The 20th century can be summoned-up by two nations with two different systems. The United States with its constitutional republic and pen market process of capitalism, the other is the Soviet Union with its dictatorial bodies the Kremlin and the Pollock Bureau and their practice of communism with its central planning and sanctioned rationing. These two became sworn enemies and proclaimed that one day they would smite one another and would alter the worlds direction in the process. One would become victorious over the other as well as the global direction, but what really happened to originate this conflict and fervor plus how was the global direction altered? Also, were there any genuine differences between the two advocacies? Thus are the questions and this topic which is to be presented in this report proper.
To begin, we must observe their concepts and folklore. For capitalism, this begins during the Reformation. John Calvin founder of the Puritan movement had preached a no frills way of life. Part of this life dealt highly with business and the profession that work was godly. In his teachings Calvin preached that a true Christian must conduct his business with a high seriousness as in itself a kind of religion, this meant that business would become a faith unto itself but with the same Christian virtues. This idea that one could work harder to lower their risk of temptation and maybe have a better chance of entrance into heaven was widely accepted and spread like wildfire in colonial America. Another aspect of this work ethic was the creation of a pious class. This class was to be looked upon for enlightenment and be inspiration to the peasant and other lower classes to improve themselves.
This practice was perfected by the Pilgrims and their establishment of the Plymouth Trading Co. in 1621, but modern capitalist/monopolistic philosophy comes from the great American self made man. Ben Franklin spoke of the homo economicus, of man living not just to survive but to acquire a higher status in society. He preached to those who would listen (and many did) that the frontier was where prosperity laid and it was within the individuals and only individuals to make this frontier prosperous. The key note Franklin also brings fourth, is that the individual should always gain from any and all prosperity. Franklin also speaks of business and as part of an honest life which is perfected by frugality. Finally like all early capital-based philosophers, he professes that making money is holy. So all who participates in this idea were members of the holy economy and are justifying the means of capitalism .
Another aspect that links capitalism and piety is the concept that no matter how youve conducted your business or of yourself for that matter, you can always give your money away or speak motivationally to the destitute, then youll be viewed as a great humanitarian. Case-in-point, the story of Oldabiah Brown, he had built a series of mills in the northeast during the 1780s. He ran his business ruthlessly and went at all lengths to eliminate competition, but in 1796 he had opened a Sunday school and at the time of his death in 1798, he donated $100,000 to the Quaker charities. The Quakers declared him the greatest humanitarian and a friend of the workers. Other capitalist though were interested in gain alone by any means necessary, capitalists like john Jacob Astor. Astor was the son of a butcher who came to the states in 1783 from Germany to make his way. He began his career as a fur trader in the Mohawk Valley, a few years later he began the American Fur Company in New York. From the beginning Astors business was built on questionable practices, to increase profit he would buy whisky in bulk and trade it with the Indians for the furs instead of paying for them (which was the law). Another dubious tactic was when Astor would sell his furs in Asia; he would buy opium in bulk, refine it and sell it in the States and Canada (making him the first drug dealer). There was one instance when a church group had come to his home for donations; Astor had given the church goers $20. A man from the church had said to Astor but sir, your son William had given $150, Astor replied well William has a rich man for a father now doesnt he.
Like capitalism, communism is wrapped-up in its own folklore and demagogy. Karl Marx had praised the actions of Alexander the Great when he toppled the heathen Persians and their empire and with creating a new kingdom and a period of true (though short) peace and prosperity. Another Marxist hero was Spartacus, who had freed his fellow gladiators who refused to fight any longer for their elitists task masters and sacked Rome, home of the slave drivers. Some were also men of peace; St. Frances of Assisi was praised by many Marxists for abandoning his life privilege to work with the poor and the environment. Other figures of the Marxist ideal included Hero of Alexandra, inventions like the steam turbine and the vending machine helped the masses. He was also praised for achieving these scientific feats for the sake of innovation and not that of gain. Even Jesus and his Disciples were prime examples of how Marxists should live. Their practice of peace and aiding others before themselves was the foundation for Marxist ideology.
The fundamentals of communism are found in puritan practicality. They preached working to survive and making due. Things like excess and flaunting what you have is considered vulgar. Unlike the puritans, the communist denounced a rigid class system and declared that revolution was the only way to make change. This idea of overthrowing those individuals in power and taking control of the state spread like wildfire worldwide, but would have drastic effects under the leadership of a cruel few.
