When it comes to learning about all different forms of government and learning about what different countries have tried in the past, a lot of people have mixed feelings about what worked and what didn’t.

While a lot of people support the main form of governing the people today, there are still plenty of disputes over which method is the “best” method. For some people, this refers to keeping people happy for as long as possible, while for other people, this might refer to prosperity. Out of all the different forms of government out there, there is no form that is nearly as argued about as communism.

Whether you want to bolster your knowledge of history and politics, or you simply want to have a better understanding of where people come from in their opinions of communism, it is important to understand both the pros and cons of communism. There are plenty of arguments that people have for communism, although there are many more that people have against it. Because of this disparity, so many people begin arguments over whether or not communism is a profitable type of economy to have. With all of that being said, here are three pros and three cons of communism.

1.  It Can Create Industrial Power Quickly

One of the biggest arguments for communism is its ability to create industrial power without needing to dedicate as much time and effort to it as other economic systems might. This happens because, at its core, communism focuses on bettering the country as a whole at the expense of individual success and happiness.

When nobody is putting forth enough energy for their personal achievements to be notable, there is more than enough manpower to create a booming industrial society. With that type of industry, it would be much easier to make money, which would only profit the country further. At least, that is how communism is supposed to work in theory.

2.  It Abolishes Class Systems

Another gripe that many people have with other forms of government is the fact that there are always going to be class divides. There are the lower class and the low-class equivalents, the working class and their equivalent, the middle class and their equivalent, and the upper-class and their equivalent.

Nobody enjoys the disparity between these systems. Because of this, many people look toward communism as it completely gets rid of any and all classes. Everyone is a working cog in society, and therefore, is equal. The population owns everything, which means that nobody is far above or below the rest. This ensures that there is no favor or fear between classes, at least in a perfect communist society.

3.  There Is No Unemployment

Another major problem with most modern societies is that there is almost always some degree of unemployment, and it is often higher than what it should be. Nobody wants this to happen, especially the people who are a part of this unemployed group.

With communism, everyone in a society is put to work to try and better the country and the society. In a true, perfect (or even utopian) communist society, everyone would have the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree so that they can get a job in a field that suits them best. Another part of one of the core founding ideas of communism is that everyone is a part of the same machine and is not better or worse than anyone else.

The Problems of Communism

Most of the benefits of communism can only work if the society is completely and wholly communist. It also requires an immense amount of resources, dedication, and loyalty that some countries simply cannot obtain. This is why, despite the idealistic-sounding benefits of communism, the cons heavily outweigh them, leaving communism as a form of government that is almost always doomed to fail. To most modern countries, the idea of becoming a communist society would be paramount to failure. Here are a few of the biggest drawbacks that come with following a communist standard.

1.  The Freedom of Each Person Is Restricted

This is one of the biggest drawbacks to communism that people can think of. Because the ultimate goal of communism is to better society by working on mutual interests and needs, people who are working (which is ideally everyone) have no freedom to pursue their own individual interests.

If a person has an interest in something that does not better the whole of the society, then there’s a good chance that that person would not be allowed to spend the resources on that interest. This drastically reduces the amount of freedom that people have to pursue themselves, better their own health, and so on. This can create a society of people who have no interest, motivation, or reason to try and do better at their jobs.

When there is no real reward for working hard, earning money to focus on your interests, or to make yourself happy, then there is no reason why people should try harder at their jobs. This is one of the problems that often leads to the complete downfall of communist societies.

2.  People Are Kept Ignorant

Another one of the biggest problems with communism is it relies on the fact that the government has the country’s best interests in mind. After all, the laws made will be done by the communist party and only these people.

There won’t be much information about the world outside of the communist regime, and it also means that this country will also become isolated. If the guidance of the party in charge is not for the better of the people, then it simply means that the country is headed toward destruction, which is what happened to many countries in the past who have tried this.

In a sense, a communist society is also one that is somewhat Orwellian. Combined with the strict rules on dissent and showing your discontent with the government, any outcry that someone who knows the truth would make would immediately be squandered. Typically, a government of this fashion won’t allow anyone to sow the seeds of doubt in anyone, creating a following of purely ignorant people.

3.  There Is Little Profit

Finally, when a country focuses almost exclusively on the bettering of society, as well as limiting what people can do with their own free time (if they even have this), people are not going to have a lot of money to spend.

Additionally, because of the idea of giving up individual goods for the betterment of the whole country, what money might be left will generally be given back to the state. Both of these aspects combined means that people will be working for little profit and they will not be putting what money they get back into the economy.

Because of this, almost every single communist country that has practiced this form of government for any length of time has ended up in poverty or losing a drastic amount of money in the process. Combining ignorant people with a restriction of freedom and poverty, communism creates a catastrophic mix that will only send a country to its early doom, as many countries have found out in the past.