Kickapoo High School (Springfield, Missouri): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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~~{{Infobox Secondary school~~

{{Articleissues|disputed=January 2008|POV = January 2008|citations missing=January 2008}}

~~| name = Kickapoo High School~~

{{otheruses4|the form of society and political movement|information on Communist organizations|Communist party|states ruled by Communist parties|Communist states}}

~~| principal = David Schmitz~~

:''Distinguish from [[Communalism]].''

~~| type = US [[Public school|Public]] Secondary~~

~~| grades = 9–12~~

'''Communism''' is a [[socioeconomic]] structure that promotes the establishment of a [[classlessness|classless]], [[State#Marxism|stateless]] [[society]] based on [[common ownership]] of the [[means of production]].

~~| established = 1971~~

<ref>">{{cite book

~~| city = [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]]~~

| ~~state~~last = ~~[[Missouri]]~~Morris

| first = William

~~| country = [[United States|USA]]~~

| authorlink = William Morris

~~| enrollment = 1,774~~

| title = News from nowhere

~~| campus = Suburban~~

| url = http://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1890/nowhere/index.htm

~~| mascot = Chiefs~~

| language = English

~~| colors = Brown and Gold~~

| accessdate = January 2008

~~| website = [http://sps.k12.mo.us/khs/ http://sps.k12.mo.us/khs/]~~

}}</ref> It is usually considered a branch of the broader [[socialism|socialist movement]] that draws on the various political and intellectual movements that trace their origins back to the work of

}}

theorists of the [[Industrial Revolution]] and the [[French Revolution]]<ref>"Socialism." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. 03 Feb. 2008. <Reference.com http://www.reference.com/browse/columbia/socialis>.</ref>. Communism attempts to offer an alternative to the [[Critique of capitalism|problems]] believed to be inherent with [[capitalist]] economies and the legacy of [[imperialism]] and [[nationalism]]. Communism states that the only way to solve these problems would be for the working class, or [[proletariat]], to replace the wealthy bourgeoisie, which is currently the ruling class, in order to establish a peaceful, free society, without classes, or government.<ref name="columbia"/> The dominant forms of communism, such as [[Leninism]], [[Trotskyism]] and [[Luxemburgism]], are based on [[Marxism]], but non-Marxist versions of communism (such as [[Christian communism]] and [[anarchist communism]]) also exist and are growing in importance since the [[fall of the Soviet Union]].

'''Kickapoo High School''' is a [[high school]] in [[Springfield, Missouri]]. In 2002 it had 1,774 students and 96 teachers. Kickapoo officially opened its doors in October 1971, the fifth of Springfield's five public high schools. The school building was not completed during the summer of 1971 due to labor stoppage. At the start of classes the students of the new high school split shifts at cross-town rival Glendale for about six weeks, with Glendale's students going to classes from 6 a.m. until noon, and Kickapoo's using the Glendale campus from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. It is named "Kickapoo" after its location in a part of Springfield known as the "Kickapoo Prairie" and after the Native American Tribe. The School property is historically believed to be on top of an ancient Kickapoo Indian Village and burial grounds. The School's mascot is the "Chief".

[[Image:Kerala communist tableaux.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A tableau in a communist rally in [[Kerala]], [[India]] showing two farmers forming the [[hammer and sickle]], the most famous communist symbol.]]

~~==Special Programs==~~

__TOC__

The school's characteristics include: Honors, Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement courses, an Orthopedically Handicapped Program, a Learning Resource and a [[Japanese language]] program. This school also has a multiple-award-winning band as well as a Drumline.

==Definition==

~~==Mandatory ID Badges==~~

The school makes use of mandatory identification badges for all students and staff to prevent unauthorized entry into the school. This policy is heralded as an important part of building security by some, and also a needless frivolity by others. The 'ID badges' as well as school-wide video surveillance were introduced following a series of nationwide school shootings in the late 1990s.

==~~Freshman~~Types ~~Mentor~~of ~~Program~~Communism==

Self-identified communists hold a variety of views, including [[Marxism-Leninism]], [[Trotskyism]], [[council communism]], [[Luxemburgism]], [[anarchist communism]], [[Christian communism]], and various currents of [[left communism]]. However, the offshoots of the [[Marxist-Leninist]] interpretations of [[Marxism]] are the most well-known of these and have been a driving force in [[international relations]] during most of the 20th century.<ref name="columbia">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Communism|url=http://www.bartleby.com/65/co/communism.html|encyclopedia=[[The Columbia Encyclopedia]]|edition=6th|date=2007}}</ref>

At the end of each year, Sophomores and Juniors have the opportunity to apply for the Freshman Mentor program. These students are charged with assimilating small groups of freshmen into the school culture. They also assign rudimentary study skill and research tasks to all freshmen. This program takes place during Chief Time.

==~~Privilege~~=Marxist ~~System~~Schools===

====Marxism====

All students are assigned a rank. The lowest rank, "Brave," is automatically given to Freshmen, Sophomores, and first-semester Juniors. Students with this rank must remain in their assigned Chief Time classes and work silently. The next rank, "Warrior," is automatically given to second-semester Juniors with no referrals and a 2.5 GPA, as well as all Seniors. Students with this rank are allowed to leave their Chief Time classes and go to the cafeteria for early lunch or to the gym for free activity time. The highest rank is "Chief," given to all Freshman Mentors. Chiefs are allowed to leave several minutes early from school, leave early for lunch, and walk freely around the school without a written hall pass. Historically, Chiefs have been given preferential parking near the front door of the school; however, this will not be the case during the 2007-2008 school year due to construction.