The red scourge as it was called by the British conservative party (the Tories) began in Britain in the 1850s with the release of Karl Marxs The Communist Manifesto. People were enraged by how the government would put them in massive workhouses if they couldnt pay their debt or taxes. The people were even more outraged when the very workhouses they put in to work off their debt, would be charged for using the equipment at these workhouses. In the U.S. this movement began after the Civil War when blacks and immigrants protested against racial discrimination by white supremacists and being denied work because of who they were. Russias Marxist movement began not oppressed minorities or enraged workers but with the few sons and daughters of that nations noble class known as the Boyars. One these groups was called the Nihilists, whos goal was to kill the Czar and set a secular oligarchy would run the country. In 1881 they had successfully assonated Czar Alexander II while he was on his way to an important meeting (the meeting was to set up a representative government). One of the members was the brother of Lenin who was the son of the Chief Superintendent of Education for Southern Russia. Their leader was the daughter of Alexanders favorite noble. As consequence Alexander III son of Alexander II and the new Czar of Russia, had executed the Nihilists and because he was the father of the Nihilist leader, his fathers favorite noble was also executed. Alexander IIIs would reverse the policy that won his father the praise of the people and seal Russias fate .
With the death of his brother Alexander in 1887, Lenin had sworn to avenge his brothers death and keep the flames of revolution alive. In 1893 he moved to St. Petersburg where he practiced law. In his off time, Lenin would work with the various anti-government and revolutionary groups Russia had to offer. He would organize labor strikes as well as participate in riots plus he would represent those accused of state crimes in pro bono trails. Lenin was widely open about his anti-government views and activities so as a result he was put in exile in Siberia in 1895. In exile, Lenin had met many Marxists, atheists and nihilist sympathizers. He and learned about Marx and of the single world state praised by Marx, of how religion was a virus on society and those who practice any form of it were evil. He was taught about how a few should control the land in the name and sprit of the people as well as training in guerilla warfare. Lenin had taken all this in like a sponge and in 1898 though still in exile, joined the Social Democratic Party. Now Lenin belonged to something meaningful, now he could put his training to good use. Their first order of business for them was to get some form representation; this was achieved with the First Congress of the R.S.D.R.P. in 1898. With proper representation, all the party needed was money this was achieved by using gangs to shake down local people for protection and robbing banks. This gave the Soc. Dems a steady income, but Lenin had bigger plans. From 1897-1913 Lenin was going back and forth perfecting his Marxist platform of rule. This process of totalitarian refinement had gone through three phases. The first had begun when he was in Siberia, there he had formulated hit views and agenda. His second was when he was released from exile. Here he began to design how this new communist government function and setting up a would-be cabinet (entourage) for himself. The third happened when Lenin was in the Duma and just before the revolution. This was to liquate all enemies of the state and consolidate all power . This plan would start the foundation of the U.S.S.R. and sow the seeds for the Cold War.
Before the 1917 Revolution, Russia had been made-up of many states and principalities with strong self rule. Many of these states like Finland and Poland where declared Duchies and could kept their monarchs and state heads. Further regions where ran by Governor Generals, these were usually army officers appointed by the Czars Generals. They total control of local militias and state agencies. Before the creation of the Duma in 1906, there was little if any resistance but the Duma gave the Marxists (now Bolsheviks Russian for majority) an opportunity to take over the nation .
In 1914, Russia had declared war on the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungry, Turkey and Bulgaria) all parties had been in favor of the war except for Lenin and his Bolshevik Party. Lenin had been working hand-in-hand with Germanys Social Democratic Party in creating a Marxist alliance and a war with Germany would destroy any further ties Lenin had with the S.P.D. As a result, Lenin went to Germany to secure support from the Germans against the Czar.
At the beginning of the beginning of the war, Russia had won significant battles in Poland against Austria-Hungry and in the Caucuses against the Ottomans. Yet this upper-hand on the Eastern Front would be short lived, in 1915 a better trained Austrian army alongside a battle-harden German army had seized western Poland and pushed back all Russian forces. Another problem facing Russia in this Great War was the fact that 90% of the entire Russian army was ill-equipped lacking shoes, food, undergarments and guns. As a result, in March1, 1917 the Russian army mutinied then shot at striking workers, raided business and took over the Duma building. Realizing that his authority would no longer be recognized, Czar Nicholas II abdicated the thrown.
