Since 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and Eastern European communism ended, many of those who experienced or witnessed communism have published their experiences to the public through the media . These personal accounts tell, for the most part, of repressive and manipulative governments that constantly abused their power. Since the original goal of communism was equality, the East German government clearly corrupted the hopes of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels for the future of Eastern European government and society. Marx and Engels lived in the nineteenth century and witnessed the atrocities of communism. the industrial revolution. The growth of factories in Western Europe led to more work, but the work was long and dangerous. Many people had to work sixteen hours a day or more, and injuries were common. Children were forced to work because their families needed extra help and money. As work in cities became more necessary, cities became excessively crowded. Entire families lived in small studio apartments. Famine, disease and poverty spread throughout the cities. Society was divided into different social classes. The two largest, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, were in conflict with each other. The bourgeoisie controlled the means of production, which were the tools and capital needed to create a successful economy. The proletariat owned nothing. All they could do was work at their difficult factory jobs. Marx and Engels believed that the struggle between the dominant and non-dominant classes had taken place throughout human history. The goals of communism were primarily concerned with class structure. Marx and Engels wanted to end class conflict, particularly between the proletariat and... the center of reunification. Marx and Engels had a specific vision of what they wanted their communist government to be. . If communism had remained unchanged in its original form, party corruption may not have occurred and the rest of the world could have learned valuable lessons from communists. If communism had continued to be what Marx and Engels intended it to be, then communist governments could have succeeded. Unfortunately, what they neglected to take into account was the greed that would overwhelm society. When people become power-hungry, they can easily take advantage of a communist government and corrupt it, turning it into a totalitarian government. In theory, communism works well. But as East German history has shown, communism's promise of full equality is unlikely unless government corruption can be prevented..