[[Image:Karl Marx.jpg|thumb|[[Karl Marx]]]]

~~==School Schedule==~~

Like other socialists, Marx and Engels sought an end to capitalism and the systems which they perceived to be responsible for the exploitation of workers. But whereas earlier socialists often favored longer-term social reform, Marx and Engels believed that popular revolution was all but inevitable, and the only path to socialism.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

~~===Block System===~~

The school schedule is a four block system: Each day, students have four classes around 90 minutes each in length. The semester is 18 weeks long. In one school year, students have completed the equivalent of eight year-long classes.

According to the Marxist argument for communism, the main characteristic of human life in class society is [[Marx's theory of alienation|alienation]]; and communism is desirable because it entails the full realization of human freedom.<ref>Stephen Whitefield. "Communism." ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics''. Ed. Iain McLean and Alistair McMillan. Oxford University Press, 2003.</ref> Marx here follows [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]] in conceiving freedom not merely as an absence of restraints but as action with content.<ref name = "mclean">McLean and McMillan, 2003</ref> According to Marx, Communism's outlook on freedom was based on an agent, obstacle, and goal. The agent is the common/working people; the obstacles are class divisions, economic inequalities, unequal life-chances, and false consciousness; and the goal is the fulfillment of human needs including satisfying work, and fair share of the product<ref>Ball and Dagger 118</ref>. <ref>Terence Ball and Richard Dagger. "Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal." Pearson Education, Inc.:2006.</ref> They believed that communism allowed people to do what they want, but also put humans in such conditions and such relations with one another that they would not wish to exploit, or have any need to. Whereas for Hegel the unfolding of this ethical life in history is mainly driven by the realm of ideas, for Marx, communism emerged from material forces, particularly the development of the [[means of production]].<ref name = "mclean"/>

~~===Chief Time===~~

The 2004-2005 school year saw the introduction of a program called 'Chief Time.' This modified the school schedule, extending the school day from 7:50 A.M. to 2:58 P.M. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Students are allowed to do different things during this block, depending on their status in the ranked system.

Marxism holds that a process of [[class conflict]] and revolutionary struggle will result in victory for the [[proletariat]] and the establishment of a [[communist society]] in which private ownership is abolished over time and the means of production and subsistence belong to the community. Marx himself wrote little about life under communism, giving only the most general indication as to what constituted a communist society. It is clear that it entails abundance in which there is little limit to the projects that humans may undertake.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} In the popular slogan that was adopted by the communist movement, communism was a world in which each gave according to their abilities, and received according to their needs.' ''[[The German Ideology]]'' (1845) was one of Marx's few writings to elaborate on the communist future:

Students with extreme academic issues can be assigned to a Chief Time class where they receive tutoring for the duration of Chief Time. Students in these rooms are, in practical terms, the only group lower than Braves in terms of freedoms during Chief Time.

<blockquote>"In communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic."<ref>Karl Marx, (1845). ''[[The German Ideology]]'', Marx-Engels Institute, Moscow. ISBN 978-1-57392-258-6. Sources available at [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ch01a.htm]</ref>

~~===Late Start===~~

</blockquote>

On Wednesdays, school starts at 8:35, rather than 7:50. Class continues with a similar schedule to Tuesday and Thursday but without Chief Time. This adds time for detention on Wednesday mornings as well as time to make up tests.

Marx's lasting vision was to add this vision to a theory of how society was moving in a law-governed way toward communism, and, with some tension, a political theory that explained why revolutionary activity was required to bring it about.<ref name = "mclean"/>

~~==Camp Barnabas Fundraising==~~

During the 2006-2007 school year, there were two fundraisers for an organization called Camp Barnabas<ref> [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/13/earlyshow/main838253.shtml 'Stop The Bop' To Raise Katrina $$] ''cbsnews.com''. URL Accessed May 17 2007.</ref>. Between the two, about $4,000 was raised. An unidentified corporate donor matched that amount for a total donation of around $8,000.

In the late 19th century the terms "socialism" and "communism" were often used interchangeably.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

~~===Stop the Bop===~~

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.</ref> However, Marx and Engels argued that communism would not emerge from capitalism in a fully developed state, but would pass through a "first phase" in which most productive property was owned in common, but with some class differences remaining. The "first phase" would eventually evolve into a "higher phase" in which class differences were eliminated, and a state was no longer needed.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

Kickapoo adopted the Stop The Bop<ref> [http://www.campbarnabas.org/ Camp Barnabas Home Page] ''campbarnabas.org''. URL Accessed May 17 2007.</ref> fundraiser from a Pennsylvania school. The Hanson song [[MMMBop]] was played between classes until the student body donated $2,000.

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.</ref> Lenin frequently used the term "socialism" to refer to Marx and Engels' supposed "first phase" of communism and used the term "communism" interchangeably with Marx and Engels' "higher phase" of communism.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

These later aspects, particularly as developed by Lenin, provided the underpinning for the mobilizing features of 20th century Communist parties. Later writers such as [[Louis Althusser]] and [[Nicos Poulantzas]] modified Marx's vision by allotting a central place to the state in the development of such societies, by arguing for a prolonged transition period of socialism prior to the attainment of full communism.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

~~===Mr. KHS===~~

"Mr. KHS" is an annual beauty pageant for men. The 2007 theme was "Man, I feel like a woman." 2007 was the first time this activity raised money specifically for Camp Barnabas. Nile Forsyth won the 2007 Mr. KHS competition.

