Communism or Democracy – Which is better?

With the emergence for the need for political governance of a state, many political ideologies and theories came into existence.

Communism and democracy are two different kinds of ideologies that are evidently different in their fundamental principles. While communism has not found much favour in the eyes of the public, democracy in its various forms exists in countries constituting almost half the world. However, the question about which is better has been debated by intellectuals for a long time. Both systems have their merits and disadvantages and it is up to the public which one they choose to vote for.

While democracy has been heralded as the best form of governance in any country or state, it has shown many shortcomings. In India, which is the largest democracy in the world, issues such as corruption, misappropriation of funds, the widening gap between rich and poor, administrative inefficiency etc are eating into the very essence of the ideology.

Although communism promises equality without gender, caste, creed and gender discrimination, it threatens to curb the personal freedom of an individual and hence has not found much favour among the masses.

Origin

Democracy originated in ancient Athens. The practice began with the Greek aristocracy providing the freedom of voting to the free citizens of the country and allowing them to choose their representatives. This was further enhanced by the Romans who designed a system which formed the base for the democratic principles of many countries, including the United States of America. 

Communism was first ideated by Thomas More in his book Utopia in 1516. This ideology is associated with Karl Marx and it was first adopted by the Bolsheviks who implemented it in Russia.

Differences

Democracy allows freedom to the people to choose their representatives through election. These elected members are answerable to the society and must meet their demands when a majority demands so.

Democracy also provides the freedom of right to individual businesses and property and has thus lead to the gap between the rich and the poor in the society. 

Communism believes in the principle of social and economic equality. The power of governance is vested in a group of people who take control of the industry, public affairs, education systems etc and ensure that each one gets an equal opportunity. This can lead to a narrowing of the gap between the rich and the poor in the country.

Impact

Democracy emphasizes on the voice of the people. However, this at times turns out to be unfavorable for minorities who are oppressed by the multitudes in the majority. If not handled carefully, this ideology can lead to a situation when minority issues and concerns are subdued by the majority.

Communism on the other hand does not consider religion, caste and creed and hence looks at all individuals as equals. This does away with the tyranny of the majority sections of the society on the minorities. Furthermore, through its principle for economic and social equality, it allows all minority and under-developed sections of the society to come at par with the rest of the society.