#444 – Vejas Liulevicius: Communism, Marxism, Nazism, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler

Karl Marx, with his intricate ideas on society and its progression, has left an imprint on history with notions that challenged and shaped political thought.

Marx believed that history has a definite purpose and direction towards the inevitable resolution of all conflicts and the total liberation of the human person.

Marx insisted that history is not random but rather has a definitive direction and goal. This sense of destiny is inherent in the structures and laws of history, evolving through class conflict and modes of production. Despite this determined direction, Marx added that there is room for heroism and individual roles to expedite the process, such as through revolution.

Marx incorporated both a scientific, deterministic view of history's inevitable progression as well as a role for heroic individuals to accelerate this process through revolution.

Marx fused the belief in a scientific revolution — a systematic progression towards the end of history — with action, assuming that knowledge of history's patterns obliges one to engage in revolution. He utilized Hegel’s view on history's movement towards human freedom, recasting it with a focus on material conditions through what became known as dialectical materialism. Liulevicius suggests that Marx hinted at a religious or secular element in this vision, painting a picture akin to a utopia or secular heaven.

Marx saw class struggle as the driving force of historical change, with the proletariat class destined to overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish a classless, communist society.

The class struggle, according to Marx, comprises all historical conflicts, with the proletariat destined to rise against the bourgeoisie. The tension between these classes not only moves history forward but sets the stage for a crucial explosion resulting in a final revolution by the working class. This revolution would lead to a dictatorship of the proletariat and eventually the abolition of all classes, establishing an equitably governed society without class distinctions.

Marx envisioned a utopian future where all exploitation and necessity would be abolished, all ...

Communism, as articulated by Marx, became a reality in the 20th century in the form of the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China under the leadership of key figures such as Lenin and Mao Zedong. This political and social movement, which surged in response to war and societal disruption, led to profound changes and catastrophic events in both nations.

In Russia, the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917 amid the chaos of World War I, with Lenin leading the charge towards a communist revolution.

Led by Lenin, the Bolsheviks found their moment amid the chaos of World War I, seizing power in a society that was largely feudal. Stepping into a power vacuum, they triggered modernization in the Russian Empire, defying Marx's expectations that communism would first take root in industrialized nations.

Lenin, a radical wing of the socialist movement, capitalized on the disarray of the war, seeing it as an opportunity to initiate revolutionary change. Returning to Russia from exile with the aid of the German high command, Lenin was resolved to catalyze broader revolutionary movements. Lenin, profoundly impacted by the execution of his brother and adopting a "guided missile" mentality for revolution, pushed through difficult steps, like the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, to secure Bolshevik power, despite facing hostility.

Lenin and Stalin, who was promoted due to his commitment to the cause, navigated the odds stacked against them, including a critical civil war. They anticipated a worldwide revolution with Russia and a soon-to-be communist Germany as the epicenters.

The Bolsheviks faced numerous challenges in building a communist state, including a brutal civil war, economic collapse, and resistance to collectivization of agriculture.

Yet, Lenin's insistence on discipline and a well-organized party allowed the Bolsheviks to emerge victorious from the civil war. Their survival, despite many enemies, seemed unlikely. Lenin's death did not halt the process; Stalin continued policies such as forced collectivization of agriculture, which aimed at modernizing Russia and controlling the food supply to prevent crises. However, these policies caused immense human suffering, highlighted by a horrific man-made famine, massive death tolls, and falsified state statistics. The peasantry suffered losses in personal land and incentives, while internal passports limited their mobility akin to a feudal status.

Mao Zedong adapted Marxism to the Chinese con ...

The ideologies of communism, fascism, and democracy engaged in a high-stakes ideological struggle across Europe in the 20th century.

Communism and fascism both arose as radical ideological alternatives to the liberal democratic order, rejecting individualism and parliamentary democracy.