===~~Controversy~~=Marxism-Leninism====

~~Some controversy has come about because Camp Barnabas is a [[non-denominational]] Christian organization.~~

Marxist-Leninism is a version of socialism, with some important modifications, adopted by the Soviet Union under Stalin. It shaped the Soviet Union and influenced Communist Parties worldwide. It was heralded as a possibility of building communism via a massive program of [[industrialization]] and [[collectivization in the USSR|collectivization]]. The rapid development of industry, and above all the victory of the Soviet Union in the Second World War, maintained that vision throughout the world, even around a decade following Stalin's death, when the party adopted a program in which it promised the establishment of communism within thirty years.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

~~==Spirit Shirts==~~

Kickapoo's name has led to the making of a number of creative spirit shirts sold to the students. The most widely known of these being the famous "Fear the 'Poo" shirts in both brown and gold. The 2007-2008 shirt reads "Top of the Totem Pole," which depicts Kickapoo at the top of a totem pole, followed by Hillcrest, [[Parkview High School (Missouri)|Parkview]], [[Central High School (Springfield, Missouri)|Central]], and at the bottom, Glendale: Kickapoo's biggest rival.

However, under Stalin's leadership, some{{Who|date=January 2008}} claimed that evidence emerged that dented faith in the possibility of achieving communism within the framework of the Soviet model. Later, growth declined, and [[rent-seeking]] and [[political corruption|corruption]] by state officials increased.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

~~==Notable alumni==~~

Under Stalin, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union adopted the theory of "[[socialism in one country]]" and claimed that, due to the "[[aggravation of class struggle under socialism]]", it was possible, even necessary, to build socialism alone in one country, the USSR. {{Fact|date=April 2008}}

* [[Brad Pitt]] (b. 1963), actor, voted ''best dressed'' in the school, 1982.

====Maoism====

* [[Jeremy Mhire]], singing artist in christian band, [[Plus One]], 1998.

Maoism is the Marxist Leninist trend associated with [[Mao Zedong]]. Khrushchev's reforms heightened ideological differences between the [[People's Republic of China]] and the Soviet Union, which became increasingly apparent in the 1960s. As the [[Sino-Soviet Split]] in the international Communist movement turned toward open hostility, China portrayed itself as a leader of the underdeveloped world against the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

* Sterling Robert Macer Jr., Actor in the television series "[[Homefront]]," "Harts of the West," "[[CSI: Miami]]" and "[[NYPD Blue]]." He was also in such films as "[[Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story]]" and "[[Double Take]]." Macer also wrote, produced and directed the feature film "Park Day," which starred Hill Harper and Brock Peters.

Parties and groups that supported the [[Communist Party of China]] (CPC) in their criticism against the new Soviet leadership proclaimed themselves as 'anti-revisionist' and denounced the CPSU and the parties aligned with it as [[Marxist revisionism|revisionist]] "capitalist-roaders." The Sino-Soviet Split resulted in divisions amongst communist parties around the world. Notably, the [[Party of Labour of Albania]] sided with the People's Republic of China. Effectively, the CPC under Mao's leadership became the rallying forces of a parallel international Communist tendency. The ideology of CPC, Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought (generally referred to as 'Maoism'), was adopted by many of these groups.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

* [[Lucas Grabeel]], star of the [[Disney Channel Original Movies]] "[[Halloweentown High]]" and "[[High School Musical]]" 1 and 2. He was a guest on the television series [[Boston Legal]] in 2003 and appeared as a young [[Lex Luthor]] on the [[Smallville (TV series)|Smallville]] episode "[[Reunion]]," also in 2003. He also has the lead in Alice of Lester McKinley and is the voice of a dog in the upcoming animated film, Walking With Jesus.

After the death of Mao and the takeover of [[Deng Xiaoping]], the international Maoist movement diverged. One sector accepted the new leadership in China, a second renounced the new leadership and reaffirmed their commitment to Mao's legacy, and a third renounced Maoism altogether and aligned with the [[Albanian Party of Labour]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

*John "Bodie" Bodenhamer, professional bass fisherman.

====Pro-Albanian Marxism-Leninism====

* Michael "Bryant" Johnson, competitor in the 1996 Olympic Games in the 400m dash.

Another variant of Marxism Leninism appeared after the ideological row between the Communist Party of China and the Party of Labour of Albania in 1978. The Albanians rallied a new separate international tendency. This tendency would demarcate itself by a strict defense of the legacy of Joseph Stalin and fierce criticism of virtually all other Communist groupings. The Albanians were able to win over a large share of the Maoists in [[Latin America]], most notably the [[Communist Party of Brazil]]. This tendency has occasionally been labeled as 'Hoxhaism' after the Albanian Communist leader [[Enver Hoxha]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

After the fall of the Communist government in Albania, the pro-Albanian parties are grouped around an [[ICMLPO|international conference]] and the publication 'Unity and Struggle'. Another important institution for them is the biannual [[International Anti-Imperialist and Anti-Fascist Youth Camp]], which was initiated in 1970s.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

* Kim Crosby, actress on New York's Broadway circuit, 1978.

