from Stanislaw Warda: People Have Always Wanted to Improve Their Life

  
Holiday Doodling


The article describes three political systems: Capitalism, Communism, and Socialism. It is short, dry, describes only the main principles each of them. When I read of the political systems its boring but also sounds ominous. It reminds me about wars or revolutions. What would I say about it, I thought. I have only two choices. Put it aside like I had done the whole week or try to do something with it. Lingering, and almost crying I took this paper once again to my hand. On the main picture portrayed the giant Bolshevik figure who has “crumbled the old order of this world.” Enough, I thought I know how this “crumbling” had looked, I won’t write about stupid propaganda. But under all of systems have been real people. They have their own history, worries, happiness who tried to live in normal way , although reality was not easy. Besides many wars, political, and revolutionary leaders, it was also the time of Rudolf Valentino, flappers and first cars. Perhaps it is a good subject to pull it from this article.

Capitalism was the first contemporary economic system to have formed after invention of the steam engine. It created freedom of trade, competition among producers and free prices what meant that only market should have influence for the prices of goods. This system after improvements still is the main political system that brought profit to the development countries of Europe and America. The beginning of it was connected with huge injustices and suffering among the huge group of employees which participate in this constant race for money. Women did not have their rights and have been fighting for them. Although huge injustice capitalism created skillful and talented people who were able to create workplaces for the others. Those narrow groups call capitalists also have their heroes. In America for example some of them were Andrew Carnagie, the Ford families and the Rockefellers.

What kind of people were they? The literature culture and Hollywood create the posture of capitalism dependent on social demand. A capitalist was a short person with huge belly, hung with the watch chains and smoking Havana cigars. Although, the movie industry had to have rich people to lead this business, the rich people were criticized because of their main goal which was business and earning them money. The richest people did not have to go to the movies, the main audience buying tickets were the poor or middle class of people who came there, to at least for a short while, be inside their dreams. So, often capitalism was portrayed negatively, but also in diverse ways. Capitalism could be seen as a dreams of poor people becoming rich by working hard and picking peaches in California. Or be shown as the people who end their life drowning in the Mississippi river after a bad night in casinos. Other times, it created stubborn but sympathetic figures from the land owners, who wanted to save family farm, but if there was some problems she would constantly repeat “I won’t think about it today”. I wonder if people that created these character in literature, they were doing this to only describe hard reality, or to criticize it. Perhaps hard times were necessary for progress. For me, facts mean more than fiction. When I read about The Titanic sinking the behavior of people was not connected with economical status. Some millionaires who had guaranteed places in the life boats gave up their place for women and children. So who we are, we can see in our final hour.

The economical systems became self-destructive. The failure of the early capitalism birthed the Communistic Ideas. Karl Marx, who wrote his Communist Manifesto, was in comfortable situation. Nobody at this time was able to deny his ideas because the communistic countries at this time does not existed, but those ideas weakened up thinking that building paradise for Earth its possible.

The first experiment came from Russia after communist revolutions. Communist thought that it is enough to murder rich people, cancel private property and everybody will be happy. It reminds me humorous story which I heard from my grandma. My grandma ’s sister, who at that time lived in Russia, complained in her letters that their neighbors came to her and required to give them the fresh parsley which she planted in her garden. The neighbors without any embarrassment announced that now is Communism so everything is common

The reality was not funny. It costs life of millions of people who were removed from their homes only because they work hard for their ground, or they owned a small workshop. How the ideology can damage human thought would weigh the example of Pavlik Morozov. It was a small boy who denounced to authorities that their parents secretly held cereal to feed their family during famine. I do not want to think about it, it is the job for historian.

Now the political systems became more humane. The traditional divisions for political systems has been blurred. People in the capitalistic countries have social security when they became old or lose their job. The communist system in Russia collapsed and in other countries transformed to the level where private property is acceptable. In most countries women have full rights; I wonder if Jane Addams would have probably passed out if she had seen flappers going to vote, but women did it. Many women now hold responsible political positions, and they hold many positions which before belonged only for men. The world changed a lot from the time of the first steam engine. The place of this engine is now in museums. Now we have new, better political systems.