Karl Marx popularized – but did not create – the slogan From each according to his ability; to each according to his needs that is most often associated with communism. The phrase is universally known, even if you are a communistic in belief or deed.
In a 1974 National Geographic article East Germany: The Struggle to Succeed claims that the German Democratic Republic amended the slogan:
I learned that Marx’s old motto – “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” – has been modified by the GDR. Now it ends “to each according to his performance.”
As one official explained, “We believe the superior worker should be rewarded.”
Putman, John J., East Germany: The Struggle to Succeed, National Geographic, September 1974, p319
So isn’t paying someone based on ability – performance – an aspect of capitalism? Not the only aspect, but it certainly doesn’t sound like communism.
Image Credits
© 1974 National Geographic Society, Gordon W. Gahan.