====Trotskyism====

* [[Jay Kenneth Johnson]], actor in the television series "[[Days of Our Lives]]" and "[[North Shore (TV Show)|North Shore]]."

Trotsky and his supporters organized into the ''[[Left Opposition]]'', and their platform became known as ''[[Trotskyism]]''. Stalin eventually succeeded in gaining control of the Soviet regime, and their attempts to remove Stalin from power resulted in Trotsky's exile from the Soviet Union in 1929. During Trotsky's exile, world communism fractured into two distinct branches: [[Marxism-Leninism]] and [[Trotskyism]].<ref name="columbia"/> Trotsky later founded the [[Fourth International]], a Trotskyist rival to the [[Comintern]], in 1938.

Trotskyist ideas have continually found a modest echo among political movements in some countries in [[Latin America]] and [[Asia]], especially in [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[Bolivia]] and [[Sri Lanka]]. Many Trotskyist organizations are also active in more stable, developed countries in [[North America]] and [[Western Europe]]. Today, Trotskyists are organized in various international organizations and tendencies.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

* [[Jack Jewsbury]], [[midfielder (soccer)|midfielder]] for [[Major League Soccer]]'s [[Kansas City Wizards]].

However, as a whole, Trotsky's theories and attitudes were never accepted in worldwide mainstream Communist circles after Trotsky's expulsion, either within or outside of the [[Eastern bloc|Soviet bloc]]. This remained the case even after the [[Secret Speech]] and subsequent events critics claim exposed the fallibility of [[Stalin]]. Today there are areas of the world where Trotskyist movements are rather large. However, Trotskyist movements have never coalesced in a mass movement that has seized state power.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

* [[Rik Woods]], [[poet]][http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=rik+woods&z=y]

Some criticize Trotskyism as incapable of using concrete analysis on its theories, rather resorting to phrases and abstract notions. <ref>[http://www.marx2mao.com/Other/OT73NB.html On Trotskyism]</ref><ref>[http://home.flash.net/~comvoice/32cTrotskyism.html Swedish FRP on anti-Marxist-Leninist dogmas of Trotskyism]</ref><ref>[http://www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/wim/wyl/ What's Your Line?]</ref>

* [[Adrienne Wilkinson]], actress

====Eurocommunism====

~~==References==~~

[[Image:Cocos 480330193 e9b31f465b o d.jpg|thumb|Communists marching in France on May 1, 2007.]]

~~{{Reflist}}~~

Since the early 1970s, the term ''[[Eurocommunism]]'' was used to refer to moderate, reformist Communist parties in western Europe. These parties did not support the Soviet Union and denounced its inhumane policies. Such parties were politically active and electorally significant in [[Italy]] ([[Italian Communist Party|PCI]]), [[France]] ([[French Communist Party|PCF]]), and [[Spain]] ([[Communist Party of Spain|PCE]]).<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

===Non-Marxist Schools===

~~==External links==~~

The dominant forms of communism, such as [[Leninism]], [[Trotskyism]] and [[Luxemburgism]], are based on [[Marxism]], but non-Marxist versions of communism (such as [[Christian communism]] and [[anarchist communism]]) also exist and are growing in importance since the [[fall of the Soviet Union]].

* [http://sps.k12.mo.us/khs/ School website]

* [http://www.kickapootheater.arts.new.net]

====Anarcho-communism====

Some of Marx's contemporaries espoused similar ideas, but differed in their views of how to reach to a classless society. Following the split between those associated with Marx and [[Mikhail Bakunin]] at the [[First International]], the anarchists formed the [[International Workers Association]].<ref>Marshall, Peter. "Demanding the Impossible - A History of Anarchism" p. 9. Fontana Press, London, 1993 ISBN 978-0-00-686245-1</ref> Anarchists argued that capitalism and the state were inseparable and that one could not be abolished without the other. [[Anarchist communism|Anarchist-communists]] such as [[Peter Kropotkin]] theorized an immediate transition to one society with no classes. [[Anarcho-syndicalism]] became one of the dominant forms of anarchist organization, arguing that labor unions, as opposed to Communist parties, are the organizations that can change society. Consequently, many anarchists have been in opposition to Marxist communism to this day.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

==History==

===Early communism===

Karl Hanson Marx saw [[primitive communism]] as the original, [[hunter-gatherer]] state of humankind from which it arose. For Marx, only after humanity was capable of producing [[surplus]], did private property develop.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

In the history of Western thought, certain elements of the idea of a society based on common ownership of property can be traced back to ancient times .<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.</ref> Examples include the [[Spartacus]] slave revolt in Rome.<ref>[http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/spartacus.html Historical Background for Spartacus]</ref>The fifth century [[Mazdak]] movement in what is now [[Iran]] has been described as "communistic" for challenging the enormous privileges of the noble classes and the clergy, criticizing the institution of private property and for striving for an egalitarian society.<ref>''The Cambridge History of Iran'' Volume 3, [http://www.derafsh-kaviyani.com/english/mazdak.html The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Period], edited by Ehsan Yarshater, Parts 1 and 2, p1019, Cambridge University Press (1983)</ref>

At one time or another, various small communist communities existed, generally under the inspiration of [[Scripture]].<ref name="britannica">"Communism." ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.</ref> In the [[medieval]] Christian church, for example, some [[monastic]] communities and religious orders shared their land and other property. (See [[religious communism]] and [[Christian communism]]) These groups often believed that concern with [[private property]] was a distraction from religious service to God and neighbor.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

