my_text_data/cheatsheets/politics cheatsheet.txt

COMMUNISM
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- Communism:
    Ideology pursuing establishmemt of an ideal society without classes, money
    and state, where means of production are owned collectively. The ideas
    exists at lest since the Ancient Greece.

  - Marxism:
      Also historical materialism, By Marx and Engels, socioeconomic theory
      analysing history and predicting future of the society. It is scientific
      and doesn't talk about what is moral or not, only analyses and describes
      society.

      ~ Says that capitalism divides people in two classes that are in conflict:
        a) bourgeoisie: owners of means of production (factories, ...)
        b) proletariat: workers (at factories, ...), producers of goods and
           services, the majority oppressed by the bourgeoisie minority
      ~ Exploitation of workers happens e.g. via surplus labour, i.e. unpaid
        extra work that workers do to make profit for the owner of the means of
        production. E.g. a worker creates something worth $1, but the emploeyer
        pais him only $0.75.
      ~ Predicts that this class struggle will inevitably lead to the
        proletariat revolution, i.e. violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie by
        proletariat, which will lead to temporary dictatorship of the
        proletariat and socialism (means of production owned  collectively)
        and eventually to communism (ideal classless society).
      ~ It was wrong in assuming that communist revolution would first appear in
        the rich countries.

    - Marxism-Leninism:
        Marxism revised by Lenin for the new situation, made an ideology of
        states such as USSR. Some aspect are:

        ~ Encouraging violence, war and pursuit of communism by any means.
        ~ A vanguard party, i.e. centralized political party of the "best" of
          proletariat to lead the workers etc.
     
      - Stalinism:
          Continuation of Marxism-Leninism, advocating one party totalitarian
          state, cult of personality, fast industrialization, one country 
          (national) socialism (as opposed to global international one) etc.

      - Trotskyism:
          Branch of Marxism, criticizes Stalinism's socialism in one country,
          bureaucracy etc.

      - Maoism:
          Asia's branch of Marxism by Mao Zedong, says that the vanguard party
          should consist of peasants (argricultural workers with limited land
          ownership) instead of proletariat ("factory wrokers"), opposes
          industrialization.

- communism related people:

  - Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)
  - Friedrich Engels (1820 - 1895)
  - Mao Zedong (1893 - 1976)
  - Vladimir Lenin (1870 - 1924)
  - Joseph Stalin (1878 - 1953) 
  - Leon Trotsky (1879 - 1940)
  - Kim Il Sung (1912 - 1994)
  - Fidel Castro (1926 - 2016)
  - Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928 - 1967)

ANARCHISM
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- anarchism:
    Political theory advocating abolishment of social hierarchy and authorities,
    which would lead to equality of all individuals. Anarchism doesn't mean
    "without rules" but rather "without rulers".

    All branches of anarchism are socialist and oppose state and capitalism
    (movements such as anarcho-capitalism are not a true anarchism, they just
    confusingly use the word anarchism, without respecting its principles).

    Anarchism exists since first states. Stoics were rejecting states and law.
    It was not much present during middle ages and only started to become strong
    during the French revolution.

  - social anarchism:
      Means of production owned by everyone. Social anarchism is the prevailing
      form of anarchism.

    - anarcho-collectivism:
        Advocates collectivization of means of production, i.e. make them
        collectively owned by everyone. Money would be replaced by work notes
        that would say how much and how hard work a worker has done, which he
        could then use to buy goods in communal market (people consume
        depending on how much they contribute).

    - anarcho-communism:
        Markets, money and private property don't exist, only personal property
        does. Gift economy is in place, everyone can take what he needs.

    - anarcho-syndicalism:
        Stress on worker unions and direct action, a form of "practical"
        anarchism that starts working even still under capitalism. This is
        sometimes seen as a new form of anarcho-collectivism.

  - individualist anarchism:
      Emphasizes individual as opposed to groups/societies, is based on a
      (truly) free market (without the undesirable capitalist attributes),
      means of production can be owned by individuals. This is the minority
      form of anarchism, mostly limited to the US.

    - mutualism:
       Based on a form of (truly) free market, where products are exchanged for
       exactly the same cost that's needed to create them, i.e. no one collects 
       any surplus value. Private property (e.g. a factory owned by a person)
       exists but only as long as the owner is actively using it. Money exists,
       as do banks, but these are owned by the people and lends to people at
       minimum possible interest rates (just to cover its administration).
  - other aspects of anarchism:
    - anarcho-pacifism:
        Advocates peaceful, non-violent ways of achieving anarchy, because
        violence is seen as a means of oppression and creating hierarchy. Often
        this is also connected to religious beliefs (e.g. christian anarchism).

- anarchism related people:
  - Diogenes (404 BC - 323 BC):
      May not have strictly been an anarchist, but mocked authority, criticized
      consumerism and advocated simple, independent living.
  - Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1920):
      Anarcho-pacifist writer

  - Peter Kropotkin (1842 - 1921)
  - Noam Chomsky (1928)

CAPITALISM
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- Economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, free
  market and competition between entities trying to maximize profit and
  accumulate capital. It is the worst economic system.

  On small scale it has existed for a long time (renting, merchants, wage
  labour, ...), further evolving with Agrarianism (landlord and workers, taking
  surplus). In modern form it only started with industrialization, factories and
  mass production.

- capitalism related people:

  - Adam Smith (1723 - 1790):
    "The Father of Capitalism", British economist. Wrote about division of
    labour, the invisible hand and how "self-interest can lead to prosperity"
    (not true).