Learn the details of anarchism, capitalism, fascism, and communism. Discover the differences of fascism vs communism, what the opposite of capitalism is, and how anarchism works.
Updated: 11/25/2021
Comparing Anarchism, Capitalism, Fascism & Communism
Political Philosophies
Political philosophies are beliefs about how and why governments, institutions, and individuals interact to form a society. Such ideologies form based on ethical or moral beliefs driven by socio-cultural constructions and historical events. These philosophies can generally be defined by two qualities that work in tandem:
- Formal authority
- Social liberties
Political philosophies can range from authoritarian ones that value and respect formalized state powers; to libertarian ones that reject powerful state authority. They also range from left-leaning or liberal ideologies that value individual socio-economic liberties; to right-leaning or conservative ideologies that value traditional socio-economic rules and practices. The image below is a four-quadrant political compass that illustrates the authoritarian vs. libertarian scale on the vertical axis and the left vs. right socio-economic liberties scale on the horizontal axis:
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The four political philosophies discussed here: anarchism, capitalism, fascism, and communism represent different points of this political spectrum. The table outlines these systems further with some examples of these philosophies:
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| Political Philosophy | Ideology | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Anarchism | Rejection of authority No or limited formalized state or government Values individual liberties |
Ancient Greek cynicism Gandhi's anti-colonial liberation movement in India |
| Capitalism | An economic system Free market economies driven by supply and demand over government intervention Privatization of the means of production (labor) and the goods produced |
Liberal market economy: the US, the United Kingdom Coordinated market economy: Germany, Japan |
| Fascism | An authoritarian government wherein the state has all the power Conservative, traditional social values that encourage uniformity Single or few ruling parties |
Nazi Germany Fascist Italy under Mussolini Imperial Japan |
| Communism | An authoritarian government wherein the state owns all property and wealth that is allocated to individuals Values individual equality and uniformity Classless society; elimination of social hierarchy |
Soviet Union China Cuba |
Philosophies Through History
When opposing political ideologies are enacted, violent conflict is often a result. The history of this type of violence is long, as there have always been conflicts that arise from differing political views. For example, the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany during World War II led to a great deal of violence and strife on a global scale when other nations fought against fascist ideologies.
Violence can also derive within a state, such as the often-bloody conflicts led by citizens of countries within the Soviet Union during its fall. For example, when the people of the Baltic nations, like Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, revolted against the government, the Soviets responded with violence against their citizens.
Anarchism
Anarchism rejects formalized authority in place of self-governance at the individual level. Its related term, "anarchy," suggests a complete lack of organized government and political hierarchy. Anarchism manifests in many ways because the primary component of this ideology is the rejection of authority, not alignment with social liberties. Thus, anarchists can have left-leaning views that lead them to practice communalized governance by individuals; or conversely, they might align with right-leaning views that lead them to embrace the free market and conservative ideals.
Socialist anarchism, or "anti-capitalism," is an anarchist ideology that rejects the validity of capitalist governance. From a socialist-anarchist perspective, collectivization and communalization are important values through individual governance rather than formalized institutions. Conversely, libertarian anarchism, or "anarcho-capitalism," emphasizes reliance on individualism and rejects collaborative practices. This system grants each person greater levels of autonomy in a capitalist system.
Anarchist beliefs have a long history in political philosophy, and many classical Greek philosophers advocated for distancing oneself from the state; this ideology is called cynicism. Cynic philosophers, like Diogenes, were skeptical of the efficacy and value of official authority. William Godwin, an 18th century English writer, is an example of a more modern anarchist. Godwin questioned the validity of formalized authority based on the notion that once formalized, governing bodies stop serving the needs of the people and instead serve to proliferate their power.
Anarchism offers valuable conceptualizations of the importance of individual responsibility within more extensive socio-cultural relationships. However, there are a few main criticisms:
- Inability to protect marginalized or vulnerable groups by eliminating official means of social protection
- Inconsistencies within the ideology render it challenging to implement on a large scale, especially as it relates to how far the rejection of authority extends
- Even when anarchist ideologies are implemented, it is likely that authority will be established again; and even if only within a group of anarchists, minimal authority is still a form of formalized authority
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Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that prioritizes the privatization of ownership of the means of production so that they may be purchased and relates to supply and demand, which dictates that the supply, or available amount, of goods correlates to its demand. For instance, higher demand for a product in low supply will yield a higher purchasing price, whereas goods with high supply will lower demand because they are readily available. The privatization of the means of production can lead to the privatization of entire industries. Neoliberalism is a political philosophy closely related to capitalism as it is the belief in a free market economy and, therefore, less government interaction with industries and markets. This philosophy places greater value on the self-regulation of capitalism.