Communist thought has also been traced back to the work of 16th century English writer [[Thomas More]]. In his treatise ''[[Utopia (book)|Utopia]]'' (1516), More portrayed a society based on [[common ownership]] of property, whose rulers administered it through the application of reason.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.</ref> In the 17th century, communist thought arguably surfaced again in England. In 17th century England, a [[Puritan]] religious group known as the [[Diggers]] advocated the abolition of private ownership of land.<ref> v</ref> [[Eduard Bernstein]], in his 1895 ''Cromwell and Communism''<ref>[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1895/cromwell/ Eduard Bernstein: Cromwell and Communism (1895)]</ref> argued that several groupings in the [[English Civil War]], especially the [[Diggers]] espoused clear communistic, agrarian ideals, and that [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s attitude to these groups was at best ambivalent and often hostile.<ref>Eduard Bernstein, (1895). ''Kommunistische und demokratisch-sozialistische Strömungen während der englischen Revolution'', J.H.W. Dietz, Stuttgart. {{OCLC|36367345}} Sources available at [http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/bernstein/works/1895/cromwell/]</ref>

Criticism of the idea of private property continued into the [[Age of Enlightenment]] of the 18th century, through such thinkers as [[Jean Jacques Rousseau]] in France.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.</ref> Later, following the upheaval of the [[French Revolution]], communism emerged as a political doctrine.<ref> "Communism" ''A Dictionary of Sociology''. John Scott and Gordon Marshall. Oxford University Press 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.</ref> [[François Noël Babeuf]], in particular, espoused the goals of common ownership of land and total economic and political equality among citizens.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

Various [[social reformers]] in the early 19th century founded communities based on common ownership. But unlike many previous communist communities, they replaced the religious emphasis with a rational and philanthropic basis.<ref name="britannica"/> Notable among them were [[Robert Owen]], who founded [[New Harmony]] in Indiana (1825), and [[Charles Fourier]], whose followers organized other settlements in the United States such as [[Brook Farm]] (1841–47).<ref name="britannica"/> Later in the 19th century, Karl Marx described these social reformers as "[[Utopian socialism|utopian socialists]]" to contrast them with his program of "[[scientific socialism]]" (a term coined by [[Friedrich Engels]]). Other writers described by Marx as "utopian socialists" included [[Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon|Saint-Simon]].

In its modern form, communism grew out of the socialist movement of 19th century Europe.<ref>"Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.</ref> As the [[Industrial Revolution]] advanced, socialist critics blamed capitalism for the misery of the [[proletariat]] — a new class of urban factory workers who labored under often-hazardous conditions. Foremost among these critics were the German philosopher Karl Marx and his associate Friedrich Engels. In 1848 Marx and Engels offered a new definition of communism and popularized the term in their famous pamphlet ''[[The Communist Manifesto]]''.<ref name="britannica"/> Engels, who lived in [[Manchester]], observed the organization of the [[Chartist]] movement (''see [[History of British socialism]]''), while Marx departed from his university comrades to meet the proletariat in France and Germany.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

===Growth of modern communism===

[[Image:Soviet Union, Lenin (55).jpg|thumb|left|[[Vladimir Lenin]] following his return to [[Petrograd]].]]

In the late 19th century Russian Marxism developed a distinct character. The first major figure of Russian Marxism was [[Georgi Plekhanov]]. Underlying the work of Plekhanov was the assumption that Russia, less urbanized and industrialized than Western Europe, had many years to go before society would be ready for proletarian revolution to occur, and a transitional period of a bourgeois democratic regime would be required to replace [[Tsar]]ism with a socialist and later communist society. (EB)

In Russia, the 1917 October Revolution was the first time any party with an avowedly Marxist orientation, in this case the [[Bolshevik Party]], seized state power. The assumption of state power by the Bolsheviks generated a great deal of practical and theoretical debate within the Marxist movement. Marx predicted that socialism and communism would be built upon foundations laid by the most advanced capitalist development. Russia, however, was one of the poorest countries in Europe with an enormous, largely illiterate [[peasantry]] and a minority of industrial workers. Marx had explicitly stated that Russia might be able to skip the stage of bourgeoisie capitalism. <ref>Marc Edelman, "Late Marx and the Russian road: Marx and the 'Peripheries of Capitalism'" - book reviews. ''Monthly Review'', Dec., 1984. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_v36/ai_3537723]</ref> Other socialists also believed that a Russian revolution could be the precursor of workers' revolutions in the West.

The moderate [[Menshevik]]s opposed Lenin's Bolshevik plan for socialist revolution before capitalism was more fully developed. The Bolsheviks' successful rise to power was based upon the slogans "peace, bread, and land" and "All power to the Soviets", slogans which tapped the massive public desire for an end to Russian involvement in the [[World War I|First World War]], the peasants' demand for [[land reform]], and popular support for the [[Soviet (council)|Soviets]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

