What Areas Did Communism Spread To?
Communism and socialism are similar in many ways and the terms are often used interchangeably. Communism is a more extreme form of socialism, where the state owns everything and allows for no private property. Communist countries are run by totalitarian, militaristic regimes that usually gain power by revolution. One of the drawing attractions of Communism was the idea of equality it supported, which was not present in most of the countries to which it spread.
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Russia
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Russia was the first communist state, which came about after the Russian revolution of 1917. Although the leaders were heavily influenced by Karl Marx, the revolution had roots that went far back into Russian history. For centuries Russia had been ruled by autocratic monarchs who enjoyed the good life while most of the population lived as peasants, suffering from repression, poverty and hunger. World War I added fuel to the fire. With Russia's industrial capabilities, it was no match for Germany. Heavy losses in the war exacerbated the situation at home. Strikes and riots broke out and in October the revolution came, which eventually put the Bolsheviks, under Vladimir Lenin, in power.
Eastern Europe
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Communism spread to Eastern Europe after World War II. Although the The Yalta Conference, a meeting between the Allied powers, established post-war boundaries and the policies that would rule in the countries affected by the war, the Soviet Union held on to all the countries its armies were in at the the end of the war and instilled communist-style regimes in them. Germany was divided into East and West, and Berlin was divided into four sectors, each governed by one of the allied countries. Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Albania and Czechoslovakia all came under Soviet influence, or what was called the "Iron Curtain."
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China
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Communist roots in China stretch back to the 1920's, when the Soviet Union funded both the Nationalist and Communist parties in China to help them overthrow the warlords that took power after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. The Communists and Nationalists eventually merged, then Nationalists turned on the Communists and became the recognized government of China. When Japan invaded, the Nationalists and Communists worked together against Japan, but with the expulsion of the Japanese in 1945, they continued the civil war, which ended in 1949 with the communists taking power and the Nationalists fleeing to Taiwan.
Korea and Southeast Asia
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Communism spread to Korea when the Japanese left in 1945. The Yalta Conference split Korea in to North and South. North Korea was put under Soviet influence and the South under American. The Soviets trained and armed the North, which tried, unsuccessfully, to invade the south in 1950. Communism also spread to Vietnam after the Japanese left in 1945. Vietnam was then given back to France, but the Communists, under Ho Chi Minh, did not want a return to colonial rule. They marched on Hanoi and took power. War ensued, but the Communists eventually drove the French from the North and the country was divided in 1954.
Cuba
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Communism spread to Cuba in 1959, when rebels led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevera marched into Havana after a three-year civil war. The roots of communism in Cuba stem from the abuses of the Cuban leader, Batista, who led two separate coups to become the leader. While most Cubans lived as peasants, Batista and his friends got rich through corruption and kick backs from American business interests, and held on to power through repression. Castro and the communists wanted to take control from him and give it back to the Cuban people.
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References
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