# Is there any Future for Communism? \[De-Trocked thread\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 6, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526 "2026-11-06T01:11:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/81 "2026-10-31T21:25:32Z")
But, but, but, Fascists are bad. Except when they are judged by the German governments as legally not neo-Nazis. They just cosplay as such. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/82 "2026-10-31T21:27:28Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > people who believed in communism; that sounds fascinating. People believing in communism have always been a minority in my country. Communism was imposed by Russian occupation. The people who raised me opposed it and eventually removed it. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/83 "2026-10-31T21:29:08Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > This is the reason why, for example, The Romanian Army helped oust the communist government in Hungary, known as the Hungarian Soviet Republic led by Béla Kun, Bela Kun? You mean, the guy who was found with 180,000 Austro-Hungarian crowns hidden in the walls of his home? He was obviously no more of a communist than the CCP officials you decried as no true communists a moment ago. I am being sarcastic, obviously ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/84 "2026-10-31T21:30:27Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I am being sarcastic, obviously Ah, okay. I’ll be back when there is a chance for a serious conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/85 "2026-10-31T21:32:56Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > Ah, okay. I’ll be back when there is a chance for a serious conversation Ok, let’s have a serious conversation. Why is Bela Kun more of a communist than a CCP official? They both hoard personal wealth… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/86 "2026-10-31T21:33:12Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > Yes, they did. It was openly admitted, publically taught, and learned by everyone interested in it. It was no secret. This is the reason why, for example, The Romanian Army helped oust the communist government in Hungary, known as the Hungarian Soviet Republic led by Béla Kun, during the Hungarian–Romanian War in August 1919. I am missing the national elections that brought Kun into power. What percent of the vote did he win? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/87 "2026-10-31T21:42:40Z")
Moderating: > [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > Oh, the sublime of personal attacks when everything else fails. If you perceive a post to be a personal attack, your remedy is to flag it for moderator review, not make an accusation. To all, let’s dial back the snark and insinuations in this thread. Stick with facts, evidence and respectful discussion. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/88 "2026-10-31T21:43:43Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/89 "2026-10-31T21:47:33Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > If we’re supposed to express opinions supported by facts, we’ll start from where I chimed in: “the trick.” Let’s first admit there is no trick, in fact. The trick is the idea that hypothetical communism is something we could only achieve if we tried communism without getting sidetracked. The truth is that what Kun did, what we see in China, what we saw on Russia - that IS communism. Asking you what the difference is supposed to be between Kun - someone you brought up as a real communist - and modern CCP officials - who you said are not real communists/leftists because they horde millions of dollars - demonstrates that the idea that there is a difference is indeed incorrect. Trick isn’t meant as an accusation there, you could substitute that word with “illusion” if you consider “trick” too aggressive. Like a trick of the light. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/90 "2026-10-31T23:09:22Z")
I do not know why you are on about communism like it is the middle of the Red Scare or something. If the communists are the ones backing labor unions, living wages, public pensions, workers’ rights, and effective anti-corporate measures then that sounds good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/91 "2026-10-31T23:35:08Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Well you can’t just leave it at that! You gotta do an AMA thread or something 🤣 I mean, it’s not THAT rare, is it? My wife’s paternal grandparents were communists, too. They joined the movement in Bulgaria before the war, and remained members their whole life (although of course they were very proud of their son for building a successful business). My father-in-law, who was a lifelong liberal but no Marxist, would often start singing the Internationale whenever you got a few drinks in him. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/92 "2026-10-31T23:38:03Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > People just aren’t wired the way, say, ants are, working selflessly for the greater good, getting back only what they need. I think something akin to communism can work but only on a much smaller scale than a nation state. If you look at the average family, for example, the economy resembles communism. There’s a sense that the economic well-being of the unit is more important than the that of any individual. And there’s an acknowledgement that some individuals in the unit will produce more than others and some individuals will consume more than others without there being any link between how much you produce and how much you consume. So “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” is a reality. This might scale up to an extended family, a social group, or even a tribe. But at some point the bonds between the individuals will weaken and people will no longer see the needs of the unit taking precedence over their own needs. