Under Communist regimes there is a wide gap between precept and reality, of which history offers ample evidence. After the Russian Revolution, Vladimir Lenin moved into a millionaire’s mansion even as widespread hardship and famine afflicted parts of the country. The revolution had promised equality and fraternity, yet many critics argue that the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite increasingly contradicted those ideals.
Similarly, footage of celebrations marking Mao Zedong's birthday in Communist China has been cited by critics as reflecting extravagant displays more commonly associated with elite social gatherings than with a society founded on egalitarian principles. During much of Mao's rule, millions of Chinese continued to live in poverty despite the state's commitment to economic equality.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro was well known for his fondness for premium cigars, a luxury item that stood in contrast to the egalitarian ethos espoused by the revolution. Among Communist leaders, only Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh repudiated a bourgeois lifestyle and shared the poverty of the masses.
Similar contradictions in West Bengal were also apparent during the decades of Marxist rule. Political patronage and crony capitalism benefited sections of the party leadership and favoured business interests, while many industrial workers—long portrayed as the vanguard of the proletariat—continued to face economic hardship and declining employment opportunities.
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