In practice, capitalism must interact with other government structures. In a liberal market economy, government interacts minimally with capitalist markets, as is the case in the United States because the government intervenes in market regulation only when deemed necessary. However, in a coordinated market economy, the government works alongside privatized industries to provide safety nets and regulations through other organizations, like workers' unions.
Adam Smith, an 18th century English economist, introduced capitalism. He suggested that the "invisible hand," or market demands, would guide the development of the economy so efficiently that no intervention would be necessary. Today, most nations worldwide have at least some elements of capitalist economies, including countries with communist governments like China.
The main criticism of capitalism is that the free market can only self-regulate for so long before it leads to crony capitalism. Crony capitalism is the monopolization of industry to the point that significantly few private businesses exercise all the monetary authority within that industry. When only a few people own all the means of production and goods produced, they can leverage their ownership so that smaller businesses can no longer compete with the prices of their goods in a process called "cornering the market." Crony capitalism can lead to government practices serving the economic interests of large businesses before the interests of their citizens.
Fascism
Fascism is a political ideology that implements an authoritarian state ruled by an autocratic leader. Under fascism, the government has complete control of state powers, institutions, and the economy. It emphasizes isolationist and exclusionary beliefs that position the fascist nation as the "right" or "best" type of state. Nazism is one of the most salient manifestations of fascism. Nazism refers to the government enacted by Adolf Hitler during World War II. Though not all fascist governments are founded upon the same ideals as Nazism, the two are closely linked. Fascism also relates to social conservatism, which maintains "traditional" values, though social conservatism does not necessitate a dictatorship to be enacted.
Fascism is oppositional to both Marxism and socialism. Marxism refers to the beliefs espoused by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the 19th-century German philosophers, which emphasize communist practices to mitigate classism. Fascism is the opposite because it emphasizes the concentration of political power into one dictatorial leader rather than allocating these means to the people. Socialism is like communism, but it allows for privatized land ownership and allocates power to a democratically-elected government. Fascism is non-democratic, so it is oppositional to socialism's left-leaning ideals and its democratic practices.
The primary criticisms of fascism center around its emphasis on social elitism and the preference of one type of people. Some of these criticisms state that fascism is wrong because of:
- Its emphasis on traditional, exclusionary values, such as those that led to the Holocaust and persecution of non-white, non-Christian Europeans during World War II
- Its relegation of power to one or a few figures, which eliminates democracy and representation of the people in government
- Its isolationist tendencies that lead to many fascist states or groups toward violent conflict with other nations
Communism
Communism is a political system in which the state has all the authority and control over the distribution of property and wealth so that each individual can reap the benefits of labor equally in a classless society. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels proposed communism in their 1848 work "The Communist Manifesto," and it has since been enacted by several nations, perhaps most notably the Soviet Union. Today, few communist nations remain. These nations are China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Cuba, and many of these countries have mixed policies, such as China's state-controlled capitalist market policies. Additionally, communism is similar to socialism, with the primary difference being that under socialism, private ownership of property continues, and socialist governments are democratically-elected. Socialism does not necessarily negate class structure, and socialist ideals are often enacted within other democratic systems.
Historically, the Soviet Union was the first to enact communism after the Russian Revolution of 1917. However, the communism that Marx and Engels wrote about differs from the communism practiced by the Soviet Union. On paper, equality is achievable to the point of a near-utopian state; in practice, the authoritarian elements of state control of profit and wealth often lead to the concentration of wealth amongst elites rather than its distribution to the masses, which is a primary reason why the Soviet Union fell in 1991.
Significant criticisms of communism center around its idealistic nature, especially because many communist governments in history have not reached utopian equality but have caused strife for their citizens. A classless society is one of communism's most idealistic values, and it is challenging to eliminate social hierarchy in practice. Further, authoritarian governments are criticized for their allotment of power to the government, as this power can easily be abused.
