Dark And Cold Period Of History

October 12, 2017

Should I take look back at history or should I talk about politics again? There is a very very dark period of history that almost every country lived through. By the title you already can tell what it will be about… Communism and Cold War. What is Communism? For many people who don't understand what that is, please let me explain.

Karl_Marx_001Communism is an political system and we have to thank this man with his thick beard and large forehead for it, Karl Marx. Communism is an idea and system of various laws and unique systems, that everyone is equal and that there is no class system. Also in this system, citizens get their state services for free. Not to forget booming economy. But here is where they shot themselves in a foot and everything went down the hill. I am going to list of thigs, how Communism failed and probably will never work again. Let me explain in detail. But first this is only my opinion and this is how I see it.

Depending on your yearly salery, you fall into a category upper class, middle class or lower class. Unlike in Capitalism, in Communist region is more like this… Political leaders, military resonell, doctors, teachers and engineers had a higher status. If you made a name for yourself you had been awarded. Ordinary people where treated like nothing. Every citizen had an equal pay but work conditions were very poor. And no matter from what class you are and respecting others is number one priory, respecting your leader. I am talking about worshipping your leaders like they are Gods. Unlike in America where we pick our leaders. When you contribute to the public, your name would be end up on front page news. But many dictators who thanked the volunteers for their hard work, they took the credit to make their self-image better. Brainwashing the  public with propaganda was also common. From childhood you were taught that every other system is wrong and they are right. Many leaders from Adolf Hitler to Kim Jong-Un were or are using threats and anger to get their point across. My way or the highway.  

When people have a choice to express them sevelves, this can go both ways. You have nice clothes, write novels, but when you spoke or have written somethig that was contradicting the government, you were taken to jail or even killed. Even history books were rewritten claming that Capitalism is evil and false. I don't North Koreans have read any other books besides their own, and if they had been caught with a smuggled book, there were very dire consequences. On the radio and televison everything was or in some cases censored, so I guess no Bruce Springsteen or The Simpsons. Religion was also limited, due to unrealistic events or beliefs. If people wanted to worship, it was done in secret… like under ground. In a tiny town called Wieliczka in Poland, there is a large salt mine. During the war, small section the mine was used also as a church. Now the place is an tourist destination.

Here is a thought, let's just say, you are diagnosed with cancer. There might be treatment but most likely you will die. Either there is no medicine or inexpirienced doctors. Communism made some life saving medicine being imported. What I am going to mention is so horrible, that you wished you would never been born. Human rights are just horrible in former USSR and North Korea. I am an person who has some challenges in life and people who understand their needs is America. In poorer undeveloped nations, some doctor's don't know how to help their pacients, so they turn to countries like America. In communist nations if you were handicap or had some form of disability, you were not allowed to go out and function in everyday society. If a baby was diagnosed with a learning disability, often the child was killed. Getting deeper to this topic is getting even worse. Police will use brutal force to arrest you. And as punishments go, this is huge and wll give you night terrors. Prison sentences during Communism or under an dictatorship were or are horrific. Now with my honest opinion, inmates who are currently in jail should be working hard and taught a little more discipline, and still respecting their rights. As for the dictatorship, it is nothing like that. Authority is brutal and prisons they are usually called camps. Monatnous and froceful labor, unsanitary conditions, starvations, unnecessary human tortures and even public excecusions. When a convict is charged with one particular crime, they go to jail for few years. There is an imprisonment called generations sentence and it is sort of like life sentce but all your family sent to jail, evn though your future children and did nothing wrong.

Just imagine, you have a crazy idea and you head out to your garage to start an company. I am going to mention Apple (yes, AGAIN). Steve Jobs started company in his garage. Entrepreneurship was hard or almost nonsexistant. When you gathered few classmates and decided open up an start-up company, you did not have any right to your intelectual property. Government had a right to your production, stocks and inventory. This means you were not allowed to sell or produce at your will. Forget about commercialism.

Communist leaders promised to provide public with food and quality goods, but many stores owners had or still have empty shelves. Let's imagine Whole Foods with empty isles and long waiting line that stretches for two or three blocks. While leaders promised to provide people with food and other merchandise, they got the priority first, leaving crumbs for everyone else to pick up. While there was food, many people could not afford. Also, imagine your local shopping mall, without any customers.

Homes and apartments were relatively same size. Nobody had a big home, unless you worked for the government. While car ownership was available but it was out of reach for many due to high cost and fuel rasssioning. 

And if you think that the taxes help fix the roads, keep the cities and fund the schools, better think again. While Communist taxes might exist, they were for total different purpose. Taxes is a system of exchange for services too, but would you be outraged, if our president would build his own theme park for his buddies and charged price of admission that is way too expensive for common folk? And forget about your yearly salary. There isn't any… in some extent people had yearly salary but it is so minisquele that it was considered like nothing.   

America was build on an idea that everyone is free. We have a right to protest and voice our concerns. If the public feels that the leader has done something wrong or is not doing a good job, and when it's put to vote she or she can be removed from office. This happened with Richard Nixon, in the televised address said that he will resign. He resigned due to a Watergate scandal. Many leaders had been impeached and jailed. Throughout history quite a number of our presidents had been alos assassinated or had a brush with death. All of these events, happened for lots of reasons. Mostly someone did nat like them, just like John Wikes Booth, well known actor from the South did not like what North is doing. So he shot Abraham Lincoln point blank in the head. President died the following day.

In my home country there was a Solidarity Movement in the 1980's. I only have read it in a book or what I have heard. Lech Walesa who was a shipyard worker, found a union that is very known and credited for a downfall of Communism in Poland. Since it's foundation on September 17, 1980 they had many ups and down, but nothing stopped them from achiving success and believing in their own dreams of Poland being free. In 1983 he was awarded Nobel Peace Price. Group was non-violent and had thusands of members. Walesa said that, protests should be peaceful. In 1989, when Communism was on it's last legs, Walesa ran a campain for a president. Upon the poll, it was decided that no body should tell you whom to vote for. Walesa won and became first Non-Communist president to be elected in Poland. Therefor Communism never worked and never will. There are many other ideologies that work a lot better. Democracy always wins.

© E. P. Sendecki / EeroSendTheKey