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Josh,Dan,andOlivia

Communismhasbeentheeviloftheworldduringthetwentiethcentury.Itstartedwith
KarlMarxandhisviewsofSocialismcalledMarxism,andledtoVladimirLeninandJoseph
StalinstakeonMarxismwhentheycametopower.ChinaevenbecameCommunistwiththe
ruleofMaoZedongandhisversionofCommunism.DuringthesametimeasMaoZedong.The
UnitedStateswasdealingwiththeColdWarwithRussiaandPresidentKennedywasworking
throughthefailedBayofPigsInvasionandayearlater,TheCubanMissileCrisis.Eventhough
AmericahasneverbeenaCommunistcountry,wevehadourfairshareoftimedealingwiththe
oppressivegovernment.ButAmericansstillworryabouttheCommunistthreattothisday.

KarlMarxandFriedrichEngelspublishedabookin1848calledTheCommunist
Manifesto.InthisbooktheytalkedaboutanewgovernmenttoendCapitalism.Karlhada
theoryaboutestablishingaSocialistgovernmentcalledMarxism.Marxismisbrokenintothree
phases.ThefirstphasedealswiththeendofCapitalismandtheoverthrowoftheBourgeoisand
toestablishaSocialistsect.ThenextphaseisestablishingaDictatorshipoftheProletariatand
gainingastrongersenseofSocialismwithinthecountry.Finally,thelastphaseisdealingwith
thecountryreachingPureCommunism.PureCommunismistheabsolutestateof
statelessness,thereisperfectorderandeveryoneisequal,andhistorystops.Historystopsby
thatallthepeopleofthestateareequal,nothingexcitinghappensandeveryoneisthesame.So
nomoremajoreventshappenthatpeoplerememberashistory.

AccordingtoHowCommunismWorks,byAliaHoyt,thesethreephasesweremadeto
overthrowdifferentgovernments.Thefirstphaseinvolvedmakingarevolutiontooverthrowthe

existinggovernmentforexample,accordingtoRussia,Communism,andthefutureofthe
worldCzarNicholasIIwastherulerofRussiaarevolutionbegantostartin1905runby
VladimirLeninonceknownasVladimirIlyichUlyanovwhomwassentinexile.Therevolution
wassoonforgottentillWorldWarI,inMarch1917riotingbeganandNicholaswasoverthrown
byAlexanderKerenskyandhisfollowers.OnApril16,1917Lenincamebacktoruleand
establishedaCommunistgovernment.Thencomesphasetwowheretheleader(s)/dictatormust
gainfullcontrolincludingthegovernmentasittakesfullcontroloverthecitizenschoices,and
theoneincontrolmustcomingintowealthovereveryonealongwiththecollectivizationof
property.Withthisstead,thegovernmentofCommunismmakesallchoicesforyoulike
education,religion,employment,marriage,etcFinallythereisphasethree.Phasethreehas
neverbeenattainedbecauseitmeanstheachievementofautopia.Tomakethisutopiait
requiredallnoncommuniststobedestroyedtoachievesupremeequality.

Communismisnothingnew.Ithasbeenaroundsince1846whenKarlMarxfoundedthe
newformofgovernment.SomepopularpastcommunistleadersareJosephStalinfromthe
SovietUnion,MaoZedongfromChinaandJosipBrozfromYugoslavia.Stalinwasoneofthe
mostfearedandmostdespicablepersoninhistory.Hewasresponsibleforaround10million
deathsingulags(laborcamps).Hedisguisedthetrueidentityofthecampsbycallingthem
educationcamps.MaoZedongtotalchangedthefaceofChina.Hebroughtcommunisminto
Chinaandmadechinathewayitistoday.HelaunchedmanycampaignstobetterhelpChina.
OnebeingtheGreatLeapForward,tryingtoimproveagriculturalandindustrialproductionto
helpthepeople,mainlybeinghimself.HealsobannedanypoliticalpartyexcepttheCCP
(ChineseCommunistParty).

Communistcountriesandleadershavecomeandgone.China,NorthKoreaandCuba
arethreebigcommunistcountriesstillwithcommunism.XiJinping,ChinasPresident,cameinto
poweronNovember15,2012.RecentlyhehasbeentakingislandsfromSouthJapan,
accordingtoBBC.com.WhentheNorthKoreanSupremeLeaderKimJonguncameintopower,
in2012,hehadnomilitaryexperience.Thatdoesntstophimfromtestingnuclearweaponsand
deepeningabusiverule,accordingtohrw.org.Anycrimeagainstthestateoragainstthepeople
resultsinapublicexecution.Intheyear2012,therewere17publicexecutions,onebeingKims
uncleandmentor.Kimsunclewasalsoanofficialsohighinrankthathewasbelievedtobe
untouchable.Vietnamseconomyhasbeendegradingrapidly.UnderthecontrolofTruongTn
Sangpriceshavedoubled,incomehasbeencutinhalfandproductivityhasbeenverylow.

