Communism: A Love Story

“I’m trying to account for groups of human beings, seemingly much alike, living in adjoining countries yet under vastly different forms of government. On the surface that doesn’t make sense.” Frank thought for a moment. “It might be that the forms of government are not as different from one another as you suspect.” “Well, compare the Nazis to the Canadian government of the same era.” “You might have me on that one,” Frank said. “When the three of us are sipping wine before dinner, let’s go over the whole business. There are reasons for the establishment of all these political movements and styles of government, and for their ultimate demise. They don’t come and go by chance.” Frank and Douglas completed three round trips and had made a substantial dent in the goods that Frank would be taking to Amelia’s house. Frank and Amelia placed his clothes in the recently emptied closets and dressers. Douglas took charge of removing books from cardboard boxes and arranging them into newly-arrived bookcases. Frank had measured the number of inches that he would need. They rested during the late afternoon and then gathered at the corner of the living room with a view for drinks before dinner. There was a third easy chair for Douglas. After filling the glasses, Frank turned to Douglas and asked, “Where did we leave off?” Douglas bypassed Frank and turned to his mother. “Mother, I ran across Karl Marx’s books among Frank’s treasures and we thought we might listen to Frank for his recollections on Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto.” “Frank, angel, only thirty to forty minutes until dinner so stay on target,” Amelia said. “Can’t we continue at the dinner table?” Frank asked. “We’ll need a new topic by then. I would guess that anything Marx wrote would be heavy going,” Amelia answered. She was right. When they were at table the conversation shifted to Douglas’ career. Shore duty in Honolulu was next for him. Douglas prompted Frank. “As to where we left off, you were about to enter into the preliminaries.” “Right you are. I might try to summarize the Communist Manifesto for you but I always prefer to start with background. What was going on politically during Marx’s productive years, how did events affect him? I’m convinced that the times make the man and not the other way around.” “I do know that he spent a couple of decades in England and is buried there,” Amelia said. “And that’s correct,” Frank answered. “To understand Marx you have to understand the Revolution of 1848 and the major currents of the times. He had the training required to write his stuff, having devoted his life to the social cause of the workers. He had been part of that movement for at least a decade, a long-time newspaperman, a writer and a publisher.” “You should be able to explain Marx and Marxism in one paragraph,” Amelia said. “You might be taunting me, but it is possible,” Frank said. “I would have to leave out the details.” “Such as the Revolution of 1848, Mother.”