Russia was now under the control of a Provisional Counsel. The Provisional Counsel led by Prince Lvov and Alexander Kerensky from March-November of 1917. They won public praise when they had released all political prisoners and established civil liberty laws. The Provisionals primary goal was to establish a democratic constitution republic like that of the U.S. On March 28th of that year, Lvov and Kerensky had assembled all the principalities and subjects of the Russian Empire to draw up a constitution with a bill of rights. Deemed the Constituent Assembly, they had successfully gathered all factions to discuss reform. In order to get better representation and to prevent upheaval from these various factions, they were formed into soviets (counsel in Russian). These soviets were both represenitive bodies of greater Russia and as regional legislation for their chosen territory. Of all these soviets, three of them ran the Assembly like no other, the first was the Rada which represented Ukraine and Byelorussia (Belarus) which was interested in secession, the Shura which represented the Turkic people of the northern Middle East and most powerful was the Congress of the Soviets that was lead by Lenins Bolsheviks and Social Revolutionary Party which was only interested in total overthrow of the system .
By April the Provisional Government had lost all control of the country along with a massive German offensive later that year had brought them to their knees. With hospitals unable to care for the sick, peasant revolting in the country and humiliating defeats on the front, the Provisional was all but finished. To secure a victory on the eastern front, the Germans smuggled Lenin into Russia. Holding his end of the bargain with Emperor William II, Lenin singed a seas fire, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in December of `17`. With German funds and armaments Lenin stormed the Duma and staged a coup in January of 1918. The Bolsheviks then proceeded to raid the nations banks and seized the nations banks and the elimination of all political opposition.
From Lenins return, a civil war had broken out between the varying factions of influence in the Nation. Another participant in this civil war was the Ally Nations, the U.S. and Britain in particular. For some years (even before the war) both countries had invested vast sums of money into Russian industry and public works and Soviet seizer of U.S./British investments would spell economic disaster for the two countries. In 1918, Woodrow Wilson ordered 10,000 troops into western Russia to secure ports for anti-Bolsheviks (Whites). To stop White Russian advances, Lenin hurried and ordered the execution of Russias elite starting with the death of the Romanovs. In July of 1918, Red Army soldiers had executed the immediate royal family and the extended family at later dates. In 1921, the Reds had overridden the rebel and Allied forces and officially establish the Soviet Union.
In both economic systems, two individuals come to mind for their eerie similarity in consolidation of power, but taking different paths to achieve their goals. One would become the richest man in history; the other would be the most infamous dictator of our time. Both men were be born of simple but troubled backgrounds, rose from mere obscurity and the standard for autonomy and injustice.
First we will discuss the man the John T. Flynn called all business; John Davidson Rockefeller was born in upstate New York in 1840 to Mary Davidson, a Baptist preacher and William Avery Rockefeller, a snake oilman and con artist. From his mother, he learned never to boast or brag for that was an act of pride and pride was a mortal sin. From his father, he learned to deal, bargain, underhand and whenever theres a sign of a problem to just walk away. Young John learned these things from father dearest the hard way, when Rockefeller was five he had asked his father for a nickel, the next day his father ask him for the money John had taken out a nickel. His father proceeded shake his head no and told him that he owed a $1.50. When young John asked his father why, the elder Rockefeller replied thats how business works, another incident occurred when John was a teenager. William had hired a housekeeper and one night William after one of his drinking binges, had attacked and raped the young girl. Off the next day to promote one of his new scams, William Avery Rockefeller left a distraught young victim, his family in public humiliation and his son to clean-up the mess. On that day, he swore two things, one to never touch a drop of alcohol and to bring greatness to his family name were William left scandal and shame.
Were Rockefeller had vowed to achieve greatness and prominence, our other man in question was only interested in just trying to escape his torn home but would aid us in defeating a great evil, but would himself leave a trail of blood that would rival any tyrant then or now. Joseph Stalin was born in Georgia on August, 10 1879 his father was a drunken shoemaker who would beat him for any reason on any occasion and his mother had once been a house who suspected of cheating on her husband with her employer and that young Joseph the of her employer and not her husband. A sickly child from birth, Stalin was short, had a clubbed foot from an accident as an infant and a pockmarked face a smallpox infection at five, but his mother believed young Joseph was meant to be in the service of God and at 10 had enrolled him in Seminary School. In his subjects he had excelled highly and praised by his instructors for his participation and conduct. Stalin had even been credited for his penmanship as a poet, it had begun innocently about nature and the what not, but as he got older it became more violent and angry. In one poem he writes about how killing an infant is the most beautiful thing because killing something so innocent can be so wrong, this along with other Revolutionary activities lead to his expulsion from seminary school at the age of 15.
