Marxism is a philosophy. Communism is a political system based on Marxism or so say its creators. Philosophies can have good and bad sides. They may have relevance or lack thereof at different times. But no successes or failures. In other words, it is not right to subject them to the criterion of success and failure – because they are some understandings which occur to man at some stage of evolution of mankind.
When a political system originates inspired by a philosophy the first possibility that we should think of is that this particular inspiration need not be a successful translation.
It would be more right to characterize the communism of today in the name of Lenin, rather than that of Marx. Lenin was a politician, not a philosopher. To the question whether Marxian thought could have inspired any other model other than this, the only possible answer is that of course it was possible. But for that too victory or defeat could have happened. It is also possible that a new political system inspired by Marxism could develop, revised based on the new circumstances.
The use of the word revision is conscious. Revision is necessary and to an extent inevitable for any philosophy. In a way, aren’t the philosophies that we see, largely revisions of the ones of the past? It is also not necessary for a political system to develop after a philosophy. It can go on as a philosophy living on by affecting human minds in some way, ignoring the final fates of victory and defeat which is bound to happen for its translation.
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