Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto

In Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, he describes the Communists as the party that "fights for the interests of the working class"(136), while in a Capitalist society, the "living person is dependent and has no individuality-----only capital is dependent and has individuality"(84). That is not the case of today's society once you take a closer view at the comparison and contrast of communist Vietnam versus the democratic United States of America through their economy systems, educational systems, judicial systems, and the life style of their citizens in general.

In a capitalist, democratic nation such as the U.S., freedom gives us just about everything and anything that the Vietnamese do not have under their communist government. Contrary to what Karl Marx has written in his manifesto, the living people of a capitalist nation (i.e. USA) of today are more independent and possess more individualities than ever. Economic-wise, Americans are the most progressive people in the world. The U.S. government is not directing the flow of its economy, but the individual businesses of its people are. These people have all the rights in the world to improve their businesses, as long as they are conducting them under the legal guidelines of the government. Such freedom in a capitalist society gives the Americans much greater advantages over the Vietnamese in improving economic conditions.

When we touch upon the subject of education, only eighty percent of Vietnam's population is educated. The government does not provide free public education to its people, and not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to afford it. Many children, especially those in the rural areas, are pulled out of schools as soon as they know how to read and write, for some parents also feel that learning Marxism-Leninism does not benefit their families' income, i.e., putting food in their mouth. Further education is really not an option, for these children also have to work in order to raise their families. Begging in the streets, polishing shoes, toiling on the farms are some of the many jobs that children at the age of five are actively doing, since finding food for themselves and their families is their sole occupation. Fortunately, children in many capitalist nations are provided with adequate tools and supplies in their public schools. Almost all of the American population has at least passed the elementary and middle school levels. College students who are in financial need do not have to worry much since the government is willing to give out grants and provide loans that can be paid back later on. Under Communism, education is really not as beneficial to an individual as it would be for someone living under a democratic society. In Vietnam for example, a job is still hard to find even if you possess a Masters degree in some sort of area. Again, you would either need some kind of connection with a higher authority, or you would have to work for the communist government.

In a communist nation, the judicial system can be very flexible at times. Crimes are rarely committed under such watchful eyes as the Communists, and the result of any crime would also be too harsh to bear. Safety is probably the best thing that the Communists can provide, but it can also be reversed anytime. By reversing, I mean that some people can also be convicted for not doing anything wrong. As long as someone (a local government cadre) possesses some sort of power, that person has all the right to convict you of anything that they want---yes, even without proof. On the other hand, the system also provides some safety to its people. Unlike in the U.S., crimes such as murdering, raping, robbing, and many others rarely or not even ever occur in communist Vietnam. People do not get away with them as easily as they do in America. There is no such thing as death row or parole in communist nations. Crimes are paid for immediately after they are convicted. Prisons