At the age of 17, Rockefeller had gone to Cleveland to begin a career in commodities trade. With a loan from his father, he built up a modest business in dry goods trading; in 1859 the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania had brought speculation from the business world. Oil for some time had been used in the patent medicine industry, the most popular brand was Kiers Medicine also known as Kiers Snake Oil. To Rockefeller, oil had no real value it was a crude substance with no price on the commodities market and was a nuisance to ship and handle. His views changed a year later with a publication by a chemist about benefits of oil as a clean lighting source. In the report, the chemist Samuel Andrews when refined from its crude form, oil can be used as a clean alternative to fish and whale oil the then fuel of the day for lighting homes. Realizing that oil refine would translate into top dollars, Rockefeller with his partner James Clarke bought $5,000 worth of crude oil and with their new partner Samuel Andrews, made 10,000 batches of kerosene. By 1865, Rockefeller and his partners were refining and shipping over 100,000 barrels of oil daily.
Stalins raise to powers began in 1922; at this time Lenin had suffered what would be one of several strokes that would eventually end his life. Thanks to the revolution, Stalin had risen to the position of Secretary General of the Communist Party and had an even higher goal that of being premier of the U.S.S.R. his opposition was the chief architect of the Communists legislature Leon Trotsky. Trotsky and Stalin had been sworn enemies since the civil war, when Trotsky accused Stalin of not effectively managing supply lines to the troops while Stalin accused Trotsky accused of being too lenient towards Jewish P.O.W.s since Trotsky himself was a Jew. To rid Trotsky from public life, Stalin lead a character assignation plot like no other, he rallied the atheists by announcing that Trotskys Jewish roots would undermine a secular state, to the hardliners Stalin told them that a defense plan under Trotsky would be like giving the keys to the west. Immediately Stalin gained massive support and with it won the position of premier and his first order of business was to get rid of Trotsky. He started not by attacking Trotsky himself, but Trotskys core; Stalin had all Trotskys associates executed and Trotsky exiled. Stalin then declared a 5 year plan that was heavily based on public works such as railways and dams. This required massive amounts of land, for this Stalin just seized public land and disenfranchise or kill anybody who wouldnt move. To this, he used his elite secret police the N.K.V.D to rid all political dissidents. The plan work great (if you could call it that) a railway from Moscow to far Siberia was built along with 5 new dams and the worlds largest subway in Moscow.
In 1870 Rockefeller had become a joint stock company better known today as the Standard Oil Company. It was the largest company in the world, a monopoly in reality. From its refineries in the Midwest, over 12,000,000 oil and oil bi-products were being produced and from its exporting facilities in New York, over 30,000,000 barrels oil would be exported to over 100 countries worldwide. Yet all good things must come to an end, in 1910 President Teddy Roosevelt filed a series of lawsuits against Standard Oil Company along with several other companies with anti-trust violations. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government and ordered Standard Oil and other monopolies to dismantle into smaller companies.
One movement that is seen as a thorn in the spine of both Communism and Capitalism is that of organized labor. Whether you call them Guilds, Locals, Unions or Brotherhoods, Organized labor is viewed as something to be threaten and not embraced. Yet what is organized labor or unions as they are also called, well its kind of simple, a union is a democratically operated monopoly that is responsible for the training and well being of the workers. The history of unions date back as early as ancient Rome as formal trade guilds they then progressed in the Middle Ages as both labor and political bodies for towns and cities in both Europe and the Middle East. Labor unions as we know them, begin in the late 1700s with glassworkers in parts of the colonies such as Pennsylvania, but had little if any power. In 1881 the American Federation of Labor was founded, this was a big step for improvement for workers conditions. It consisted of mostly skilled workers and improving their immediate needs, their weakness was that they only represented certain workers and not a whole industry. Thats when later organizations such as United Mine Workers and Union Auto Workers became the greater influence.
For capitalists, the unions are a threat to profit earnings since if their demands arent met they can always strike and also because they are also a part of the consumer market and they work and buying habits can affect an industry greatly. For instance the migrant workers in the 60s, their striking efforts lead to mass amounts of people in the U.S. not purchasing items such as tomatoes and grape in show of support. To communists, unions are just seen as overall compotation for power in the system and compotation is seen as a blatant threat and must be destroyed.
In conclusion, both systems have there flaws. Though capitalism defeated communism, it did not mean immediate change worldwide. Though Marx had good intentions with his beliefs, he completely undermined human emotion and tradition as well as market probability. Plus those who practiced his beliefs only lead their nation through chaotic mayhem and agony for their own sick twisted agenda. For the robber barons, their massive build-up of American industry lead to a higher standard of living for the public, their quest for absolute power lead to their demise proving that no one or two men are more powerful than a nation sovereignty. From unions, we learn that no matter who what system you live under or believe in, it is very necessary for workers to receive proper representation and protection. Yet in the end it all come down to are you better off now than you were 10 years ago?
