Discuss about the Communism and Human Rights for Religion, State and Society.
The above quoted lines of “Jean-Jacques Rousseau” from his “The Social Contract” give a pertinent account of the nature of the present day society as well as the world. Thus, not only in the opinion of “Jean-Jacques Rousseau” but of the other scholars as well human beings are born free but in almost every section of the society they need to abide by the various rules as well as the regulations set by the society or the particular nation of which they are a part of (Donnelly and Whelan 2018). Therefore, it is often seen that the individual rights of the people or the Human Rights of the individuals are subverted in a bid to make them abide by the various rules as well as the regulations of the society as well as the nation (Donnelly and Whelan 2018). In the opinion of George Orwell articulated in his famous novel “Animal Farm” “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than the others”. This particular line of Orwell speaks volume about the nature of the present day society. In the preset day world it is often seen that although all the individuals are granted equal status by the law yet some people are given preference over the others on the score of various factors like the amount of wealth which that particular person holds, the power or the social position held by that particular person and others (Rainey, Wicks and Ovey 2014). It is a reflection of this that equal human rights are not enjoyed by all the individuals of the world. This essay will discuss about the subversion of the various human rights in the Communist nations of China and Russia.
The “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” of the United Nations declares that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” (Rainey, Wicks and Ovey 2014). The United Nations is one of the champions of the concept of the human rights of the various individuals not only belonging to the democratic countries but also to the various Communist nations of the world (Donnelly 2013). It is a reflection of this the United Nations has given various dictums in relation to the various human rights of the individuals and at the same time has also tried to help further the cause of the human rights in the various nations of the world (Donnelly 2013). However, it is often seen that in the various Communist nations of the world the human rights of the individuals is subverted in order to bring about the “overall growth as well as the development of the concerned nation” (Donnelly 2013). The opinion of “Martin Luther King, Jr” is very significant to note in this particular context when he says that “A right delayed is a right denied”. Therefore, the focus of the majority of the nations of the world is on the human rights of the individuals and also the means by which fast action could be taken in case of its subversion.
The politics in the nation of Russia “takes place in the framework of a federal semi-presidential republic”(Gilligan 2010). As per the dictum of the Constitution of the nation “the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President with the parliament’s approval” (Gilligan 2010). However, in the opinion of many people since the reign of the emperor “Tsar Nicholas II” the concept of Communism has formed an important part of the nation (Agadjanian 2010). The nation and its people believe in the equal distribution of wealth among the various citizens of the nation (Donnelly and Whelan 2018). Therefore, with this objective the nation controls all the major industries as well as the trade and the commerce of the nation. It is significant to note that even the education system is regulated by the various bodies of the state with the aim to bring about the equal distribution of wealth in the nation (Agadjanian 2010). The major bone of contention for these people is famous quote of Adam Smith which says “Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defense of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all”. Therefore, the various Communists of the world opt for the equal distribution of wealth among the diverse entities of the nation with a view to provide equal opportunity to all the people (Agadjanian 2010). Furthermore, the opinion of Leon Trotsky articulated in his famous work “Their Morals and Ours” is very significant to note in this particular context when he says “The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end”. However, when the various human rights of the individuals offered by the diverse democratic nations of the world and the reasons for which they are being offered to the individuals is taken into consideration these policies of the various communist nations would seem to be a gross misappropriation of the human as well as the most basic rights of the individuals (Kinzelbach 2015). For example, the most common human right which the various nations of the world offer to their citizens is the right to employment and also the right to earn wealth depending on the level of hard work they are willing to do (Kinzelbach 2015). In this particular context the concept of the “American Dream” which gained prominence in the 20th in the United States of America is significant to note here (McCauley 2015). However, in the nation of Russia this particular human right of the individuals is subverted in a bid to achieve the condition in which there is an equal distribution of wealth among the various entities of the nation (McCauley 2015). Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the various interventions of the other nations of the world like the United States of America, England and even the United Nations have failed to achieve a condition in this particular state where the human rights of the individuals would be provided to all the individuals (McCauley 2015). The intervention of the USA and UN to uphold the rights of the individuals in the nation of Russia have also resulted in failure in the nation of Russia in the recent times.
