“The hope and fear of communism was real, and far larger than the actual strength of communist movements warranted. Both the hope and the fear belong equally to the ‘illusion’ of communism. For, it was the image of a force dedicated to the conquest of the world, nay, poised to cross the frontiers of freedom at any moment, if not deterred by nuclear armaments ready for action within minutes. Once victorious anywhere it inevitably spread—’the domino theory’. Once established anywhere, it was irreversible by internal forces, for that was the very essence of totalitarianism. Conversely, it was sometimes seriously argued that no communist regime had ever or could ever come to power by democratic vote” (Mccauley, 2007).
Hence, it is now easy to understand how communist ideology held sweeping mass appeal, as a result of its espousal of economic equality to go along with political equal rights. It also offered hope for many millions of people who were exploited under the liberal capitalist principles of free individual enterprise and unfettered accumulation of wealth. It is quite another question of those hopes transpired to reality.
References:
Hobsbawm, E. (1996). History and Illusion. New Left Review, a(220), 116-125. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98491848
Marx, K. (1959). Capital, the Communist Manifesto and Other Writings (M. Eastman, Ed.). New York: The Modern Library. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=3031507
Mccauley, M. (2007, August). Comrades: A World History of Communism. History Today, 57, 63+. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5023210100
Shuklian, S. (1995). Marx, Dewey and the Instrumentalist Approach to Political Economy. Journal of Economic Issues, 29(3), 781+. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=500165346