The usage of the terms "communism" and "socialism" shifted after 1917, when the Bolsheviks changed their name to the Communist Party and installed a [[single party state|single party]] regime devoted to the implementation of socialist policies under [[Leninism]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}} The [[Second International]] had dissolved in 1916 over national divisions, as the separate national parties that composed it did not maintain a unified front against the [[World War I|war]], instead generally supporting their respective nation's role. Lenin thus created the [[Third International]] (Comintern) in 1919 and sent the [[Twenty-one Conditions]], which included [[democratic centralism]], to all European socialist parties willing to adhere. In France, for example, the majority of the [[SFIO]] socialist party split in 1921 to form the [[French Communist Party|SFIC]] (French Section of the Communist International).{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Henceforth, the term "Communism" was applied to the objective of the parties founded under the umbrella of the Comintern. Their program called for the uniting of workers of the world for revolution, which would be followed by the establishment of a [[dictatorship of the proletariat]] as well as the development of a socialist economy. Ultimately, if their program held, there would develop a harmonious classless society, with the [[withering away of the state]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

During the [[Russian Civil War]] (1918-1922), the Bolsheviks [[nationalization|nationalized]] all productive property and imposed a policy of ''[[war communism]]'', which put factories and railroads under strict government control, collected and rationed food, and introduced some bourgeois management of industry. After three years of war and the 1921 [[Kronstadt rebellion]], Lenin declared the [[New Economic Policy]] (NEP) in 1921, which was to give a "limited place for a limited time to capitalism." The NEP lasted until 1928, when [[Joseph Stalin]] achieved party leadership, and the introduction of the first Five Year Plan spelled the end of it. Following the Russian Civil War, the Bolsheviks formed in 1922 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or [[Soviet Union]], from the former [[Russian Empire]].

Following Lenin's democratic centralism, the Communist parties were organized on a hierarchical basis, with active cells of members as the broad base; they were made up only of elite [[cadre]]s approved by higher members of the party as being reliable and completely subject to [[party discipline]].<ref>[[Norman Davies]]. "Communism" ''The Oxford Companion to World War II''. Ed. I. C. B. Dear and M. R. D. Foot. Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref>

[[Image:Communist countries.PNG|thumb|right|300px|A map of countries who declared themselves to be socialist states under the Marxist-Leninist or Maoist definition (in other words, "Communist states") at some point in their history. The map uses present-day borders.]]

After [[World War II]], Communists consolidated power in [[Eastern Europe]], and in 1949, the [[Communist Party of China]] (CPC) led by [[Mao Zedong]] established the [[People's Republic of China]], which would later follow its own ideological path of Communist development.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} [[Cuba]], [[North Korea]], [[Vietnam]], [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]], [[Angola]], and [[Mozambique]] were among the other countries in the [[Third World]] that adopted or imposed a pro-Communist government at some point. Although never formally unified as a single political entity, by the early 1980s almost one-third of the world's population lived in [[Communist state]]s, including the former [[Soviet Union]] and [[People's Republic of China]]. By comparison, the [[British Empire]] had ruled up to one-quarter of the world's population at its greatest extent.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hildreth|first=Jeremy|title=The British Empire's Lessons for Our own|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB111870387824258558.html |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=2005-06-14}}</ref>

Communist states such as Soviet Union and China succeeded in becoming industrial and technological powers, challenging the capitalists' powers in the [[arms race]] and [[space race]] and military conflicts.

===Cold War years===

[[Image:Sputnik-stamp-ussr.jpg|left|thumbnail|USSR postage stamp depicting the [[communist state]] launching the first artificial satellite [[Sputnik 1]].]]

[[Image:Zaliasis Tiltas Statues.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The construction and industry statue on the Green Bridge, [[Vilnius]], a classic example of Cold War [[socialist realism]].]]

By virtue of the Soviet Union's victory in the [[World War II|Second World War]] in 1945, the [[Red Army|Soviet Army]] had occupied nations in both [[Eastern Europe]] and [[East Asia]]; as a result, communism as a movement spread to many new countries. This expansion of communism both in Europe and Asia gave rise to a few different branches of its own, such as [[Maoism]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

Communism had been vastly strengthened by the winning of many new nations into the sphere of Soviet influence and strength in Eastern Europe. Governments modeled on Soviet Communism took power with Soviet assistance in [[Bulgaria]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[East Germany]], [[Poland]], [[Hungary]] and [[Romania]]. A Communist government was also created under [[Joseph Tito|Marshal Tito]] in [[Yugoslavia]], but Tito's independent policies led to the expulsion of [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] from the [[Cominform]], which had replaced the [[Comintern]]. [[Titoism]], a new branch in the world communist movement, was labeled ''[[deviationism|deviationist]]''. [[Albania]] also became an independent Communist nation after World War II.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

By 1950 the [[Communist Party of China|Chinese Communists]] held all of [[Mainland China]], thus controlling the most populous nation in the world. Other areas where rising Communist strength provoked dissension and in some cases led to actual fighting through conventional and [[guerrilla warfare]] include the [[Korean War]], [[Laos]], many nations of the [[Middle East]] and [[Africa]], and notably succeeded in the case of the [[Vietnam War]] against the military power of the United States and its allies. With varying degrees of success, Communists attempted to unite with [[Nationalism|nationalist]] and [[Socialism|socialist]] forces against what they saw as [[Western world|Western]] [[imperialism]] in these poor countries.

===Fear of communism===

[[Image:Is this tomorrow.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A 1947 comic book published by the Catechetical Guild Educational Society warning of the supposed dangers of a Communist takeover.]]

