Communism: Impact on Children


Figure 1.--

One topic we are particularly interested in is how children fared under communism. This is a very large an complicated topic and of course varied over time and from country to country. The great ideals of Marxism, 'from each according to abilities to each according to needs' would seem to auger well for many childrem, providing then their basic needs. Thus we need to look in some details at many aspects of child welfare. There are a wide range of issues which affect children. Communist regimes did place level off disaparities in income by taking away private property and preventing its accumulation. They did attempt to provide minimal income level for families. But because Communist economics was such a disaster, that level was often very low. And in come countries such as Romanisa, disaterously low. In China, Communist policies led to one of the worst famines in Chinese history with many perishing. In the Soviet Union, Stalin actually created a famine on purpose in which millions perished. Another topic is education. Generally Communist governments lavished resources on education which expanded educational opportunity. There were some problems here as well. Children with upper or even middle class backgrounds were often descrimated against. At the same time, the children of important Party members often received favorable treatment. Some countries created special schools with particularly enriched programs. Social services are another issue. Many Communist countries opeated orphanages for children that were little removed from horror houses while others were so poorly funded that the children while not physically stunted were emotionally and intelcually stunted. Some Communist countries treated child atheletes with drugs. And several countries used the power id the date to take children away from their parents to force compliance. The horific acts of abusive state power were primarily aimed at adults, but children were affected in many ways.

Nutrition

Communist regimes did place level off disaparities in income by taking away private property and preventing its accumulation. They did attempt to provide minimal income level for families. But because Communist economics was such a disaster, that level was often very low. And in come countries such as Romsanisa, disaterously low. In China, Communist policies led to one of the worst famines in Chinese history with many peridhing. In the Soviet Union, Stalin actually created a famine on purpose in which millions perished.

Education

Another topic is education. Generally Communist governments lavished resources on education which expanded educational opportunity. There were some problems here as well. Children with upper or even middle class backgrounds were often descrimated against. At the same time, the children of important Party members often received favorable treatment. Some countries created special schools with particularly enriched programs.

Social Services

Social services are another issue. Many Communist countries opeated orphanages for children that were little removed from horror houses while others were so poorly funded that the children while not physically stunted were emotionally and intelcually stunted.

Atheletes

Some Communist countries treated child atheletes with drugs.

Removing Children from Parents

The rule of law was virtually unlimited in Communist countries. Several Communidst countries used the power id the date to take children away from their parents as a political tool to force compliance. A reader writes, "I have started a project to show how child protective service is like Hitler's Youth groups in that they both use the child to get at the parent(s) when they do not do what they want. Sanctions, threat of jail, child(ren) taken away with little or no proof just what they say the child stated, both group leaders had total control in what they did, as for cps they have immunity to back their lies and Hilter's Youth groups had their leaders. Please help me to stop our children from being taken from parents due to lies/immunity I am trying to set up a internet site for this project thank you." This is certainly a serious question. The problem is that some parents are a threat to their children and the government needs to step in. Whether the government is abusing this power or not, I do not know. But am glad you are looking into it. As to the Hitler Youth. I have not found examples of the HJ removing children from their parents. Parents could be prosecuted for prosecuted the children from joining, but I have never seen any data as to the number of prosecutions. I suspect they were very small because Germans are law abiding people and probably afraid to have a run in with the Gestapo. The subject interests me, but I just have no data to include in our HJ section. The HJ section does include information on the NAZI HJ laws. The second HJ law did strengthen the government's power to go after parents. The NAZI Lebensborn should be mentioned here. The program which took several hundred thousand children away from their parents in occupied countries. We suspect that better examples of targeting parents by taking their children away may not be the HJ and Gestapo, but rather thr vNKVD and Communist secrett police forces which appeared after World war II. This is because there was probably more passive resistance to the Communists than was the case in NAZI Germany. And after the Stalinist era, the consequnces less draconian than in NAZI Germany. I know that children were taken away from parents throughout Eastern Europe. I suspect it also occurred in Cuba. This is a topic of interest to us, but I have not yet developed informnstion on it.

Terror

There were no are only minimal limits of the security services in Communist countries. The results were horific actions against both individuals and groups. The horific acts of abusive state power were primarily aimed at adults, but children were affected in many ways.







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Created: 9:56 PM 1/4/2010
Last updated: 9:56 PM 1/4/2010