The Reagan Speech Preservation Society

Page History: Communism

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Page Revision: Sunday, 30 June 2013 18:47

Communism is a social and political ideology which is a strict form of Socialism. The concepts behind modern Communism and Socialism are best attributed to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In its pure theoretic form, communism exists without a state and the individual is in all ways equal to every other individual. There is no individual ownership, only community (hence the word communism) ownership. Ideally, there is no centralized government structure, as that would place certain individuals above others.

Speech Relevance

Reagan never directly references Communism in 'A Time For Choosing' but its influence throughout the speech is there as he references the likes of Lenin, Marx, Stalin, Khrushchev and Castro. Meanwhile, in 'Encroaching Control' there are a handful of direct references and its influence is greater. It would be difficult to quote them without simply copy-and-pasting the entire speeches.

At the time Reagan gave both speeches, the United States was deep in the Cold War with the world's only other superpower, the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was the most powerful communist country in existence.

Source Links

Communism (Wikipedia)

The Difference between Communism and Socialism

Communism vs Socialism