Major Differences
The table below highlights the primary differences between the four political philosophies discussed in this lesson and each philosophies opposite:
| Political Philosophy | Primary Differences | Opposite ideologies |
|---|---|---|
| Anarchism | Most libertarian Can be either left or right-leaning, does not imply alignment with social liberties Oldest ideology of the four discussed |
Authoritarianism, including communism and fascism |
| Capitalism | Primarily an economic system Values privatization of labor, goods, and property Can be implemented with other ideologies (e.g., socialist countries with capitalist elements in the economy) |
Communism |
| Fascism | Conservative core values Exclusivity and denouncement of others Non-democratic |
Anarchism Democracy Socialism |
| Communism | No private ownership of property, goods, etc. Individual equality State control of the means of production, property, and wealth |
Capitalism Anarchism |
Lesson Summary
Political philosophies are beliefs about how and why governments, institutions, and individuals interact to form a society based on ethical or moral beliefs driven by socio-cultural constructions and historical events. The four political ideologies represent a range of values that differ; each of the four can be categorized by its relation to values of authority and social liberties.
Overall, communism and fascism are authoritarian governments, while communism is left-leaning, and fascism is right-leaning. Both systems grant the state a great deal of power and seek homogeneity. However, communism achieves a society without social classes, and fascism does so to achieve cultural uniformity. Additionally, anarchism can be left- or right-leaning and the opposite of authoritarianism. It can take many forms and is used to reject existing power structures. Capitalism is an economic system that favors right-leaning values because conservatism allows for the continuation of privatized labor, goods, and property.
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Prompts About Comparing Anarchism, Capitalism, Fascism, and Communism:
Graphic Organizer Prompt 1:
Make a chart, poster, or some other type of graphic organizer that explains anarchism. Your graphic organizer should explain the core beliefs of anarchists, and illustrate the spectrum of anarchism.
Example: Militant anarchism is at the extreme end of the spectrum.
Graphic Organizer Prompt 2:
Create a chart, poster, or some other type of graphic organizer that illustrates the features of fascism.
Example: Fascist governments are extremely authoritarian.
Essay Prompt 1:
In approximately two to three paragraphs, write an essay that describes capitalism and how it functions. Your essay should also briefly touch on the history of capitalism.
Example: Capitalism helped countries like the United States become powerful on a global scale.
Essay Prompt 2:
Write an essay of approximately three to four paragraphs that explains communism, its principles, and how it is practiced.
Example: Communists aim to diminish the wealth gap between the rich and the poor.
Presentation Prompt:
Choose a country that has or has had a fascist, communist, or capitalist government/system. Research this country and how fascism, communism, or capitalism has functioned in this country. Create a PowerPoint presentation based on your research.
Example: China is technically a communist country, but its economy contains elements of capitalism.
Is communism the opposite of capitalism?
Yes, communism is the opposite of capitalism because communism does not allow for private ownership of goods or land and the state controls industry. Under capitalism, the opposite is true: goods and land are privately owned and operated with little to no state regulation. Communism aligns with left-leaning socioeconomic principles and capitalism aligns with right-leaning socioeconomic principles.
Is fascism capitalist or socialist?
Fascism is directly opposed to socialism, especially the socialist ideals of equality and elimination of social hierarchy because fascism is based on traditional ideals that uphold such hierarchies. Fascism is not expressly capitalist, however, because fascism involves isolationist ideals that render capitalist market exchanges difficult. Fascism is more capitalist than socialist because fascism aligns with capitalism's ideals of hierarchy and socioeconomic conservatism.
What is the meaning of fascism?
Fascism is an authoritarian system that promotes one uniform state with conservative ideals. The word fascism comes from the Italian word fascio that means "bundle," and refers to the formation of one homogenous ruling group or party.
What is socialism vs. communism vs. capitalism?
Socialism is a system where the public collectively owns all the means of production but some private ownership of land and wealth is still allowed, though major wealth disparity is avoided.
Communism is a system where the state controls the even distribution of all wealth and property, thus establishing a society without hierarchy where everyone is individual. Both are left-leaning.
Capitalism is right-leaning, and it involves private ownership of the means of production, wealth, and property. Wealth disparity is not regulated under capitalism.
What is the opposite of a communist government?
Capitalism and anarchism are opposites of communism. Capitalism is the opposite because it promotes private ownership of labor, goods, wealth, and property (communism operates on the public ownership of these things as distributed by the state). Anarchism is the opposite of communism because it is an entire rejection of authoritative rule, and communism is a form of an authoritarian state.
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Comparing Anarchism, Capitalism, Fascism & Communism
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