Week 2 Discussion: The Rise of Communism and Fascism
Week 2 Discussion: The Rise of Communism and Fascism
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Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Chapter 4, 5, 6
- Lesson
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, select and address one of the following:
- Option 1: Examine Marx’s writings on communism and socialism and compare them to how they manifested in reality? What worked and what didn’t? What misconceptions do we have about his original intent based on what we see in past or current governments?
- Option 2: Compare and contrast communism and fascism. Select one example for each to examine the origins of the governments, their accomplishments, and their failures. What accounts for the fact that the masses mobilized to support these movements? Elaborate.
- Option 3: Examine Depression-Era social programs (select one or more to examine in detail). Were the fears of a communist take-over based on the implementation of these programs grounded in reality? Why or why not? How do they compare to social programs in place today?
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. At least one of your responses should be to a peer who chose an option different from yours. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
- Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
- Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside source)
- APA format for in-text citations and list of references
Grading
This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:
- Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines’
PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS DISCUSSION FROM MY CLASSMATE
Option 3
The Great Depression had a big impacted on many nations which led to approximately 15 million people were unemployed. In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt became President, and with an intention to restore prosperity to the Americans by “creating the New Deal projects and programs such as the CCC, the WPA, the TVA, the SEC, and others†(History.com Editors, 2009). For example, He created WPA which stands for The Works Progress Administration and over its 8 years of existence, it put 8.5 million Americans to work. Additionally, “The Social Security Act was beneficial for older aged individuals by providing financial assistance. Unemployment assistance was set up to provide temporary cash payments to those who were let go due to financial difficulties” (Social Security Administration, n.d.). At that time, many people did have a fear of the communism because the commitment to capitalism would be lost. They feared it would overthrow both democratic and capitalist institutions. The unemployment and Social Security programs are similar to what we have today. Comes along with every new President, there is somehow with restructuring the programs. With Social Security, several seniors have been able to afford the basic necessities of life through the program since its inception. It was not created as a sole source of income for seniors but as a means of supplementing their income. Additionally, it was assumed that people would have additional monthly incomes as a result of their life savings and pensions. “The increasing problem in America today is the lack of pensions available to Americans, and the inability to save enough for retirement. In addition, people are retiring and collecting Social Security benefits at a faster rate than they are paying into the fund. It is projected that by the year 2034, the funds will run into the red.” (Greenberg & Page, 2018). Another example and also related to recent event, the unemployment program helped many Americans recently during 2019-2020 when people lost their jobs due to COVID-19. We can say that Social Security and Unemployment still help people today.
References:
Greenberg, E. S., & Page, B. I. (2018). The Struggle for Democracy, 2018 Elections and
Updates Edition (12th Edition). Pearson Education (US). Retrieved
from https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780135246849 (Links to an external
site.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
History.com Editors. (2009). New Deal. History. https://www.history.com/topics/great-
depression/new-deal (Links to an external site.)
Social Security Administration. (n.d.). Social Security
History. https://www.ssa.gov/history/50ed.html (Links to an external site.)
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