With the exception of Russia's and China's involvement in [[World War II]], communism was seen as a rival, and a threat to western democracies and capitalism for most of the twentieth century. <ref> "Communism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.</ref> This rivalry peaked during the cold war, as more and more countries became Communist. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R both developed many powerful weapons during this period, which invoked fear in many people.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

Near the beginning of the cold war , on February 9,1950, Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]] from [[Wisconsin]] accused 205 Americans working in the State Department of being card-carrying Communists .<ref>{{cite book

|title=Without Precedent

|last=Adams |first=John G.

|year=1983

|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company

|location=New York, N.Y.

|isbn=0-393-01616-1

|pages=285 }}</ref>

Another reason many people fear Communism is that it is usually atheistic. Marx denounced religion as "the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world,...the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people."<ref>Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right (1843)</ref> Communism holds religion as a tool used by society to pacify its members. <ref>http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/what-is-communism-faq.htm</ref> Communism was seen as an attack on the freedom of religion, and most religious groups are very strongly opposed to Communism.

These fears spurred aggressive investigations and the [[red-baiting]], [[blacklisting]], jailing and deportation of people suspected of following Communist or other left-wing ideology. Many famous actors and writers were put on a "blacklist", which meant they would not be hired and would be subject to public disdain.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

===After the collapse of the Soviet Union===

[[Image:Communist States.png|thumb|right|350px|A map showing the current Communist states: [[People's Republic of China]], [[North Korea]], [[Laos]], [[Vietnam]], and [[Cuba]].]]

In 1985, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] became leader of the Soviet Union and relaxed central control, in accordance with reform policies of [[glasnost]] (openness) and [[perestroika]] (restructuring). The Soviet Union did not intervene as [[Poland]], [[East Germany]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Romania]], and [[Hungary]] all abandoned Communist rule by 1990. In 1991, the Soviet Union itself dissolved.

By the beginning of the 21st century, states controlled by Communist parties under a single-party system include the [[People's Republic of China]], [[Cuba]], [[Laos]], [[North Korea]], and [[Vietnam]]. Communist parties, or their descendant parties, remain politically important in many countries. President [[Vladimir Voronin]] of [[Moldova]] is a member of the [[Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova]], but the country is not run under single-party rule. In [[South Africa]], the [[SACP|Communist Party]] is a partner in the [[ANC]]-led government. In [[India]], [[as of 2007]], the national government relies on outside support from the communist parties and communists lead the governments of three [[states and territories of India|states]], with a combined population of more than 115 million. In [[Nepal]], communists hold a majority in the [[interim legislature of Nepal|interim parliament]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

The People's Republic of China has reassessed many aspects of the Maoist legacy; and the People's Republic of China, Laos, Vietnam, and, to a far lesser degree, Cuba have reduced state control of the economy in order to stimulate growth. The People's Republic of China runs [[Special Economic Zone]]s dedicated to market-oriented enterprise, free from central government control. Several other communist states have also attempted to implement market-based reforms, including Vietnam. Officially, the leadership of the People's Republic of China refers to its policies as "[[Socialism with Chinese characteristics]]."{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

Theories within Marxism as to why communism in Eastern Europe was not achieved after socialist revolutions pointed to such elements as the pressure of external capitalist states, the relative backwardness of the societies in which the revolutions occurred, and the emergence of a bureaucratic stratum or class that arrested or diverted the transition press in its own interests. (Scott and Marshall, 2005) Marxist critics of the Soviet Union, most notably Trotsky, referred to the Soviet system, along with other Communist states, as "[[degenerated workers' state|degenerated]]" or "[[deformed workers' state]]s," arguing that the Soviet system fell far short of Marx's communist ideal and he claimed [[working class]] was politically dispossessed. The ruling stratum of the Soviet Union was held to be a bureaucratic [[caste]], but not a new ruling class, despite their political control. They called for a [[political revolution]] in the USSR and defended the country against [[capitalism|capitalist]] restoration.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} Others, like [[Tony Cliff]], advocated the theory of [[state capitalism]], which asserts that the bureaucratic elite acted as a surrogate capitalist class in the heavily centralized and repressive political apparatus.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

Non-Marxists, in contrast, have often applied the term to any society ruled by a Communist Party and to any party aspiring to create a society similar to such existing nation-states. In the social sciences, societies ruled by Communist Parties are distinct for their single party control and their socialist economic bases. While [[anticommunism|anticommunists]] applied the concept of "[[totalitarianism]]" to these societies, many social scientists identified possibilities for independent political activity within them, and stressed their continued evolution up to the point of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its allies in Eastern Europe during the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref>{{cite journal|author=H. Gordon Skilling|date=April 1966|title=Interest Groups and Communist Politics|journal=World Politics|volume=18|issue=3|pages=435-451}}�UNIQ3ab34e171166e61b-HTMLCommentStrip7c7dfbc41ccbeb7000000002</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=[[J. Arch Getty]]|year=1985|title=Origins of the Great Purges: The Soviet Communist Party Reconsidered: 1933-1938|publisher=Cambridge University Press|id=ISBN 978-0-521-33570-6}}</ref>

Today, Marxist revolutionaries are conducting armed insurgencies in [[India]], [[Philippines]], [[Iran]], [[Turkey]], and [[Colombia]].

