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What is Anti-Communism?

Amanda R. Bell
Amanda R. Bell

Anti-communism is a strong opposition to the ideology and practice of communism. Following the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, groups opposed to communism began to organize, rising against the country’s new socialist regime. While anti-communists oppose both the practice of communism and disagree with its claims, three major groups hold anti-communism as a primary part of their ideology. These are capitalists, anarchists and fascists.

Those who claim to have anti-communism ideals take issue with communism’s strict rules against political opposition and strongly disagree with the Communist claim that capitalist or free-trade societies force the lower class to rely on the wealthy. While there are many anti-communism groups that loath all socialist ideals, those more in the middle do concede that many socialist ideals would work in a perfect world. Their issue with communism comes from the fact that they believe human beings are incapable of living up to socialist principles, causing any attempts at a Communist society to fail. Several psychologists fall into this category of anti-communism, saying that a person's drive for personal fulfillment and success is a strong part of human nature, and no amount of Communist rules or ideals can change this.

Though many anti-communists cite communism's oppression of free speech, religion, and market economics as the reason why they oppose the system, there are also those who note that communist nations tend to be heavy polluters due to a lack of popular oversight on industrial production.
Though many anti-communists cite communism's oppression of free speech, religion, and market economics as the reason why they oppose the system, there are also those who note that communist nations tend to be heavy polluters due to a lack of popular oversight on industrial production.

Capitalists are possibly one of the strongest anti-communism groups, especially in the western world. Communism is the polar opposite of capitalism, with Communists arguing that free trade and personal gain will lead to the eventual downfall of a society. Capitalists, on the other hand, cite the continued growth of all classes in capitalist societies as proof that this Communist claim is untrue, and argue that innovation is stifled when human beings are not allowed to work for themselves.

The severe famine caused by communist mismanagement in the 1930s not only resulted in a strong sense of anti-communism in Ukraine, but also a distinct anti-Russian sentiment in the nation's western regions.
The severe famine caused by communist mismanagement in the 1930s not only resulted in a strong sense of anti-communism in Ukraine, but also a distinct anti-Russian sentiment in the nation's western regions.

While anarchists originally supported communism, the strong government control that came with it put them squarely in the anti-communism camp. While most anarchists agree with socialist ideals, such as working together as a group for the betterment of society, they believe these ideals should be carried out by individuals rather than a government. This strong control of communism over its followers came as a blow to anarchists in the 1920s, causing many of them to become disenchanted with all political parties, no matter the ideals.

Joseph Stalin's name often triggers anti-communism sentiments.
Joseph Stalin's name often triggers anti-communism sentiments.

The anti-communism ingrained into the minds of nearly every fascist society has been present since its organization during World War I. Several historians believe fascism was actually created as a response to communism during this time and implemented as a means of preventing a Communist takeover in Italy and the rest of Europe. While several intellectuals conclude that the core beliefs of fascism and communism are actually quite similar, fascists strongly oppose communism because of the socialist opposition to nationalism; they also lean more toward the capitalist side when it comes to economics.

While anti-communism is a core belief held by most industrialized nations, many of its ideals are considered part of what the perfect world would be. Despite communism’s decline since the mid-1900s, it is still present in the governments of several large countries. The role of anti-communism in world events has been great, and it continues to be the predominate value of some of the largest political groups in the world.

Discussion Comments

anon955479

Communism is anti nationalistic? Look at China.

Plus, not mentioned in this comment section is the misunderstanding about love of country. In general, it is a natural and good thing to have love of country. But if you take it to an extreme then it becomes a bad nationalism. Many progressives have a inner distaste for America itself. See Jeane Kirkpatrick, a former Democrat, who spoke on that in her "blame America first" speech at the 1984 Republican convention.

anon336391

Communism is where only the government can be rich and the rest have to be poor. In communism, you can eat a little, and everyone has to eat a little, and each one has to form and make a line to wait for the food and they give you a little and you have to wait until the government gives you food. You can wait for two hours or more, but it will be worth it for them, especially.

Communism is the party where there is no freedom of speech, and no freedom of religion. If someone speaks about God they are put in jail. If someone goes to church, they are are fined and go to jail. If someone reads the bible or watches religious channels, people are watching them.

Communism is where there is no freedom and there is no voice and no one can talk. Communism is when they take away people's properties and houses and money -- even your own property that you bought with your money is taken away and given to the poor. They steal properties and if they do not obey the rules.

anon286883

Look up the 45 goals of communism. Then go down the list and see how many of those goals have been achieved. The U.S. is trading in capitalism for a twisted blend of totalitarian communism.

The funny thing is, none of these forms of government really work. None, and communism has been proven to be the very worst one. On the other hand though, communism works great for the ruling class and is pure hell for everyone else on the planet.

Illych

@roser - I think there's pretty strong evidence that capitalism advocates competition, greed, profits over people and oppression of workers. It gives workers in capitalist countries a high standard of living but at the cost of exploiting other less developed countries.

While it's true that communism has left more countries "in ruins" - as you put it - than capitalism has, you can't forget about the late-2000s financial crisis which was largely caused by problems with the free trade capitalism.

I think the problem with communism is the same as the problem with Islam or any belief system: extremism. As with capitalism, people just can't seem to keep themselves from exploiting the very rules they help create for their own benefit.

roser

@Illych - In what ways are capitalism as bad as communism? I will admit that fear of communism brought on by McCarthyism during the '50s resulted in a lot of people being mislead as to what the core principles of communism actually were and a lot of misinformation was spread. Still, you cannot deny the links between totalitarianism and communism. Communism has left a lot more countries in ruins than capitalism has.

Illych

It's interesting that this article includes the idea that one of the main reason communism so often fails is that people are simply unable to live up to socialist principles. I think it's possible people in positions of power are always going to be driven by personal fulfillment and success (ie. greed). It's a depressing thought but I'm unsure about whether it's entirely true or not.

This idea and a lot of the ideology of capitalism stem from John Nash's work on game theory, who I saw in a documentary made quite recently and he himself questioned some of the conclusions reached by the research, or at least the way they it has been implemented in a capitalist society. You might know John Nash as the mathematician from the film A Beautiful Mind.

My point is that capitalism - the polar opposite of communism - isn't necessarily a solution to all of communism's problems.

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    • Though many anti-communists cite communism's oppression of free speech, religion, and market economics as the reason why they oppose the system, there are also those who note that communist nations tend to be heavy polluters due to a lack of popular oversight on industrial production.
      By: chungking
      Though many anti-communists cite communism's oppression of free speech, religion, and market economics as the reason why they oppose the system, there are also those who note that communist nations tend to be heavy polluters due to a lack of popular oversight on industrial production.
    • The severe famine caused by communist mismanagement in the 1930s not only resulted in a strong sense of anti-communism in Ukraine, but also a distinct anti-Russian sentiment in the nation's western regions.
      By: dmitrykobets
      The severe famine caused by communist mismanagement in the 1930s not only resulted in a strong sense of anti-communism in Ukraine, but also a distinct anti-Russian sentiment in the nation's western regions.
    • Joseph Stalin's name often triggers anti-communism sentiments.
      By: Alexander Micheichev
      Joseph Stalin's name often triggers anti-communism sentiments.