Pro = Type1 = Fascism and communism are direct political oppositesCon = the_bat_man = Fascism and communism are not direct political opposites
My opponent has forfeited the first round, leaving me to make the opening arguments.
A1: The Definitions
Let us make clear what we are debating by defining what exactly "Fascism" and "Communism" mean. The definition of "Fascism" as defined by Merriam-Webster is below.
1
often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized
autocratic government headed by a
dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
The definition of "communism" as defined by Merriam-Webster is below.
1 a
: a system in which goods are owned in
common and are available to all as needed
b
: a theory advocating elimination of private property
At first glance, fascism and communism do look like direct political opposites. Using information derived from the definitions, you can say that fascism is the basis for dictatorial, nationalist and totalitarian regimes. Hitler was known as a strong believer in the fascist agenda (even though he went by the misleading name National-Socialist, or "Nazi" for short) as was Mao Zedong, the dictator of China who oversaw the Cultural Revolution. And using information from the second definition you can tell that any nation that believes in it will have publically owned businesses and everyone will be equal (a liberal’s dream come true).
But let’s look at the second definition of communism, it which it is capitalized.
2
capitalizeda : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian
socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the U.S.S.R.
b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of productionc : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably
d :
communist systems collectively
Yes, the dictionary can not tell us everything. But Communism can also be defined by how it has played out in history.
A2: Communism in History
Here are the nations that are currently running on the communist agenda.
-China
-North Korea
-Vietnam
-Cuba
-Laos
Tell me, have any of those countries turned out well? Are any of them “a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably?” The short answer is no.
-China killed and silenced millions of people during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution
-North Korea puts people and death camps and has threatened Japan, South Korea, and the US with nuclear bombs
-North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam in the 50s and 60s and killed millions of people
-Cuba killed thousands of people during the Cuban Revolution
-Laos killed thousands of people along with the Vietnamese
You know, maybe it’s just me, but I’m not seeing any good stuff here.
A3: Karl Marx’s Intentions
This section is basically my interpretation of the Communist Manifesto (yes, I have read it).
The reason communism doesn’t work is because the point of it is for the people (proleteriat) to someday rise up and take over the government. But this can’t happen instantly. So while the proleteriat are waiting to rise up, there has to be some kind of government. And that is a government where all the wealth is distributed. Communism degrades personal freedoms. See, if somebody studied for 8 years to be a surgeon, that wouldn’t matter. Because the person next door works at McDonald’s and they get paid the same amount of money.
I’m still not seeing any good stuff.
Conclusion
- Fascism is a totalitarian form of government.
- Communism has been shown to have totalitarian forms of government.
- Therefore, they are not direct political opposites.
Sources
A1Fascism. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascismCommunism. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communismNazism. (2018, August 27). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism
A2Manning, S. (2018, April 16). Communist Body Count. Retrieved from
https://scottmanning.com/content/communist-body-count/
A3Marx, K., & Engels, F. (2018). The Communist manifesto. Singapore: Origami Books.
Neat, if we can get a debate started and finished regarding socialism vs. capitalism, I'd be happy to debate this as well.
There aren't any similarities at all really. Communism is 100% to the left and fascism is 100% to the right. Any supposed similarity between the two are either lies and propaganda or they stem from a corrupt regime falsely labeling itself as communist when they in fact deviate strongly from the teachings of Marx.
For example, Mao calling himself a communist is no different than the Nazis calling themselves National Socialists...in reality they are both fascist.
Socialism/Communism is based on collectivizing the means of production so that the community as a whole owns industry. That means that if the state controls it, or society is at all stratified with a ruling class or a wealthy class, it's not actually socialism/communism.
Are you arguing that there aren't any similarities between the two, or that the core beliefs are for different things?