Cold War Capatalism v. Communism - 873 Words

â€Å"Capitalism v. Communism† During the Cold War, Europe was split between communist countries and non-communist countries. The strife was caused by the differences in the underlying values in capitalism and communism. During this time, the United States and the Soviet Union also had opposing ideologies. Despite the differing ideologies of capitalism and communism, both have affected the political, cultural, and economic development of Third World countries. Capitalism is â€Å"a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government† (Merriam-Webster). Capitalists believe in economic†¦show more content†¦Democratic countries that are active participants in the capitalist economy are, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland (PBS). Despite popular belief, the US is not a capitalist country, but instead, practices mixed economics, using a mix of socialism and capitalism. Communism, by definition, is the anti-capitalism, â€Å"a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately owned property† (Merriam Webster). Communism is the belief that everyone in a society receives the same benefits from labor. The key ideas behind communism is that society should not have class stratification (proletariat, bourgeois, and upper class), and that the poor should be freed from poverty and endless labor. The â€Å"father† of communism is Karl Marx (1818-1883), who authored the Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels. The purpose of the Communist Manifesto was to separate communism from socialism, and was meant to arouse the proletariat class into action, â€Å"Let the ruling classes tremble at the Communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all c ountries, unite!,†(1.4). Marx wanted to encourage the working class to rise up against oppression and take control. Countries which participate in communism are China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam (About). â€Å"Communist leaders like