I'm wondering on what basis the US (in general) feared/hated/disliked/dislike(?) communism. Is it the concept (I don't think the concept of sharing seems particularly awful for most people, except perhaps if you've something to lose which should be a minority)? Is it the fact that it goes against the selfish nature of many people and would therefore need to be enforced, reducing personal freedom? Was it to do with Communist Russia's presence a (potentially?) hostile super-power?
I understand that capitalism may, depending on the circumstances, generate the greatest productivity among the population, and would therefore be the most economically-sound choice, although people in certain positions of wealth/power, may have their own personal reasons. These two could also be potential reasons. Maybe I've answered my own original question. I wonder what your ideas are/were before you read this post?
There are several resons for that hostility. Certainly one main reason was that America was, and is, an inherently Capitalistic Society, and that as a motive includes the Capitalist Industrialists fearing to lose their hold on Society, as well as all of their Wealth.
More condonable was that, during the Cold War- which is what all of this was about- the only Communist countries in the World were Totalitarian Dictatorships, and that goes against the American/ Western instinct for Freedom and Democracy (the Soviet Bloc
pretended to be Democratic, at times, but it was'nt and most elections were rigged in several ways).
Of course, then we come to Chile which under Allende was the worlds first and only Communist state built on genuinelly Democrtic principles and that did not enfore State Tyranny, only for it to be overthrown by Pinochet, backed by the US. In fairness, by this time the Cold War had been on for a while an that mindest set in.
As you say, the USA came to see the Soviet Union as it's major Rival for Globabl Dominance, and as a World Superpower (there was nothing "potential" about it's Hostility, however- the regime was among the most violent in history, and promotd several others); the USSR definitely had designs on the World itself-it espoused a Revolutionary Ideology that it hoped would change the World (actually not that different from the early US's own vision of Democracy- eg. they supported, and got involved in, the French Revolution)-though the USA could be said to be concerned more about it's own dominance than anything else.
Some might have had the foresight to see that Communism on an Industrailscale was unworkable, and it led to weak economies and a lack of variety (though most only learned this after the USSR collapsed and it's records opened to academics); I disagree with what you said about humanity's "selfish nature" because (a) I disagree, and (b) Communist-style societies actually have worked, although of course these tend to be small scale, Tribal ones.
The ordinary Yank was probably just susceptible to anti-Communist propaganda, seeing it as an invasive Foreign Ideology without gaining a real undestanding of what it was about (Europe, in contrast, had a sizable minority who thought that the Soviet Union was Paradise- equally naive).
They would have more or less been "conditioned" to accept Capitalism as the most normal and sound way of life, especially for America even if they thought it was right for other parts of the world, and despite the inequalities of Capitalism. In other words, they accepted what was said about Communism and Capitalism without thinking that much for themselves.
I should note that during the 1930's- and earlier than that- many US Businesses had no problem doing deals with the Soviet Union (these tende to be the same guys who did deals with the Nazi's), simply because it was'nt seen as their problem and therefore they could make money out of it (bare in mind that this was Stalinist Russia). The Hostility came after WW2, when America abandoned it's Isolationsist polices and became a player on the World Stage, which also is when the Military-Industrial complex gained it's foothold.
So in summary, it was a combination of Capitalist Greed, Nationalism (as well as Patriotism), naivete about the realities of Communism, and the realities of Communism which still did pose a threat.
To me, it's just plain counter-intuitive that a janitor should make just as much as a nuclear scientist. This system penalizes productivity and reduces your options (and hence freedom) with your disposable income. I guess you can make people work harder if you have a gun to their head, but that wouldn't be the greatest setup now, would it. I also don't like how the state is above the individual, and dissent is discouraged for the sake of collective whole. It's like we have to bow to other people's will.
Capitalism can be unfair too, but that's another discussion.
Yeah...that's not how it works.
It's more like Janitor in one place will make exactly the same as a Janitor someplace else (within the Communist Society), as will any two Nuclear Scientists. The Scientists will be making more money than the Janitor, though.
Different companies will offer different wages, even for two people doing exactly the same Job. Since the only company that is running is the State,
the wages remain the same.
