Critics of communism have usually lighted upon the more unattractive aspects of orthodox communism, sometimes tracing these back to the classical ideas of Marx In this light, communism is scen to be intrinsically dictatorial, if not implicitly totalitarian. The oppressive face of communism stems from the fact that it combines the i gleas of concentrated political and centralised power state control(despite Marx's doctrine of withering away), creating an
all-powerful party-state apparatus, typically dominated by a charismatic leader. The dramatic collapse of communism in the Eastern European Revolutions of 1989-9 i and the radical reforms that have occurred where communist parties have clung on to power indicate a number of structural weaknesses within orthodox