The nation of China, just like the nation of Russia, is a communist one and the major activities of the state are controlled by the “Communist Party of China” (Tomba. 2015). This particular party exercises a stringent hold over the various organs of the state like the various industries of the nation, trade and commerce, media, education and several other machineries (Baker 2002). It is significant to note that the nation exercises such a strong hold over the media that many media personnels have been persecuted in the recent times for the exercise of basic human right of the “freedom of expression of thought” and others (Tomba. 2015). In the nation of China there is a rule that the various journalists as well as the reporters should not portray anything in the news which is likely to hurt the prospects of the ruling government and if they still try to do the same they can be sent to prison for a time period of about 14 years (Baker 2002). Furthermore, the ruling government exercises a stringent hold over the various economic activities of the diverse industries of the nation and this does not allow significant economic opportunities to the people (Minxin 2010). Moreover, the most basic rights of the individuals like the “right to education”, “freedom of the expression of thought”, “right to action” and others have been subverted in a significant manner in a bid to suit the needs as well as the requirements of the ruling government of the nation (Minxin 2010). The ruling party of the nation controls the educational sector and decides the kind of education which the children are going to have (Minxin 2010). Furthermore, in this particular nation the people did not even get the “right to vote” in an ethical manner. It is significant to note that there is only one major political party in the nation of China and all other parties are subservient to it (Barme 2010). The ruling party uses all kinds of coercive means to suppress the other parties of the nation and thus the people do not get the right kind of choices during the various election processes (Barme 2010). Therefore, it would be apt to say that the nation of China does not provide even the most basic human rights to the individuals of their nation. In the recent times it is seen that the various nations of the world along with the United Nations have taken active initiatives in a bid to improve the condition of the human rights in the nation of China (Barme 2010). However, they have not been able to make any significant inroads into the process. The UN even went to the extent of giving a dictum to the nation of China stating that “The Chinese government should end its campaign of harassment against NGOs, including by allowing them to freely interact with UN mechanisms without fear of reprisals”. In addition to this, the USA has been an ardent supporter of the various journalists of the nation of China who have been denied of their basic rights like the “freedom of expression of thought” and others (Tomba 2015).
According to Aung San Suu Kyi in the famous work “Freedom from Fear”,“Within a system which denies the existence of basic human rights, fear tends to be the order of the day. Fear of imprisonment, fear of torture, fear of death, fear of losing friends……..it is not easy for a people conditioned by fear under the iron rule of the principle that might is right to free themselves from the enervating miasma of fear. Yet even under the most crushing state machinery courage rises up again and again, for fear is not the natural state of civilized man”. Therefore, it can be said that the undue exercise of power by the various communist nations of the world in a bid to control and regulate the various activities of the state is a gross misappropriation of the diverse basic human rights of the individuals (Donnelly and Whelan 2018). It is significant to note that the various basic human rights have been provided to the various individuals so that they can live and grow to the full limits of their character as well as personality (Donnelly and Whelan 2018). Therefore, the nations like China and Russia by the misappropriation of the human rights of the individuals not only inhibit the growth of the individuals to their full potential but also affect the prospects of the nation in an adverse manner (Donnelly and Whelan 2018). One of the greatest proponents of this particular concept was the American President “John F. Kennedy” in whose opinion “The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened”. Therefore, the subversion of the human rights of the individuals in the nations of China and Russia is not only a subversion of the rights of the citizens of those particular nations but also of the entire citizens of the world (Donnelly and Whelan 2018). It is a reflection of this that the various nations of the world in the present times have taken several initiatives to curb this injustice which most of the individuals in the various communist nations of the world face. However, these negotiations have failed to yield any significant results inspite of the arduous efforts of the various nations of the world including the United Nations (Donnelly and Whelan 2018).
To conclude, human rights are one of the most requirements of the individuals and it is required for the fulfillment of the various needs as well as the requirements of the individuals. However, in the present times it is seen that the various nations of the world like China and Russia do not provide these basic amenities to their citizens. Therefore, in the present times it is seen that the various democratic nations of the world have tried to intervene and at the same time tried to restore the status quo in these nations however these interventions have not yielded any significant results.
References
Alexander Agadjanian, 2010. ‘Liberal Individual and Christian Culture: Russian Orthodox Teaching on Human Rights in Social Theory Perspective,’ Religion, State and Society, 38 (2) 97-113
Donnelly, J. and Whelan, D., 2018. International human rights. Routledge.
Donnelly, J., 2013. Universal human rights in theory and practice. Cornell University Press.
Geremie Barme 2010. “The Revolution in Resistance,” in Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance, eds. Elizabeth Perry and Mark Selden, 288-315. London: Routledge.
Gilligan, E. L. 2010. “The Human Rights Ombudsman in Russia: The Evolution of Horizontal Accountability,” Human Rights Quarterly, Volume 32, Number 3, August 2010, pp. 575-600
Katrin Kinzelbach, 2015. The EU’s Human Rights Dialogue with China Quiet Diplomacy and its Limits (London and New York: Routledge)
Kent, A .2001, ‘States Monitoring States: The United States, Australia, and China’s Human Rights, 1990-2001,’ Human Rights Quarterly, 2001, Vol.23(3), pp.583-624
Kent, A 2008, ‘China’s Changing Attitude to the Norms of International Law and its Global Impact’, in Pauline Kerr, Stuart Harris and Qin Yaqing (ed.), China’s ‘New’ Diplomacy: Tactical or Fundamental Change?, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, New York, pp. 55-76.
Luigi Tomba. 2015. The Government Next Door: Neighbourhood Politics in Urban China. New York: Cornell University Press.
Mary McCauley, 2015. Human Rights in Russia. Citizens and the State from Perestroika to Putin, (London and New York: I.B. Tauris, )
Orwell, G., 2010. Animal farm (Vol. 31). Random House.
Pei Minxin 2010. “Rights and Resistance: The Changing Context of the Dissident Movement,” in Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance, eds. Elizabeth Perry and Mark Selden, 31-56. London: Routledge.
Philip Baker 2002. ‘Human Rights, Europe and the People’s Republic of China,’ The China Quarterly, 169, pp 45-63
Rainey, B., Wicks, E. and Ovey, C., 2014. The European convention on human rights. Oxford University Press, USA.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download