Granted, it's pretty irrational. Sure, Russia's goal was world domination, but conquering Eastern Europe and establishing a political presence in China was probably higher on their list of priorities than convincing some random fellas at the bar that hey, maybe that Karl Marx guy had a point. But many of the accusations levied against Communist ideologies in the guide have a factual and logical presence.
For one, the guide does an excellent job distinguishing the ideals of Communism upon which Stalin rose to power and the actual system he put in place. While some may argue that it is somewhat ignorant to define a Communist as someone who buys into Stalin's regime, I would argue that someone actively trying to push a Communist agenda on you at this time probably didn't have the best of intentions. Even if Stalin wasn't actively sponsoring moles to try and turn the American people against their country, there could still be people trying to accomplish that.
The other factual argument the guide makes is its second-to-last point: "no tactics are too low for a Communist: lying, cheating, betrayal, ruin and even murder." Under the assumption established earlier that "Communist" is referring to a Stalin sympathizer, our frustrated unbuttoned-collar-wearing friend on the left is guilty of supporting some pretty horrible things. It's important to remember that while American propaganda against the Soviets was overly exaggerating of the threat they posed, they didn't get their morality wrong. And while the Red Scare certainly set progressiveness back and ruined many people's lives, no one was digging mass graves or deporting people to labor camps in America.
During the cold war, America was indeed more humane to americans then the USSR was to russians. However, American paranoia did lead to the suffering of many, say, vietnamese. Also, for the USAs minimum standard of humaneness to be that of a totalitarian regime is allow standard indeed.
ReplyDeleteDid America overestimate the threat that Soviets posed? No. The USSR had nuclear weapons.
Does the Timken guide imply that communists were Soviet agents? No.
You are right that there were Americans who, on their own accord, were trying to sabotage the United States. You are also right that it is ignorant to define a Communist as someone who supports Stalin's regime. There were many communists who loved america. My grandpa, for instance.
What do you mean by actively pushing a communist agenda? Is talking about ones opinions no longer something sacred in America. People are entitled to their opinions, and to vote for what they believe, in our democratic process. We were fighting the cold war for the survival of democratic protection of the minority and free expression.
To your last paragraph: I wasn't trying to imply that simply talking about one's opinions was grounds for being labeled a Communist. I was thinking more along the lines of someone aggressively trying to convince you that Stalin was right. It may not have come out that way, however.
DeleteWHY DONT U LOVE AMERICA
DeleteWho is adsf btw?
ReplyDeleteI understand the logic of your argument, but I don't necessarily agree with the last assertion you mentioned. I can see how Stalin's actions could be considered murderous, lying, and cheating, but Communism itself is not Stalin. Some propaganda is supposed to get people angry at something concrete like an ideology or group of people so they can all be blamed, I guess.
ReplyDelete-Tylar