Socialism and communism are not about equality in the slightest, nor are they benign political and economic systems. America (and every other nation in the world) ignores this truth at her or their peril.
Human nature being human nature, these two political systems always end up being hierarchical. The ruling elites acquire the privileges and benefits, and the masses remain the masses. I want to support my statement with two illustrative examples. One example is from personal experience and the other from history.
A Perspective To Keep In Mind
I want all my readers to keep in mind Eric Hoffer’s famous quote. Mr. Hoffer wrote most tellingly about the human condition. He once opined, famously and correctly, that “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and ends up as a racket.” That quote captures the essence of socialism and communism.
A Personal View Of Chinese communism In 1980
I have visited China twice, once in 1980 and again in 1988. The 1980 trip was a tour highly regulated and controlled. Everywhere we traveled, a political representative accompanied the group. This gentleman, though quite friendly and seemingly apolitical, followed strict rules.
I had come to love all things Chinese because of my 15 months in Taiwan in 1966/1967 as a young Naval Officer. So, I decided to befriend our political watchdog and query him about what was really happening in the People’s Republic of China. I bought him packs of cigarettes as a gift, and we drank Chinese beer together at our first group dinners.
One morning during the first week of our trip, the guide and I were sitting in the front of the bus as we left our hotel and headed for the Forbidden City. As we drove that morning, we passed a magnificent palace set back from the road. I asked the guide about the palace, and he explained that the last Chinese emperor once lived there. I queried him about who lived there now. He said the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. I remarked that China had exchanged one type of emperor for another. Nothing had really changed despite the communist revolution in 1949. He smiled and nodded in agreement.
The Russian And Chinese Nomenklatura Have Become Ruling Elites
Alexander Kerensky, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky were the leading players in the Russian Revolution that brought down Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Lenin’s goal for the Russian Revolution was “the dictatorship of the proletariat,” first envisioned by Karl Marx. Lenin never achieved his goal. When Lenin died in 1924, Joseph Stalin became head of the Communist Party and, later, dictator of the Soviet Union. Stalin ruled the Soviet Union until he died in 1953. During these years, the Russian nomenklatura, comprising administrative elites and bureaucrats, rose to power as recipients of the communist party system of patronage. The Russian nomenklatura quickly shunted aside the proletariat class.
Mao Zedong and his agrarian reformers in the Chinese Communist Party defeated Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang forces. The Communists forced Chiang to leave Mainland China and to decamp to Taiwan, where he established the Republic of China.
Maoism, as formulated by Mao Zedong, was to create a power structure for the peasants of China. Again, as with Russia, the peasants were eventually marginalized as the communist ruling class became an oligarchy. The sole purpose of the Chinese ruling class is “to maintain and increase their power and privilege.”** The real concerns of China and the Chinese people are irrelevant.
The Proponents Of Socialism And Communism Are Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing
Do not be fooled by the proponents of socialism and communism. All their talk about equality, social justice, democratic capitalism, and other such concepts are only words. First and foremost, they seek power and privilege.
Review the history of the various socialistic and communistic regimes we have seen in the 20th and 21st centuries: Soviet Russia, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and China. Beware the many wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Links
External Link: https://theasianantiquarian.com/
Internal Link: https://whitebeardwisdom.com/socialism-in-a-nutshell/
Notes: *A quote from Margaret Thatcher’s book “Statecraft” prompted this post; in her book, Ms. Thatcher wrote about several meetings with Chinese Communist Party officials. **This quoted phrase was taken from an October 10, 2016 article written by Francis P. Sempa for “The Diplomat” website.
