Goal: Differentiate between communism and capitalism and examine their advantages and disadvantages

What is Communism? This is the symbol of Communism – The Hammer and the Sickle Hammer for the Workers Sickle for the Peasants – the farm labourers

They wrote the ‘Communist Manifesto’ in It’s a short book – but billions of people have read it…. This is Karl Marx, the ‘Father of Communism’. People who believe in his ideas are called ‘Marxists’ This is his good friend, Frederick Engels.

What is Communism? Marx and Engels studied the history of the world’s economies. This means the way that power, industry and finance are controlled. They saw the way countries developed in stages. Primitive Communism Feudalism Capitalism Socialism Communism Explain these please!

Primitive Communism This is how humans first lived together – in small tribes. Primitive means basic. Communism means that everything was shared– food, jobs, belongings. No one owned land. Eventually a group comes to power – this leads to Feudalism…

Primitive Communism Feudalism Under feudalism, a king or emperor or chief becomes the ruler over all the people. He gives land and privileges to ‘nobles’ who rule the people for him. The people are kept uneducated and told that god chose the king to rule. The church helps the king this way. As trade develops, some people get richer. This leads to Capitalism…..

Feudalism Capitalism The business owners get richer while the workers do all the hard work. Capitalism creates a huge working- class of people who soon get angry at the way they are treated. They eventually organize and demand changes.

Socialism Capitalism In the Socialist revolution all the rulers – kings, churches, capitalists are eliminated. The workers take control of the country to produce things for everyone. Because nothing is made for profit, all people benefit from education and health. These ideas spread across the world to create Communism….

Socialism Communism The remaining capitalists put up a bitter fight, but the will of the people will always win. As everyone now works together, war is a thing of the past – armies are not needed. Sharing means no police are needed. Everything is provided by the people – so money becomes a thing of the past. All human activity goes towards benefiting each other.

Communism vs Capitalism

Communism- a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed

Capitalism- a system based on private ownership and on investment of money in business in order to make a profit. Now that you have the definitions, On your sheet give some pros and cons of each system

Advantages: –Everyone gets something (equal) –No unemployment –Healthcare for all citizens –Cooperation of the people (work for the country to benefit) Disadvantages: –Abuse of power –Restrictions- no freedom of speech, press, no religious practices –Censorship –Against ethnic diversity –Government controls property- very little if any, could own private property –Individual doesn’t compete, in some ways lazy and does not need to strive for more

Advantages: –You can own property –Individuals can prosper/competition for wages –Freedom of speech, press, religion –Embrace ethnic diversity –Makes the individual work worth something Disadvantages: –Poverty –Not everyone has healthcare –Monopolies- control too much business –Creates inequalities (ex: rich vs poor, have vs have not)

Ticket out the Door Is communism a good or bad idea for society? Explain using at least 2 examples.