Communism vs. Capitalism, which is better? The debate still continues to this day, even after 40 plus years of this ideological and political debate being on the global battlefield. The arguments for Communism, a classless society where everyone works for the greater good, sounds ideologically wonderful in theory, but has many shortcomings and flaws in its application. With the conclusion of WWII, many Eastern European & Asian Marxist / Socialist countries came under control of Communist political parties and leadership. Cuba, Korea, China, The USSR, Laos, Angola, Mozambique, Bulgaria, Romanian, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Vietnam all fell under communist regimes around this time. Although some communist societies still remain today, namely Cuba (Columbia & India currently have strong communist based political movements), most of Communistic regimes have been abandoned. Communist took a huge blow in 1991 with the collapse of the Society Union, which separated into many smaller countries whom desired political autonomy. The causes and effects of the fall of Communism in China, which still has a strong communistic / socialist political party (The Communist Party of China) and Russia shared some commonalities. The major argument against communism is that it requires each individual be altruistic and to understand the The Tragedy Of The Commons, meaning people have to be willing to work for the greater good of society, not just themselves. They will not receive all of the fruits of their labor which creates a failure in the incentive mechanisms that as so basic to human nature. Some of the undesirable symptoms or effects of Communism are poverty, with an equal distribution of wealth, human rights abuses, and a lack of incentive for progress for individuals, which result in a slowly progressing society as a whole. Capitalism is currently thriving in the world today, but it does not come without its fault either. Capitalist societies suffer from poverty too, but in a different way as there is a vastly unequal distribution of wealth (a few people are rich, while most are poor), waste (garbage and a complete failure to recognize The Tragedy of The Commons), greed, injustice, and selfishness just to name a few. Topics on this DVD include:The Cold War, Communism vs. Capitalism, Anti Communism Propaganda, Political Cartoons

Included Content:

Going Places

Length: 8 Minutes | Produced:1948

This classic Cold War era animated film follows the character Freddie Fudsie, an entrepreneur who wants to make a little money, retire, and spend the rest of his life fishing. Instead, Profit Motive, in the form of a beautiful young woman, captures his attention and teaches him that it is un-American to stop mindlessly pursuing profit for profits sake. So Freddie uses his invention of bar soap to continue to grow his wealth in order to raise the standard of living for his new wife and kids. This pro-capitalism propaganda film uses his story to explain the ways in which profit and competition drive the American economy.

Its Everybodys Business

Length: 19 Minutes | Produced:1954

This fantastic 1954 animated film uses anthropomorphized dollar bills, a money-sucking tax monster, and other fun characters to illustrate how our free-enterprise economy is the key to individual success and prosperity for every American. Sponsored by the United States Chamber of Commerce, the true agenda of this film paints communism as detrimental to our nations health, and it spends a lot of time trying to convince the American audience that spending money, paying a modest amount in taxes, and investing hard-earned dollars are patriotic and All American actions. In fact, it even links the Bill of Rights to capitalism and basically equates consumption with freedom. This film was awarded the Freedom Foundations gold honor medal as the best film developed in the United States during 1954 to further a better understanding of the American way of life.

Make Mine Freedom

Length: 9 Minutes | Produced:1948

This phenomenal classic animated propaganda film has the basic Cold War anti-communist theme, but talks about it in a unique and entertaining way. A traveling salesman called Dr. Utopia, selling bottles of ISM (communism), takes in four unsuspecting dopes who believe his promises about the powers of ISM to solve all their problems. They sample his wares, falling into a waking nightmare where they get a nasty taste of the lack of freedom they would face after relinquishing control over their factories and farms to the parent state. When a lone politician dares speak up, he is brainwashed and later shown with a phonograph for a head that plays Everything is fine! over and over. In the end, the character John Q. Public declaims about the way communists try to incite race hatred, class warfare, and religious intolerance, and the townspeople drive Dr. Utopia out of town, pelting him with bottles of ISM as he flees. This is must-see vintage animation with hilarious political themes.

Meet King Joe

Length: 9 Minutes | Produced:1949

Meet King Joe is a classic animated capitalist propaganda film from the 1940s. The agenda is convincing discontented workers of the time that American business was the best in the world and because of it, American workers were king of all the workers. As evidence of this, the film touts American factory machinery as being so efficient that American workers create the best products at the lowest prices, which allows them to stretch their wage farther in the marketplace. American workers also have the shortest working hours (also due to the wondrous machinery). The main character and narrator of the film, Joe, a worker in overalls, spouts bizarre statistics such as Americans own 92% of the worlds bathtubs and almost every refrigerator ever made, in order to prove the point that American workers can afford a higher standard of living than those in any other country. Joe is shown sitting on top of a machine that spits out cars, televisions, and washing machines with no help from him or any other workers, something that seems vaguely insulting to the very workers for which this film was intended. Overflowing with irony, Meet King Joe is a special relic of a different time in American history.

Why Play Leap Frog?

Length: 9 Minutes | Produced:1949

Why Play Leapfrog? is an educational movie that explains capitalism (in particular worker wages) to school kids. A Cold War relic without question, this film effectively demonstrates American capitalism with a classic cartoon. Joe, the main character, is a face painter at the Dilly Doll factory. He gets a lesson about American economics after he learns that every time he gets a pay raise, the cost of goods rise as well (leapfrogging). The narrator explains to him that labor costs are responsible for the rise in prices. He uses an example in which the materials of a $1900 car only cost $22 and that the rest of the markup is due to direct and indirect labor costs. Joe learns that in order for wages to outstrip prices, his factory must constantly increase productivity, or make more dolls using the same number or fewer workers, an idea that isnt entirely on the side of the workers of the world. Does innovation contribute to worker productivity? You bet! Joe takes the lesson to heart, coming up with a new idea for increased doll production and earning himself a raise in the process. The benefits of Capitalism are the focus of this fun film, but also included are wacky characters and strange scenes. This is one of the best Cold War propaganda cartoons.