The only way to truly understand the failures of communism is to take seriously the motivations, desires and ideals of those who advocated it. But to do that, one must first understand capitalism. Alas, the history of communism is littered with failed attempts by communists to be better at capitalism than the capitalists themselves. So what is it about the word “communism” that frightens Americans so much from left to right? I think, rather, that in America the fear of the word “communism” is tied to a fear of the word “capitalism,” another no-go word in polite discourse.

Source: New York Times May 29, 2017 01:30 UTC