The Marxist Moment, Strayer 22

20/2/2016

Bingham

20/2/2016 13:17:18

BPQ1: What was the appeal of communism, in terms of both its promise and its achievements? To what extent did it fulfill that promise?

Assertion = A
Evidence = E
Analysis = An

Communism promised a fairer distribution of society’s wealth among the whole population. (A) This was clearly seen in modernization and industrialization of the economy. (E) To a significants extent, it did achieve equality of all citizens, including women. (E) The collectivization of land was the main tool in this process. (E) However, it must be noted that these accomplishments came at the cost of the creation of new elite classes. (E) These positive, and negative outcomes can be attributed to the incorporation of Marxist ideas into the revolutionary, and subsequent governmental policies. (An)

Benji

20/2/2016 21:14:43

Hey Mr. Bingham, is this short-essay-style of answering made more for big picture questions since they require to take a position, or is this also the main way to go for any question? It might be silly of me to ask, but I think this might be what I've been doing wrong with the test questions recently.

Bingham

21/2/2016 16:38:59

There are lots of ways of organizing information. Remember when I was answering questions using categories? I did that then because that's what you needed to see. Now you need to see this essay style Assertion/evidence/analysis method. It all adds up the same, including big picture or margin questions. It's in the re-arranging that deep learning happens!

Bingham

20/2/2016 13:49:35

Assertion = A
Evidence = E
Analysis = An

What is distinctive about twentieth-century communist industrialization and modernization compared to the same processes in the West a century earlier?
Industrialization and modernization were different due to the distinctive instigators of these processes with twentieth-century communism compared to the West. (A) The capital and the factories were owned by the state in the communist world, while in the West these were owned almost completely by corporations run by entrepreneurs. (E) The Communist Party controlled industrialization in communist countries, whereas political parties simply contributed minor regulations of this process in the West. Unlike the West, a wealthy industrialist class did not emerge in communist countries, instead wealth accumulated with the bureaucrats at the top of the governmental structure. (E) The equivalent of the middle class in the West was dominated primarily by mid-level bureaucrats and the technological elites in the communist world. (E) This is because the industrialization of communist countries was far more centrally planned than were the same processes in the West. (An)

Benji

20/2/2016 21:21:58

Hey so there's a little bit of a contradiction I found in Strayer. On page 670 of the brown book (last paragraph of "Communist Feminism" section) Strayer writes, "In neither the Soviet Union nor China did the Communist Party undertake a direct attack on male domination within the family." However, on page 669 (second to last paragraph of that sections) he says that "The Marriage Law of 1950 was a direct attack on patriarchal and Confucian traditions," or what I interpret as male domination and traditions including family values and relationships. I'm not sure what I'm missing or if I'm reading it the wrong way or if there truly is a mistake in the book. If anyone can help me understand this, that would be amazing.

cathleen

21/2/2016 16:20:39

what a great catch! As for answering this, im not so sure, either. Someone, please explain.

Bingham

21/2/2016 16:43:01

Yes, good catch. I've noticed this before, and you're right. Strayer would have more accurately explained the 1950 law as part of Mao's cultural revolution. Mao, like Stalin, had periods in which they really ruled as dictators, the party be damned. A little better editing would have fixed that.

cathleen

23/2/2016 22:53:58

Since one of the most prevalent patterns in world history is that of women, what better way to reinstate that by focusing on margin 5:
What changes did communist regimes bring to the lives of women?
(PS-I'm going to break them down into the slots bingham did in earlier posts. If I do them wrong or you can think of a better way, help me out.)
Changes in communist regimes brought forth more independence and freedom in women's marital, childbearing, and opportunity rights. (A)
(The following is E for marital)
-marriage became a civil procedure among two consenting adults
-divorce was legalized and made easier
-women were no longer required to take on new surnames
-brought an end to child marriage and concubinage.
(the following is E for childbearing)
-abortion became legal and easier to proceed
-illegitimacy was abolished
-a pregnancy leave was mandated
-Prenatal courses were offered for women
(the following is E for opportunities women now had that they didn't before)
-the communist government declared full legal and political equality for women-Soviet
-were mobilized as workers
-women could attend conferences-Soviet
-Trained women in and for day care centers and medical clinics-Soviet
-published female magazines and newspapers (so that's how seventeen and cosmopolitan got started!)-soviet
-offered literacy courses-soviet
-encouraged muslim women to remove veils
The increase in women's overall rights is because these communist regions were increasingly expanding towards industrialization and modernization (An)(I feel like this can be improved, like I feel it inside me. I'm just unsure what the right words are. Help?)

The Marxist Moment, Strayer 22

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