Posted on 12/15/2004 12:03:09 AM PST by JohnHuang2
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
By R.J. Rummel
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
With the fall of the Soviet Union and communist governments in Eastern Europe, too many have the impression that Marxism, the religion of communism, is dead. Hardly. It is alive and well in many countries still, such as North Korea, China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, a gaggle of African countries, and in the minds of many South American political leaders. However, of most importance to the future of democracy, communism still pollutes the thinking of a vast multitude of Western academics and intellectuals.
Of all religions, secular and otherwise, that of Marxism has been by far the bloodiest – bloodier than the Catholic Inquisition, the various Catholic crusades, and the Thirty Years War between Catholics and Protestants. In practice, Marxism has meant bloody terrorism, deadly purges, lethal prison camps and murderous forced labor, fatal deportations, man-made famines, extrajudicial executions and fraudulent show trials, outright mass murder and genocide.
In total, Marxist regimes murdered nearly 110 million people from 1917 to 1987. For perspective on this incredible toll, note that all domestic and foreign wars during the 20th century killed around 35 million. That is, when Marxists control states, Marxism is more deadly then all the wars of the 20th century, including World Wars I and II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
And what did Marxism, this greatest of human social experiments, achieve for its poor citizens, at this most bloody cost in lives? Nothing positive. It left in its wake an economic, environmental, social and cultural disaster.
The Khmer Rouge – (Cambodian communists) who ruled Cambodia for four years – provide insight into why Marxists believed it necessary and moral to massacre so many of their fellow humans. Their Marxism was married to absolute power. They believed without a shred of doubt that they knew the truth, that they would bring about the greatest human welfare and happiness, and that to realize this utopia, they had to mercilessly tear down the old feudal or capitalist order and Buddhist culture, and then totally rebuild a communist society. Nothing could be allowed to stand in the way of this achievement. Government – the Communist Party – was above any law. All other institutions, religions, cultural norms, traditions and sentiments were expendable.
The Marxists saw the construction of this utopia as a war on poverty, exploitation, imperialism and inequality – and, as in a real war, noncombatants would unfortunately get caught in the battle. There would be necessary enemy casualties: the clergy, bourgeoisie, capitalists, "wreckers," intellectuals, counterrevolutionaries, rightists, tyrants, the rich and landlords. As in a war, millions might die, but these deaths would be justified by the end, as in the defeat of Hitler in World War II. To the ruling Marxists, the goal of a communist utopia was enough to justify all the deaths.
The irony is that in practice, even after decades of total control, Marxism did not improve the lot of the average person, but usually made living conditions worse than before the revolution. It is not by chance that the world's greatest famines have happened within the Soviet Union (about 5 million dead from 1921-23 and 7 million from 1932-3, including 2 million outside Ukraine) and communist China (about 30 million dead from 1959-61). Overall, in the last century almost 55 million people died in various Marxist famines and associated epidemics – a little over 10 million of them were intentionally starved to death, and the rest died as an unintended result of Marxist collectivization and agricultural policies.
What is astonishing is that this "currency" of death by Marxism is not thousands or even hundreds of thousands, but millions of deaths. This is almost incomprehensible – it is as though the whole population of the American New England and Middle Atlantic States, or California and Texas, had been wiped out. And that around 35 million people escaped Marxist countries as refugees was an unequaled vote against Marxist utopian pretensions. Its equivalent would be everyone fleeing California, emptying it of all human beings.
There is a supremely important lesson for human life and welfare to be learned from this horrendous sacrifice to one ideology: No one can be trusted with unlimited power.
The more power a government has to impose the beliefs of an ideological or religious elite, or decree the whims of a dictator, the more likely human lives and welfare will be sacrificed. As a government's power is more unrestrained, as its power reaches into all corners of culture and society, the more likely it is to kill its own citizens.
As a governing elite has the power to do whatever it wants, whether to satisfy its most personal wishes, or as today's Marxists desire, to pursue what it believes is right and true, it may do so whatever the cost in lives. Here, power is the necessary condition for mass murder. Once an elite has full authority, other causes and conditions can operate to bring about the immediate genocide, terrorism, massacres or whatever killing the members of an elite feel is warranted. But it is power – unchecked, unconstrained, uncontrolled – that is the killer.
Our academic and intellectual Marxists today are getting a free ride. They get a certain respect because of their words about improving the lot of the worker and the poor, their utopian pretensions. But when empowered, Marxism has failed utterly, as has fascism. Instead of being treated with respect and tolerance, Marxists should be treated as though they wished a deadly plague on all of us.
