Time and again, it has been proved that democracy is the best form of government. It can assimilate everything which include various isms like Capitalism, Socialism, conservatism, environmentalism, and others. However, integrating Communism within its own fold defeats the purpose of democracy itself.
What is communism?
Communism in its simplest form is the redistribution of resources itself. It is the brainchild of Karl Marx, the German philosopher of the 19th Century. The central theme of the system is a rearrangement of distributional patterns in society. It envisages a society in which resources (land, water, electricity, etc.) will be owned by the whole community instead of you and me on an individual basis.
A central organisation will be taking care of distribution. Theoretically, the organisation will be distributing these resources according to the need of individuals. Moreover, it will be handling the responsibility of production as well. Basically, it hands over all power to a central organisation which is sometimes elected or sometimes not.
Is Communism Good?
The simplest answer is NO. It ignores the fundamental need of humans, that is, gathering as many resources for them as possible.
If a central government is given ultimate power to produce as well as distribute resources, most likely it will use it to gain more power from them. This has already happened in numerous countries. Genocidal regimes of Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Castro brothers, and the current North Korean regime are prime examples of that. Once they gain power, they sit on it till their deaths.
Moreover, it discourages individual merit. To put it simply; suppose your boss pays you the same salary for every effort, no matter you work for 4 hours or 8. Will you feel incentivized to contribute to that company? NO.
Communist utopia does exactly that. By handling equal incentives irrespective of their efforts, it disincentivises individuals looking to increase their competence. In fact, after Mao’s death, the Chinese had to take the private entrepreneurship route to feed their starving population.
Why is Communism so popular?
Communism is masked with heavy words like sympathy, empathy, and kindness. This is what attracts young college graduates as well as old billionaires towards this philosophy. On the face of it, it urges billionaires to donate to the poor which appeals to compassion inside them. Similarly, college students looking to do good for the world are also drawn towards communism.
Is it compatible with democracy?
Communism is not at all compatible with democracy. One just needs to understand the basic tenets of both philosophies to decode this. Democracy in essence is a government that is ‘for the people, of the people and by the people.’ Millions select a government through the voting process and trust them for good. If the government does not do well for them, there are checks and balances on them in the name of opposition, bureaucracy, parliament. Moreover, they have to face their electors after every four or five years when they are up for re-election.
Communism on the other hand has no checks and balances. Theoretically, it has a politburo, but every member of politburo is just one bullet away from usurping ultimate power for themselves. That is exactly what happened in any country which flirted with communism.
Why are there communist parties in democracy?
Communists are known for their sleight of hands when it comes to their survival. Through their mask of kindness, they have convinced democratic leaders that some form of communism is good. The modern idea of a welfare state (a state which takes care of the poor and downtrodden) is also assumed by many to be a derivation from communism. However, it is absurd since kindness is the ultimate virtue behind that concept.
Moreover, due to its mask of kindness, the communist movement always spreads like a wildfire. This was manifested in the Naxalite movements of Naxalbari in the 20th century. Since it gets the support of gullible masses, populist leaders of democracy are virtually coerced for Communists’ inclusion in their fold.
To sum it all, communism brings destruction for all except the dictator sitting at the top. It is philosophically incoherent, scientific inaccurate and incompatible with the masses. Integrating it with democracy will only erode the democratic traditions.