Different Communist Regimes Emerged
Institution | Ideal | Reality |
---|---|---|
Religion | Religion, “the opiate of the masses,” will disappear. | Religion was suppressed but not eliminated. |
Gender Roles | Men and women will be economically, socially, and politically equal. | Opportunities for women increased, but women were still expected to fulfill traditional duties in the home. |
Sexuality | Repressive institutions such as marriage will be replaced by “an openly legalized system of free love.” | Many communist countries remained very seuxally conservative. |
Nationalism | Nationalism, exposed as part of the elite’s “divide and conquer” strategy, will be eliminated. | Though discouraged from doing so, people clung to old national and ethnic identities. |
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