About 40 years ago, the United States celebrated its bicentennial. The United States was a free democratic republic for two hundred years! Our revolution, our Constitution, our freedoms were unique in the history of the world. They still are.
As far as we are committed to the ideals upon which our freedoms are founded, we will remain a free prosperous people. To the extent that some are denied access to those freedoms is our shame. As long as we appeal to the source of our freedoms and commit ourselves to the fulfillment of those ideals, we will have an even greater tricentennial in 2076!
On this “anniversary year” of totalitarian communism, perhaps we should look at its methods and outcomes. The rise of communism begins in the mid-19th century with the writings of Karl Marx. The keys to Marxist communism are the dictatorship of the proletariat, the elimination of religion, denial of basic freedoms and the use of any means to gain power. The ends justify the means.
The first major attempt to establish a communist dictatorship occurred in Russia in November 1917. One hundred years ago this month, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was created. Where are the celebrations?
In the first decades of the 20th century, the illiterate Russian masses were easy to arouse against their oppressors and believe whatever the new oppressors told them. The “people” traded massive oppression from kings for massive oppression from communist dictatorships.
During the following decades, other places fell under communist socialist rule. Building all those “Democratic Republics” (meaning socialist dictatorships) came at a high price. Methodologies included assassination, hangings, mass murder, “re-education camps” and the KGB types to keep order. The price in human lives is an estimated 100 million dead. Stalin said, “The death of one person is a tragedy; the death of a million is a statistic.”
Lenin, Stalin, Mao and their true believers were/are all peas in the same pod. Their key to success was elimination of any opposition and subjugation of the people. Only the party knows the truth, there is no other truth. Think the current movement of political correctness today. Same idea, different approach. As for any opposition, it must be removed from the public square, eliminated. All references to God in the public arena must be destroyed and removed and replaced with the distortions of the “the cause.” Does this ring a bell?
Important tools in establishing the dictatorship were to shut down the free press. The loss of freedom requires if not a complicit at least a compliant media. To succeed, the totalitarians know they must preach the party line without opposition. Another key tool is the big lie propaganda. They knew, if you tell a lie often enough and eliminate dissenting opinions, the lie will become the truth. If you can’t make a case against the ideas of others, attack them personally with lies and distortions. Observing recent election campaigns, this dastardly idea is hitting too close to home.
The mouthpiece of the party in Russia was the newspaper Pravda. The Russian word Pravda means truth. Of course, Pravda was a pack of lies. In morally relativistic societies, laws are based only on “the wisdom” of “the enlightened.” See Mao’s Little Red Book.
Control the media and you control public opinion. Control the schools and you control the future. Control the government and you control the law. Control all three and you control everything. None of the control is based on free expression, discussion, compromise or reason. It is based solely on power – the power of, in most cases, a radical minority. Then, with “Big Brother” watching your every move, only fear rules – never freedom.
History must be rewritten. The only good is the “movement,” “the cause.” All else is evil. None of the good aspects of the past are to be mentioned. Only the evils of the past are to be taught. Statues of past heroes are relics of oppression and must be removed. Does this sound familiar?
If your beliefs, ideals, personal goals don’t mesh with the government dictates, you are deplorable and you must be reeducated. You will also be marginalized. Hmm, deplorable – where have I heard that word before?
Totalitarian communism failed. There are only five communist centers of repression left; six, if you count our politically correct college campuses.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for a celebration of totalitarian communism, but at the same time keep your eyes open here at home.
