The hammer and sickle
20th century
''Comrade Stalin, having become General Secretary, has concentrated an enormous power in his hands; and I am not sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution.'' -Lenin
After Vladimir Lenin died in 1924, Joseph Stalin obtained the title of the General Secretary of the Soviet Union. Under his leadership, the state strayed away from Lenin's vision of what a Communist society is comprised of.
"A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." -Stalin
This was evident in World War II, which carried over into the Cold War, as Stalin ignored his responsibility to guide the people, and allowed millions of his own compatriots to starve.
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas." -Stalin
Present day
Communism is no longer present in Russia, but it still exists today in Cuba, Laos, North Korea, China, and Vietnam. History has shown how communism strips the citizens of their rights and dignity. Lenin's ideas were never realized and the Soviet Union is a testament to how detrimental communism is to the state and the rights of all involved.