==Criticism of communism==

A diverse array of writers and political activists have published criticism of communism, such as:

* Soviet bloc dissidents [[Lech Wałęsa]], [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]] and [[Václav Havel]];

* Social theorists [[Hannah Arendt]], [[Raymond Aron]], [[Ralf Dahrendorf]], [[Seymour Martin Lipset]], and [[Karl Wittfogel]];

* Economists [[Ludwig von Mises]], [[Friedrich Hayek]], and [[Milton Friedman]];

* Historians and social scientists [[Robert Conquest]], [[Stéphane Courtois]], [[Richard Pipes]], and [[R. J. Rummel]];

* [[Anti-Stalinist left]]ists [[Ignazio Silone]], [[George Orwell]], [[Saul Alinsky]], [[Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright]], [[Arthur Koestler]], and [[Bernard-Henri Levy]];

* Russian-born novelist and philosopher [[Ayn Rand]]

* Philosophers [[Leszek Kołakowski]] and [[Karl Popper]].

Part of this criticism is on the policies adopted by one-party states ruled by Communist parties (known as "[[Communist state]]s"). Critics are specially focused on their economic performance compared to market based economies. Their [[The Black Book of Communism|human rights records]] are thought to be responsible for the flight of refugees from communist states, and allegations of responsibility for famines, purges and warfare resulting in deaths far in excess of previous empires, capitalist or Axis regimes.

Some writers, such as Courtois, argue that the actions of Communist states were the inevitable (though sometimes unintentional) result of Marxist principles;<ref>[[Nicolas Werth]], [[Karel Bartošek]], [[Jean-Louis Panne]], [[Jean-Louis Margolin]], [[Andrzej Paczkowski]], [[Stéphane Courtois]], ''[[Black Book of Communism|The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression]]'', [[Harvard University Press]], 1999, hardcover, 858 pages, ISBN 978-0-674-07608-2</ref> thus, these authors present the events occurring in those countries, particularly under Stalin and Mao, as an argument against Marxism itself. Some critics were former Marxists, such as Wittfogel, who applied Marx's concept of "[[Oriental despotism]]" to Communist states such as the [[Soviet Union]], and Silone, Wright, Koestler (among other writers) who contributed essays to the book ''[[The God that Failed]]'' (the title refers not to the Christian God but to Marxism). {{Fact|date=April 2008}}

There have also been more direct [[criticisms of Marxism]], such as criticisms of the [[labor theory of value]] or [[criticisms of Marxism#Marx's predictions|Marx's predictions]]. Nevertheless, Communist parties outside of the [[Warsaw Pact]], such as the Communist parties in Western Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa, differed greatly. Thus a criticism that is applicable to one such party is not necessarily applicable to another.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}

Some free market economists, principally those of the Austrian School, like [[Ludwig Von Mises]] argue that communism and fascism share essential characteristics, and that the latter is a form of [[Socialism|socialist]] dictatorship similar to that of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>[[Ludwig von Mises]], ''[http://www.econlib.org/LIBRARY/Mises/msSApp.html] [[Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis]]'', Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, Inc.. 1981</ref>

Economic criticisms of communal and or government property are described under [[criticisms of socialism]].

==Capitalization of "Communism"==

The [[capitalization|capitalized]] term "Communism" is often used to refer to the political and economic [[Communist regime|regime]]s under [[communist party|Communist parties]] that claimed to embody the dictatorship of the [[proletariat]].<ref name="columbia"/>

==See also==

*[[:Category:Communism by country|Communism by country]]

*[[Communist state]]

*[[Anti-communism]]

*[[Criticisms of communism]]

*[[Post-Communism]]

*[[Communization]]

*[[The Communist Manifesto]]

*[[Ideology]]

*[[Economic ideology]]

*[[Dekulakization]]

*[[Human rights in the Soviet Union]]

===Schools of communism===

*[[Anarchist communism]]

*[[Council communism]]

*[[De Leonism]]

*[[Eurocommunism]]

*[[Left communism]]

*[[Luxemburgism]]

*[[Marxism]]

*[[Leninism]]

*[[Marxism-Leninism]]

*[[Maoism]]

*[[Religious communism]]

*[[Stalinism]]

*[[Titoism]]

*[[Trotskyism]]

===Organizations and people===

* [[Communist party]]

* [[List of Communist parties]]

==References==

==Further reading==

~~[[Category:High schools in Missouri]]~~

*[http://www.marxist.com/rircontents-5.htm Reason in Revolt: Marxism and Modern Science By Alan Woods and Ted Grant]

~~[[Category:Springfield, Missouri]]~~

*Forman, James D., "Communism from Marx's Manifesto to 20th Century Reality", New York, Watts. 1972. ISBN 978-0-531-02571-0

*[http://www.marxist.com/marxist-books.htm Books on Communism, Socialism and Trotskyism]

*[[Francois Furet|Furet, Francois]], Furet, Deborah Kan (Translator), "The Passing of an Illusion: The Idea of Communism in the Twentieth Century", University of Chicago Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0-226-27341-9

*Daniels, Robert Vincent, "A Documentary History of Communism and the World: From Revolution to Collapse", University Press of New England, 1994, ISBN 978-0-87451-678-4

*[[Karl Marx|Marx, Karl]] and [[Friedrich Engels]], "Communist Manifesto", (Mass Market Paperback - REPRINT), Signet Classics, 1998, ISBN 978-0-451-52710-3

*Dirlik, Arif, "Origins of Chinese Communism", Oxford University Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0-19-505454-5

*Beer, Max, "The General History of Socialism and Social Struggles Volumes 1 & 2", New York, Russel and Russel, Inc. 1957

*Adami, Stefano, 'Communism', in Encyclopedia of Italian Literary Studies, ed. Gaetana Marrone - P.Puppa, Routledge, New York- London, 2006