Communism

Communism is a doctrine that encompasses a wide range of theories, ideologies and systems of thought in political, social and economic sciences. Its main precepts, the abolition of private property and centralized economy, were proclaimed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the Communist Manifesto on February 21, 1848. Since then communism has been altered by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and other political figures and theorists.

After Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels had formulated the theory, the practical followers Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong had each elaborated on it, publishing their writings and spreading them among their people.Historyworld.net: Communism These works became the ideological basis upon which the communist parties of China, Soviet Union and Cuba relied.

Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech on March 5, 1946 marked the beginning of the cold war.Fordham.edu: Modern History Sourcebook All European communist states, collectively known as the Warsaw Pact opposed the West, led by the United States under the aegis of NATO. While no direct warfare occurred, the hostility spilled over into the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War and the Soviet-Afghan War.

The Soviet Union collapsed at the end of December 1991 due to a complex of political and economic reasons.BBC: Reform, Coup and Collapse: The End of the Soviet State It had been preceded and foreshadowed by the fall of the Berlin Wall.BBC: Reform, Coup and Collapse: The End of the Soviet State The dissolution of the Soviet state signaled the advent of globalism.Theglobalist.com: Globalism Versus Globalization

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Karl Marx
• Wikipedia: Karl Marx
• Marxists.org: Marx & Engels Internet Archive
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Karl Marx
• Thehistoryguide.org: Karl Marx, 1818-1883

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Vladimir Lenin
• Wikipedia: Vladimir Lenin
• Marxists.org: Lenin Internet Archive
• History.com: Vladimir Lenin Shot
• YouTube Video: (Part 1) Lenin: Revolutionary - Documentary (Time: 9:52)

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Joseph Stalin
• Wikipedia: Joseph Stalin
• Marxists.org: Joseph Stalin Internet Archive
• BBC: Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953)
• YouTube Video: Joseph Stalin Biography 1 of 2 (Time: 4:25)

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Mao Zedong
• Wikipedia: Mao Zedong
• Time.com: Mao Zedong Profile (April 13, 1998)
• Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk: Cold Mao
• YouTube Video: Mao Zedong (Time: 2:50)

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Fidel Castro
• Wikipedia: Fidel Castro
• Channel4: Fidel Castro
• The New York Times: Fidel Castro
• YouTube Video: Fidel Castro Speaks to Harlem 1995 Pt. 1 (Time: 9:56)

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Soviet Union
• Wikipedia: Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• BBC News: Timeline: Soviet Union
• Foreignaffairs.org: Communism in Russian History
• BBC: Reform, Coup and Collapse: The End of the Soviet State (October 12, 2001)

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to China
• Wikipedia: Communist Party of China
• BBC: Massacre in Tiananmen Square
• Questia.com: A History of Comunism in East Asia
• Spiegel.de: Does Communism Work After All? (February 27, 2007)

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to Cuba
• Wikipedia: Communist Party of Cuba
• State.gov: Cuba Profile
• Independent.co.uk: The end of Communism? Cuba sweeps away egalitarian wages (June 13, 2008)
• CBC.ca: Cuba: Communist state in the West/In Depth Profile (February 19, 2008)

• • Please see Mahalo's guide to North Korea
• Wikipedia: Workers' Party of Korea
• CBC.ca: History: North Korea and its military/In Depth Profile
• BBC News: North Korea: Secretive State
• The New York Times: North Korea