To begin, we must observe their concepts and folklore. For capitalism, this begins during the Reformation. John Calvin founder of the Puritan movement had preached a no frills way of life. Part of this life dealt highly with business and the profession that work was godly. In his teachings Calvin preached that a true Christian must conduct his business with a high seriousness as in itself a kind of religion, this meant that business would become a faith unto itself but with the same Christian virtues. This idea that one could work harder to lower their risk of temptation and maybe have a better chance of entrance into heaven was widely accepted and spread like wildfire in colonial America. Another aspect of this work ethic was the creation of a pious class. This class was to be looked upon for enlightenment and be inspiration to the peasant and other lower classes to improve themselves.
This practice was perfected by the Pilgrims and their establishment of the Plymouth Trading Co. in 1621, but modern capitalist/monopolistic philosophy comes from the great American self made man. Ben Franklin spoke of the homo economicus, of man living not just to survive but to acquire a higher status in society. He preached to those who would listen (and many did) that the frontier was where prosperity laid and it was within the individuals and only individuals to make this frontier prosperous. The key note Franklin also brings fourth, is that the individual should always gain from any and all prosperity. Franklin also speaks of business and as part of an honest life which is perfected by frugality. Finally like all early capital-based philosophers, he professes that making money is holy. So all who participates in this idea were members of the holy economy and are justifying the means of capitalism .
Another aspect that links capitalism and piety is the concept that no matter how youve conducted your business or of yourself for that matter, you can always give your money away or speak motivationally to the destitute, then youll be viewed as a great humanitarian. Case-in-point, the story of Oldabiah Brown, he had built a series of mills in the northeast during the 1780s. He ran his business ruthlessly and went at all lengths to eliminate competition, but in 1796 he had opened a Sunday school and at the time of his death in 1798, he donated $100,000 to the Quaker charities. The Quakers declared him the greatest humanitarian and a friend of the workers. Other capitalist though were interested in gain alone by any means necessary, capitalists like john Jacob Astor. Astor was the son of a butcher who came to the states in 1783 from Germany to make his way. He began his career as a fur trader in the Mohawk Valley, a few years later he began the American Fur Company in New York. From the beginning Astors business was built on questionable practices, to increase profit he would buy whisky in bulk and trade it with the Indians for the furs instead of paying for them (which was the law). Another dubious tactic was when Astor would sell his furs in Asia; he would buy opium in bulk, refine it and sell it in the States and Canada (making him the first drug dealer). There was one instance when a church group had come to his home for donations; Astor had given the church goers $20. A man from the church had said to Astor but sir, your son William had given $150, Astor replied well William has a rich man for a father now doesnt he.
Like capitalism, communism is wrapped-up in its own folklore and demagogy. Karl Marx had praised the actions of Alexander the Great when he toppled the heathen Persians and their empire and with creating a new kingdom and a period of true (though short) peace and prosperity. Another Marxist hero was Spartacus, who had freed his fellow gladiators who refused to fight any longer for their elitists task masters and sacked Rome, home of the slave drivers. Some were also men of peace; St. Frances of Assisi was praised by many Marxists for abandoning his life privilege to work with the poor and the environment. Other figures of the Marxist ideal included Hero of Alexandra, inventions like the steam turbine and the vending machine helped the masses. He was also praised for achieving these scientific feats for the sake of innovation and not that of gain. Even Jesus and his Disciples were prime examples of how Marxists should live. Their practice of peace and aiding others before themselves was the foundation for Marxist ideology.
The fundamentals of communism are found in puritan practicality. They preached working to survive and making due. Things like excess and flaunting what you have is considered vulgar. Unlike the puritans, the communist denounced a rigid class system and declared that revolution was the only way to make change. This idea of overthrowing those individuals in power and taking control of the state spread like wildfire worldwide, but would have drastic effects under the leadership of a cruel few.