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/93 "2026-10-31T23:47:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you look at the average family, for example, the economy resembles communism. There’s a sense that the economic well-being of the unit is more important than the that of any individual. And there’s an acknowledgement that some individuals in the unit will produce more than others and some individuals will consume more than others without there being any link between how much you produce and how much you consume. So “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” is a reality. And also, as my parents would remind me, “This family isn’t a democracy.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/94 "2026-10-31T23:50:25Z")
People are more complex and self-serving than predicted by simplistic philosophies. Communism in practice has never been a fair or ideal way of running a nation, or avoided an autocratic state. Whatever worked in very small tribes through millennia of human evolution is hard to apply to massive societies. Other systems have different flaws. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/95 "2026-10-31T23:51:06Z")
I think those Israeli kibbutzim are pretty close, but also pretty small. Yeah, I tell my kids that family is communist regularly - when one went to a cheaper school, they didn’t get a refund. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/96 "2026-10-31T23:53:17Z")
To respond more directly the the OP, I don’t see a lot of future in communism. Regardless of what you think about its hypothetical virtues, communism as a real world political system has demonstrated a lot of flaws. Even people who were born and raised in communist systems ended up rejecting it. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/97 "2026-11-01T00:00:18Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I mean, it’s not THAT rare, is it? My wife’s paternal grandparents were communists, too. I’m not sure. My mom’s side is Kibbutznik, but by the time I was born, none of them were communists anymore, and I’m not sure how many of them _ever_ thought the model should be applied beyond their kibbutzim. I never ran into any ideologically committed communists growing up. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/98 "2026-11-01T01:06:07Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I never ran into any ideologically committed communists growing up. Well a.) they were never terribly common to begin with in the US, but also b) as I recall you’re around twenty or more years younger than me. There was collapse in the membership of homegrown communist parties during the Post-WW II Red Scare era (McCarthy et al), but then a very minor and in retrospect brief resurgence in the 1960’s-1970’s in the shadow of the Vietnam War when some college kids became radicalized. So there was a solid if never particularly large cohort of Boomer and GenX “red diaper babies” (in the broad sense). But numbers have just been dwindling. When I started college in the mid-1980’s there was still a little bit of Marxist (mostly Trotskyist IME) activity at college events, like info tables and leaflet selling. But even by then active membership was starting to collapse as older members started to nope out as ideological fervor if not necessarily broad sympathy started to flag and genuinely committed new recruits became ever scarcer. At this point I’d say the hardcore ones are pretty peripheral. I honestly find hard right libertarianism much more pernicious in the US because there is a lot more of them, in much the same way many people are more concerned with right-wing Christian whackos in the US than their Muslim equivalents. It’s a numbers game. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/99 "2026-11-01T02:56:54Z")
> [@Is Communism without a future?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-communism-without-a-future/1034281/98): > > > [@Alessan](#): > > > > I mean, it’s not THAT rare, is it? My wife’s paternal grandparents were communists, too. > > I’m not sure. My mom’s side is Kibbutznik, but by the time I was born, none of them were communists anymore, and I’m not sure how many of them _ever_ thought the model should be applied beyond their kibbutzim. I never ran into any ideologically committed communists growing up. My husband’s Jewish grandparents were Communists. They even visited the exciting new Communist Soviet Union prior to WWII, as fans. My husband’s uncle joined the Communist party at the urging of his mother, and ran into blacklist issues during the McCarthy era. I also have a friend (my age) whose parents tried to raise him as a “red diaper baby”, but it didn’t stick. I met him when we were both working for a big capitalist insurance company. I can’t think of any recent examples, and agree that our current extremist nuts run more towards libertarians. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526/100 "2026-11-01T08:03:58Z")
I know people on the left who support the Communist Party, Green Party, Pirate Party, Anarchist parties, etc., but if I had to put my finger on it the majority are not from the US, or not originally from the US. There was a _lot_ of anti-communist propaganda for pretty much the entire 20th Century. That does not mean I have not run into card-carrying members of the I.W.W. born and raised in the USA, ordinary people just trying to get by (is one an “extremist nut” if one wants a minimum wage?), and the way things are going does make me think their time should come again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-future-for-communism-de-trocked-thread/1034526.md?page=6)