might be in control of setting an agenda,
measuring the performance of a society, or cracking down on actions
that are deemed to be political dissent.
Why Did Communism Fail?
While there has been extensive study of the reasons for communism's failure,
researchers have pinpointed a couple of common factors that contributed to
its demise.

1. The first is an absence of incentives among citizens to produce for

profit. The profit incentive leads to competition and innovation in society.
But an ideal citizen in a communist society was selflessly devoted to
societal causes and rarely stopped to think about his or her welfare. "At
all times and all questions a party member should give first
consideration to the interests of the Party as a