The red scourge as it was called by the British conservative party (the Tories) began in Britain in the 1850s with the release of Karl Marxs The Communist Manifesto. People were enraged by how the government would put them in massive workhouses if they couldnt pay their debt or taxes. The people were even more outraged when the very workhouses they put in to work off their debt, would be charged for using the equipment at these workhouses. In the U.S. this movement began after the Civil War when blacks and immigrants protested against racial discrimination by white supremacists and being denied work because of who they were. Russias Marxist movement began not oppressed minorities or enraged workers but with the few sons and daughters of that nations noble class known as the Boyars. One these groups was called the Nihilists, whos goal was to kill the Czar and set a secular oligarchy would run the country. In 1881 they had successfully assonated Czar Alexander II while he was on his way to an important meeting (the meeting was to set up a representative government). One of the members was the brother of Lenin who was the son of the Chief Superintendent of Education for Southern Russia. Their leader was the daughter of Alexanders favorite noble. As consequence Alexander III son of Alexander II and the new Czar of Russia, had executed the Nihilists and because he was the father of the Nihilist leader, his fathers favorite noble was also executed. Alexander IIIs would reverse the policy that won his father the praise of the people and seal Russias fate .
With the death of his brother Alexander in 1887, Lenin had sworn to avenge his brothers death and keep the flames of revolution alive. In 1893 he moved to St. Petersburg where he practiced law. In his off time, Lenin would work with the various anti-government and revolutionary groups Russia had to offer. He would organize labor strikes as well as participate in riots plus he would represent those accused of state crimes in pro bono trails. Lenin was widely open about his anti-government views and activities so as a result he was put in exile in Siberia in 1895. In exile, Lenin had met many Marxists, atheists and nihilist sympathizers. He and learned about Marx and of the single world state praised by Marx, of how religion was a virus on society and those who practice any form of it were evil. He was taught about how a few should control the land in the name and sprit of the people as well as training in guerilla warfare. Lenin had taken all this in like a sponge and in 1898 though still in exile, joined the Social Democratic Party. Now Lenin belonged to something meaningful, now he could put his training to good use. Their first order of business for them was to get some form representation; this was achieved with the First Congress of the R.S.D.R.P. in 1898. With proper representation, all the party needed was money this was achieved by using gangs to shake down local people for protection and robbing banks. This gave the Soc. Dems a steady income, but Lenin had bigger plans. From 1897-1913 Lenin was going back and forth perfecting his Marxist platform of rule. This process of totalitarian refinement had gone through three phases. The first had begun when he was in Siberia, there he had formulated hit views and agenda. His second was when he was released from exile. Here he began to design how this new communist government function and setting up a would-be cabinet (entourage) for himself. The third happened when Lenin was in the Duma and just before the revolution. This was to liquate all enemies of the state and consolidate all power . This plan would start the foundation of the U.S.S.R. and sow the seeds for the Cold War.
Before the 1917 Revolution, Russia had been made-up of many states and principalities with strong self rule. Many of these states like Finland and Poland where declared Duchies and could kept their monarchs and state heads. Further regions where ran by Governor Generals, these were usually army officers appointed by the Czars Generals. They total control of local militias and state agencies. Before the creation of the Duma in 1906, there was little if any resistance but the Duma gave the Marxists (now Bolsheviks Russian for majority) an opportunity to take over the nation .
In 1914, Russia had declared war on the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungry, Turkey and Bulgaria) all parties had been in favor of the war except for Lenin and his Bolshevik Party. Lenin had been working hand-in-hand with Germanys Social Democratic Party in creating a Marxist alliance and a war with Germany would destroy any further ties Lenin had with the S.P.D. As a result, Lenin went to Germany to secure support from the Germans against the Czar.
At the beginning of the beginning of the war, Russia had won significant battles in Poland against Austria-Hungry and in the Caucuses against the Ottomans. Yet this upper-hand on the Eastern Front would be short lived, in 1915 a better trained Austrian army alongside a battle-harden German army had seized western Poland and pushed back all Russian forces. Another problem facing Russia in this Great War was the fact that 90% of the entire Russian army was ill-equipped lacking shoes, food, undergarments and guns. As a result, in March1, 1917 the Russian army mutinied then shot at striking workers, raided business and took over the Duma building. Realizing that his authority would no longer be recognized, Czar Nicholas II abdicated the thrown.
Russia was now under the control of a Provisional Counsel. The Provisional Counsel led by Prince Lvov and Alexander Kerensky from March-November of 1917. They won public praise when they had released all political prisoners and established civil liberty laws. The Provisionals primary goal was to establish a democratic constitution republic like that of the U.S. On March 28th of that year, Lvov and Kerensky had assembled all the principalities and subjects of the Russian Empire to draw up a constitution with a bill of rights. Deemed the Constituent Assembly, they had successfully gathered all factions to discuss reform. In order to get better representation and to prevent upheaval from these various factions, they were formed into soviets (counsel in Russian). These soviets were both represenitive bodies of greater Russia and as regional legislation for their chosen territory. Of all these soviets, three of them ran the Assembly like no other, the first was the Rada which represented Ukraine and Byelorussia (Belarus) which was interested in secession, the Shura which represented the Turkic people of the northern Middle East and most powerful was the Congress of the Soviets that was lead by Lenins Bolsheviks and Social Revolutionary Party which was only interested in total overthrow of the system .