The next time you come across or are lectured by one of our indigenous Marxists, or almost the equivalent, leftist zealots, ask them how they can justify the murder of over a hundred million their absolutist faith has brought about, and the misery it has created for many hundreds of millions more.
I think if you go to Rummel's website and read a bit deeper that you will find that what he calls "democracy" might more accurately be termed "constitutional democracy"--i.e. democracy with firm provisions to protect minority rights.
Glad to see someone using Rummel early in the thread. I throw him in the face of Lefties reasonably often. It tends to end debate, as there isn't much of a comeback.
I generally go straight to the 20th Century Democide page, which has the nice table that sums it all up.
http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM
>>It generally drives Leftists batty.
You can say that again. It's a marvelous thing. You can just see them gritting their teeth, when faced with him.
Ping
Oh yeah, I got use for this info.
So bottom line, when we export 'democratic freedom'; encourage; fight for it. . .we are making the world a safer place. We have fewer threatening neighbors.
Totalitarianism on the contrary; as seen in the stats above, is the greatest threat to peace and every freedom- loving individual.. Democratic freedom IS the ultimate peacemaker.
I also like Rummell's stats; pointing out the deaths in Vietnam; before we got there. . .and after we left - and still counting. Statistics the Left, still overlook and/or just NEVER consider.
I wanted the Repubs to use Rummell's conclusions as to WHY in the bigger picture; Iraq . . .and the freedom of Iraquis, was/is so critical so more American's can appreciate the importance of our suceeding in this war.
Rummel certainly offers in beautiful simplicity, WHY freedom is so hated - by the committed totalitarian. Why/how, there are ideas worse than 'war'. Rummel's stats (verified by others ie 'the Black Book of Communism referenced here in a post as well). . .
that 'totalitarianism' has killed more people than ANY war - can only silence a committed Leftist. . .and it is surely a statistic that speaks to 'absolute power' more definitively than any other..
Repubs have a lot of educating to do. . .
Democracy is indispensable to socialism. The goal of socialism is communism. V.I. Lenin
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.- Karl Marx
There are 3 words not used anywhere in the U.S. Constitution ON PURPOSE....
1) democracy.....
2) democractic...
3) democrat......
The founders knew absolutely what democracy was and was not..
And felt so stongly about those words they were not used on purpose.. because democracy is a social disease and the source of socialism and other symptoms too.. Socialism is merely a symptom democracy.. No democracy ever existed that was NOT hobbled and ultimately destroyed by socialism..
Democracy is a disease and whenever the word is used Americans should SPIT on the ground.. or on the USER..
Thanks Granny. This is scary I am not sure how long we will hold out. We have to find somebody real fast for 2008!
One good thing was the votes on gay marriage over 75% of America say NO! that gave me a lot of hope.
bump
I just finished reading an incredible story of how, during Hitler's and Stalin's invasion of Poland in 1939, a Polish officer named Slavomir Rawicz was captured by the Russians, sent to Siberia with many other Polish soldiers and there suffered terribly under that horrendous regime of commie murderers. Slavomir and six other prisoners, including an American, escaped and then walked thousands of miles across Russia, Mongolia, Tibet and all the way to India. Only four made it alive, but it had to be the longest escape route ever. The book is "The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz. Find it and read it. You'll end up despising the Russian commies more than you may now believe possible.
"A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." -Joseph Stalin
BTT for "The Long Walk," one of the most gripping true stories I've ever read. At one point where they're on the Gobi desert I cried. You know why.
Hey, Democrats. You wonder why we hate you to your core? Now you know.
I believe that democracy is used by the Commies to destroy America. One reason I believe this is, just listen avowed leftists in this country, and what do they call for?
Democracy.
This is the thing that you can tie both political parties together in current times. Republicans are all the time, calling for democracy around the world like in America and so is the 'Rat party. have you noticed too, that democrats no longer like to be called democrats or be referred to as the democrat party. They only want to be called the democratic party. Or be referred to as democratic senator or democratic rep.
figure that one out.
Democracy is the road to socialism. Karl Marx
Democracy is indispensable to socialism. The goal of socialism is communism. V.I. Lenin
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.- Karl Marx
Great post! The above is something that you never read in the liberal media. They claim that wars in the 20th century killed 200 million and say nothing about the 110+ million people murdered by their own govts. (most by being marched into a mass-grave in a country field and shot in the back of the head).
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