Authoritarianism Poll

[Morningstar1312]

All countries tend towards having a government.
Socialist governments need strong authority in order to prevent free
economic association. Having such power, they'll tend to exercise it.
Governments may claim to be "of the people", but they tend to take on
a separate life of their own.
We observe this in N Korea, the PRC, the USSR, & any socialist country.
Capitalist countries don't need to prevent voluntary communist associations.
So they (eg, Scandinavian countries, USA, Canuckistan) have more liberty.

I do agree that countries do tend towards being more statist, and if we define government as the system which governs a state or community, then an anarcho-communist society would still have a government. The difference is that the community take charge in governing itself in a democratic way, without need of a centralized state.

Also on your point on capitalism not needing to prevent voluntary communist associations, this point is unhistorical. We look at the many coups the CIA has supported against democratically, elected socialist governments, the murders of socialist activists and labor organizers in america, and the way that such organizations are criminalized to this day is proof that capitalism does not allow for communism to coexist with it.

Furthermore, while certainly true that authoritarian communist states don’t allow for as much free association, neither does capitalism. The way in which corporations create monopolies (Ala disney, PepsiCo, Amazon, etc), choke out smaller businesses, and hold trademarks on life preserving medications which they can drastically raise the prices for because they know people will need to buy them anyways, these capitalist entities ensure that association becomes a necessity for consumers. Only a full democratization of the economy can ensure that association is truly free.

But any place where communism is voluntary, people will discover its
reality, & tend to opt out.....when government allows it.

Do you have evidence of this? Sources?

 

[Revoltingest]

I do agree that countries do tend towards being more statist, and if we define government as the system which governs a state or community, then an anarcho-communist society would still have a government. The difference is that the community take charge in governing itself in a democratic way, without need of a centralized state.

Also on your point on capitalism not needing to prevent voluntary communist associations, this point is unhistorical.

Wrongo pongo!
Communes of the commie type have existed in Ameristan.
You could form one now, & government would allow it.
Why?
Because it would be no threat to the economic or social order.
But a commie country must prevent capitalism from springing up,
lest people move to it, abandoning the state system.

We look at the many coups the CIA has supported against democratically, elected socialist governments, the murders of socialist activists and labor organizers in america, and the way that such organizations are criminalized to this day is proof that capitalism does not allow for communism to coexist with it.

You're citing a political orientation towards hostile or potentially hostile foreign countries.
That isn't caused by capitalism, but rather the perception of military threat.
Try an experiment...
Set up your own socialistic or communistic cooperative or commune.
You'll find it allowed.
But try to set up a business in a socialist country which bans capitalism.
You'll find oppression.

Furthermore, while certainly true that authoritarian communist states don’t allow for as much free association, neither does capitalism. The way in which corporations create monopolies (Ala disney, PepsiCo, Amazon, etc), choke out smaller businesses, and hold trademarks on life preserving medications which they can drastically raise the prices for because they know people will need to buy them anyways, these capitalist entities ensure that association becomes a necessity for consumers. Only a full democratization of the economy can ensure that association is truly free.

Monopolies haven't harmed my free speech or other civil liberties.
But the worst monopolies I've dealt with are government sanctioned
or created, eg, utilities, Ma Bell.
But if monopolies are what you hate, the worst ones are under socialism,
ie, there is the state....no one else....no competitors allowed.
There's more! Capitalism does not mean monopolies must exist.
We have anti-monopoly laws...which I like for preserving free markets.

Do you have evidence of this? Sources?

In the USSR, the black market thrived.
Btw, upon the USSR's dissolution, those illegal structures survived,
leaving a legacy of organized crime there. It's similar to our having
banned alcohol.