By April the Provisional Government had lost all control of the country along with a massive German offensive later that year had brought them to their knees. With hospitals unable to care for the sick, peasant revolting in the country and humiliating defeats on the front, the Provisional was all but finished. To secure a victory on the eastern front, the Germans smuggled Lenin into Russia. Holding his end of the bargain with Emperor William II, Lenin singed a seas fire, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in December of `17`. With German funds and armaments Lenin stormed the Duma and staged a coup in January of 1918. The Bolsheviks then proceeded to raid the nations banks and seized the nations banks and the elimination of all political opposition.
From Lenins return, a civil war had broken out between the varying factions of influence in the Nation. Another participant in this civil war was the Ally Nations, the U.S. and Britain in particular. For some years (even before the war) both countries had invested vast sums of money into Russian industry and public works and Soviet seizer of U.S./British investments would spell economic disaster for the two countries. In 1918, Woodrow Wilson ordered 10,000 troops into western Russia to secure ports for anti-Bolsheviks (Whites). To stop White Russian advances, Lenin hurried and ordered the execution of Russias elite starting with the death of the Romanovs. In July of 1918, Red Army soldiers had executed the immediate royal family and the extended family at later dates. In 1921, the Reds had overridden the rebel and Allied forces and officially establish the Soviet Union.
In both economic systems, two individuals come to mind for their eerie similarity in consolidation of power, but taking different paths to achieve their goals. One would become the richest man in history; the other would be the most infamous dictator of our time. Both men were be born of simple but troubled backgrounds, rose from mere obscurity and the standard for autonomy and injustice.
First we will discuss the man the John T. Flynn called all business; John Davidson Rockefeller was born in upstate New York in 1840 to Mary Davidson, a Baptist preacher and William Avery Rockefeller, a snake oilman and con artist. From his mother, he learned never to boast or brag for that was an act of pride and pride was a mortal sin. From his father, he learned to deal, bargain, underhand and whenever theres a sign of a problem to just walk away. Young John learned these things from father dearest the hard way, when Rockefeller was five he had asked his father for a nickel, the next day his father ask him for the money John had taken out a nickel. His father proceeded shake his head no and told him that he owed a $1.50. When young John asked his father why, the elder Rockefeller replied thats how business works, another incident occurred when John was a teenager. William had hired a housekeeper and one night William after one of his drinking binges, had attacked and raped the young girl. Off the next day to promote one of his new scams, William Avery Rockefeller left a distraught young victim, his family in public humiliation and his son to clean-up the mess. On that day, he swore two things, one to never touch a drop of alcohol and to bring greatness to his family name were William left scandal and shame.
Were Rockefeller had vowed to achieve greatness and prominence, our other man in question was only interested in just trying to escape his torn home but would aid us in defeating a great evil, but would himself leave a trail of blood that would rival any tyrant then or now. Joseph Stalin was born in Georgia on August, 10 1879 his father was a drunken shoemaker who would beat him for any reason on any occasion and his mother had once been a house who suspected of cheating on her husband with her employer and that young Joseph the of her employer and not her husband. A sickly child from birth, Stalin was short, had a clubbed foot from an accident as an infant and a pockmarked face a smallpox infection at five, but his mother believed young Joseph was meant to be in the service of God and at 10 had enrolled him in Seminary School. In his subjects he had excelled highly and praised by his instructors for his participation and conduct. Stalin had even been credited for his penmanship as a poet, it had begun innocently about nature and the what not, but as he got older it became more violent and angry. In one poem he writes about how killing an infant is the most beautiful thing because killing something so innocent can be so wrong, this along with other Revolutionary activities lead to his expulsion from seminary school at the age of 15.
