Authoritarianism Vs. Communism

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Name ENG 111 Due Date: 15 February 2012 Compare & Contrast Essay Authoritarianism vs. Communism One of the more popular topics of discussion these days is politics and government systems. Two of the most talked about government systems in existence are Authoritarianism and Communism. Both systems present us with several positive and negative aspects that we can analyze and pose for discussion. Presented here are three of the most interesting similarities and contrasts the two systems have to offer. Let us first take a look at their definitions, right from the start you will notice major differences in each: Authoritarianism is an ideology which is compatible with almost any conceivable political system. It is based on beliefs in the virtues of order, discipline and strong decisive rule backed up, if necessary, through the use of force. Authoritarians can emerge from the right, left and centre of the political spectrum (Baker). The Authoritarian system values order and discipline over all others. It identifies itself as a stern political system with little room for error on the individual. Now let’s take a look at the definition of Communism: Communism is the strictly theoretical system imagined by Karl Marx in which all of society, all of economics and all politics are combined into one, perfect, classless, automatic, government-less system based on common ownership of all economic means of production, and social sameness (Biorseth). Communism is Marx’s attempt at creating the “perfect” statelessness system, when in fact it is impossible for such a system to exist (Hoyt). While both systems appear to vastly different, they do have some subtle similarities: Both systems mandate government control of businesses and demand harsh punishments for victimless commercial behavior (including setting ones' own prices or wages, engaging in so-called "insider
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