Today we will look at what the answers to those questions would be if you lived in a Communist Economy.
*Note for Teachers: This information comes from the information and stories I've heard in the former communist countries of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Albania. The Communism in the former Yugoslav countries I visited of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Montenegro was considerably less strict. Also keep in mind that there are currently only 5 communist countries in the world: China, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, and North Korea. The Communism described below would only come close to describing what life is like in North Korea and Cuba. Most economies today would be described as mixed, so I have tried to describe some of the more pure examples.
Capitalism in the USA
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Communism in Late 1900s in Eastern
Europe
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Can you own something?
Like a car or house?
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Yes, you can own something as long as
you have enough money to buy it. The government protects your right to own
something.
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In many communist countries, you cannot
own something for yourself. Everything belongs to the government. You can
live in an apartment, but it is not yours. You might be able to use a car,
but it is not yours to buy or sell.
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How do you earn money?
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You earn money for providing goods or
services for people. You earn money for your job from the person, people, or
company that you work for.
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You work for the government. The
government will provide you with money or the goods and services you need to
live.
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Who decides what you do
with your money?
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You decide what you do with your
money.
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The government decides what goods and
service you can buy with your money. It tells you how much you can buy and
where to buy it.
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Who decides how much
things at the store cost?
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The people/person/company who owns the
store decides how much things cost. They set the prices based on how much
they think they can sell at each price.
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The government decides how much things
at the store will cost. It will cost the same at every store that you are allowed
to go to.
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Can you change jobs when
you want to?
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Most of the time you can. It is your
choice where you want to work. The owners of each company can choose when/if they want to hire you based on your skills, knowledge, and education.
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Not often. You don’t have a lot of
choice about where you work. The government will choose where they need
you to work. They will likely decide the level of your job based on your loyalty to the communist
government.
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Can you move to another
city or state if you want to?
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You can always choose to move, as long
as you have the money that you need to do so.
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Not often. The government will decide
when or if it will allow people to move.
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Can you travel to another
country?
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Yes. If you have money and a passport.
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Sometimes, but it is difficult to get
permission from the government to leave your country.
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When you go to the doctor,
who pays for it?
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You do. Sometimes you pay a health
insurance company to help you pay for the doctor.
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The government pays for it. You can go
to the doctor for free.
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Does everyone have to have
a job?
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No. Everyone does not have to have a
job. Many people have jobs but some people want a job but have a hard time finding one.
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Yes. Everyone must have a job. The
government will help you find one.
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Is everyone equal?
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People are supposed to have equal
rights. Some people have more money than others.
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Everyone is supposed to be equal-
everyone has the same amount of money. In many of the countries Ms. Hoffman
visited, there were still people in the government who had more power and
more money than others.
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After learning more about the difference between Communism and Capitalism, do you have an opinion on which you would rather live under? Why do you think that most countries are no longer Communist?
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| Communist Images in the Czech Republic. The goal is to glorify the common worker! |
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| Communist Imagery in Tirana, Albania |
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