At the age of 17, Rockefeller had gone to Cleveland to begin a career in commodities trade. With a loan from his father, he built up a modest business in dry goods trading; in 1859 the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania had brought speculation from the business world. Oil for some time had been used in the patent medicine industry, the most popular brand was Kiers Medicine also known as Kiers Snake Oil. To Rockefeller, oil had no real value it was a crude substance with no price on the commodities market and was a nuisance to ship and handle. His views changed a year later with a publication by a chemist about benefits of oil as a clean lighting source. In the report, the chemist Samuel Andrews when refined from its crude form, oil can be used as a clean alternative to fish and whale oil the then fuel of the day for lighting homes. Realizing that oil refine would translate into top dollars, Rockefeller with his partner James Clarke bought $5,000 worth of crude oil and with their new partner Samuel Andrews, made 10,000 batches of kerosene. By 1865, Rockefeller and his partners were refining and shipping over 100,000 barrels of oil daily.
Stalins raise to powers began in 1922; at this time Lenin had suffered what would be one of several strokes that would eventually end his life. Thanks to the revolution, Stalin had risen to the position of Secretary General of the Communist Party and had an even higher goal that of being premier of the U.S.S.R. his opposition was the chief architect of the Communists legislature Leon Trotsky. Trotsky and Stalin had been sworn enemies since the civil war, when Trotsky accused Stalin of not effectively managing supply lines to the troops while Stalin accused Trotsky accused of being too lenient towards Jewish P.O.W.s since Trotsky himself was a Jew. To rid Trotsky from public life, Stalin lead a character assignation plot like no other, he rallied the atheists by announcing that Trotskys Jewish roots would undermine a secular state, to the hardliners Stalin told them that a defense plan under Trotsky would be like giving the keys to the west. Immediately Stalin gained massive support and with it won the position of premier and his first order of business was to get rid of Trotsky. He started not by attacking Trotsky himself, but Trotskys core; Stalin had all Trotskys associates executed and Trotsky exiled. Stalin then declared a 5 year plan that was heavily based on public works such as railways and dams. This required massive amounts of land, for this Stalin just seized public land and disenfranchise or kill anybody who wouldnt move. To this, he used his elite secret police the N.K.V.D to rid all political dissidents. The plan work great (if you could call it that) a railway from Moscow to far Siberia was built along with 5 new dams and the worlds largest subway in Moscow.
In 1870 Rockefeller had become a joint stock company better known today as the Standard Oil Company. It was the largest company in the world, a monopoly in reality. From its refineries in the Midwest, over 12,000,000 oil and oil bi-products were being produced and from its exporting facilities in New York, over 30,000,000 barrels oil would be exported to over 100 countries worldwide. Yet all good things must come to an end, in 1910 President Teddy Roosevelt filed a series of lawsuits against Standard Oil Company along with several other companies with anti-trust violations. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government and ordered Standard Oil and other monopolies to dismantle into smaller companies.
One movement that is seen as a thorn in the spine of both Communism and Capitalism is that of organized labor. Whether you call them Guilds, Locals, Unions or Brotherhoods, Organized labor is viewed as something to be threaten and not embraced. Yet what is organized labor or unions as they are also called, well its kind of simple, a union is a democratically operated monopoly that is responsible for the training and well being of the workers. The history of unions date back as early as ancient Rome as formal trade guilds they then progressed in the Middle Ages as both labor and political bodies for towns and cities in both Europe and the Middle East. Labor unions as we know them, begin in the late 1700s with glassworkers in parts of the colonies such as Pennsylvania, but had little if any power. In 1881 the American Federation of Labor was founded, this was a big step for improvement for workers conditions. It consisted of mostly skilled workers and improving their immediate needs, their weakness was that they only represented certain workers and not a whole industry. Thats when later organizations such as United Mine Workers and Union Auto Workers became the greater influence.
For capitalists, the unions are a threat to profit earnings since if their demands arent met they can always strike and also because they are also a part of the consumer market and they work and buying habits can affect an industry greatly. For instance the migrant workers in the 60s, their striking efforts lead to mass amounts of people in the U.S. not purchasing items such as tomatoes and grape in show of support. To communists, unions are just seen as overall compotation for power in the system and compotation is seen as a blatant threat and must be destroyed.
In conclusion, both systems have there flaws. Though capitalism defeated communism, it did not mean immediate change worldwide. Though Marx had good intentions with his beliefs, he completely undermined human emotion and tradition as well as market probability. Plus those who practiced his beliefs only lead their nation through chaotic mayhem and agony for their own sick twisted agenda. For the robber barons, their massive build-up of American industry lead to a higher standard of living for the public, their quest for absolute power lead to their demise proving that no one or two men are more powerful than a nation sovereignty. From unions, we learn that no matter who what system you live under or believe in, it is very necessary for workers to receive proper representation and protection. Yet in the end it all come down to are you better off now than you were 10 years ago?