DuringTheColdWar,theU.SwastryingtopreventCommunismwhereitpoppedup
aroundtheworld.ThisincludedtheislandcountryofCuba.In1959,FidelCastrobecamethe
leaderofCubawithhisCommunistregime.TheU.SdecidedthatCubaneededtobeliberated
fromCastro.Therewere1400CubanexileslivinginGuatemalain1960,andtheC.I.A.setup
trainingcampstotraintheexiledcivilianstofighttotakebacktheircountry.OnApril17,1961,
the1400soldierslandedinCubatotakebackwhatwastheirs.ButCastroalreadyknewofthe
attackthatwasgoingtohappensohesent20,000ofhisowntroopstopushbacktheinvasion.
Mostofthe1400soldierswerecapturedandalittleover100ofthemwereactuallykilled.Human
errorandtimingerrorsfromtheairforcehelpingtheexileshelpwiththeircapture.Theexiles
wereheldasprisonersfor20monthsbeforePresidentKennedysbrother,AttorneyGeneral
RobertF.Kennedytraded$53millionworthofbabyfoodandmedicineforthereturnoftheexiles

totheU.S..TwomonthsaftertheCubanMissileCrisis,aplanarrivedwiththefirstofthefreed
captiveandalloftheremainingprisonersweresetfreeandreturnedsafely.Thisinvasionis
knownasThe(failed)BayofPigsInvasion.

EventhoughduringWorldWarIItheU.S.andRussiawereallies,theU.S.wasalways
worriedaboutRussiaandtheirCommunistgovernment.OnceWWIIendeddistrusttookover
bothparties.PostwarbegantofulfillAmericasfearsasRussiabegantoexpandits
Communism,soasaprecaution,theU.S.LeftaU2spyplaneinRussiatooverseewhatthey
weredoing.In1960theU2spyplanewasopeneduptothepubliconcetheplanewasshot
downinRussia.Thiswasthestartofthecoldwarin1945.Nuclearthreatswerethrownbackat
eachotherlaunchingnewthingsinAmericaliketheEmergencyBroadcastSystemin1963
whichhasneverbeenusedtillthisday.TherewasnoMilitaryaction,butthisbeingalmosta
nuclearwarAmericahas70,000nuclearwarheadstockpilessince19459,600ofthemare
readytouseatanymoment,whileRussiahas5,200.Butifweweretouseanyofthemitwould
wipeoutmostlifeonearth.Thecoldwarlasted45yearsandhistoriansbelievenopartywasto
blameandthiswarhasalwaysbeeninevitable.

InOctoberof1962,PresidentJohnF.KennedylearnedoftheSovietUnionbuilding
nuclearmissilesitesinCommunistCuba.Kennedymetwithhisadvisorsandfor13days,
discussedpossiblewaystoendtheSovietsbuildingthemissilesites.Heeventuallydecidedon
settingupaNavalBlockadearoundCubatopreventanymoreSovietshipsenteringCuba.
KennedythendemandedthatSovietleader,NikitaKhrushchev,teardownthemissilesites.
Bothleadersknewoftheeffectsofstartinganuclearwarandagreedtoteardownthesites.But
inprivate,anotherdealwasmade.SinceKhrushchevhadtoteardownhismissilesitesinCuba,

KennedyhadtoordertheteardownofAmericanmissilesitesinTurkey.Kennedyagreedsono
conflictsandpossiblenuclearwarwouldnthappen.Eventhoughthemissilesitesweretaken
downinCuba,TheSovietUniondecidedtobuildtheirmilitarypresenceintheirowncountryand
becomeanevenbiggerforcethatway.

Aftervisitingthehistoryandbackgroundofcommunism,wehavecometorealizethat
thecommunistgovernmentisathreat.Nobodyinoraroundcommunistcountriesaresafe.
Communismhasbeenaroundsince1846whenKarlMarxfirstintroducedittotheWorldandstill
hasntgottenanybetter.FromChina,toVietnam,toCuba,theleadersstillnothavegottenit
together.FromthetimeofWWI,totheColdWar,tonowpresentday,communistcountries
economy,industry,andagriculturehavedegraded.EventhoughAmericahasneverbeena
Communistcountry,wevehadourfairshareoftimedealingwiththeoppressivegovernment.

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