Following World War I, Benito Mussolini founded fascism in Italy amidst dissatisfaction with perceived inadequate territorial gains and a lack of prestige. Fascism rejected liberal notions of individual rights and representative democracy, instead glorifying the state and people united in a militaristic fashion. Liberal democracy was deemed obsolete, with its representative form considered bankrupt after leading to the First World War and the Great Depression.

Fuegelen, a refugee from Nazi oppression, perceived political religions like fascism, Nazism, and Soviet communism as ideologies offering salvational promises akin to religious eschatologies. However, he warned that these totalitarian aspirations aimed to manifest a version of the end times on Earth, often leading to catastrophic results.

While communists and fascists were ideological enemies, they displayed some similarities in their totalitarian aspirations and willingness to use violence to achieve their goals.

Nazism, while influenced by fascist ideology, had its unique emphasis on racial radicalism, particularly anti-Semitism. The Nazi party, or the National Socialist German Workers' Party, sought to create confusion by mixing ideologies to form a new movement that claimed to transcend existing political divisions. Both Nazis and Bolsheviks viewed the other as an existential threat to their own visions of utopia. Communists believed Nazi fascism to be a capitalist ploy in the latter stages of a dying capitalistic society, while Nazis concocted the idea of Judeo-Bolshevism as a Jewish-led communist conspiracy. Despite their fundamental opposition, these ideologies both subscribed to a monolithic truth and destiny, justifying authoritarianism and violence.

The struggle between communism and fascism played out dramatically in Weimar Germany, as the two extremist movements undermined the fragile democratic experiment.

In Weimar Germany, the democratically established socialist government was made up of moderate social democrats but faced brutal opposition from communists whose vision aligned more with Leninist authoritarianism. The state utilized mercenaries, nationalists, and veterans to violently suppress communist movements, seeding a deep rift within the socialist framework.

As Vejas Liulevicius and Lex Fridman discuss, during this turbulent period, Germany oscillated on the brink of civil unrest, with both communist and Nazi factions contributing to an atmosphere of civil war. Democracy had effect ...

Communist states have historically sought to exercise totalitarian control using tactics such as secret police, purges, and intense indoctrination. This section dissects the ways in which communist regimes, particularly under Stalin and Mao, undermined social trust and manipulated science and technology for ideological gain.

Communist states sought to exercise total control over their populations, using the secret police, purges, and indoctrination to crush dissent and enforce loyalty.

Stalin's regime is characterized by mass terror and repression which eroded the very fabric of trust and kinship within the society. Stalin, comfortable with the strategy of eliminating his political enemies, utilized purges extensively. Building upon Lenin's secret police apparatus, the Cheka, later headed by Dzerzhinsky, was used effectively to instill fear and maintain surveillance.

The execution of approximately 750,000 people, including officials and intellectuals, and the deportation of over a million to the Gulags during the Great Terror from 1936 to 1938, highlights Stalin's ruthless use of purges. Even the secret police were not immune to Stalin's purges, which were a tactic to ensure no one felt secure, perpetuating an environment of fearful precariousness among even the most devoted Bolsheviks.

Under Stalin, even those within the party and their families were not spared, with arbitrary arrests and torture used to extract confessions and implicate further victims. The denunciation culture expanded the reach of the secret police, paralyzing society with the pervasive dread of arbitrary disappearances. Framed by Liulevicius as the ultimate dictatorship with unrestrained power, the regime left deep psychological scars that disintegrated trust within the community.

The terror and mass repression under Stalin and Mao eroded social bonds and trust, producing a climate of fear and uncertainty.

Society under Stalin was crippled with fear, as neighbors disappeared overnight and distrust permeated every aspect of life. The fabricated confessions and the subsequent mass denunciations created an atmosphere of doubt, with even those loyal to communism apprehensive about speaking out or questioning the status quo.

Communist regimes weaponized science and technology to bolster their ideological claims, using propaganda and censorship to shape the flow of information and narrative.

Stalin's regime skilled in propaganda, created a godlike image of an otherwise unattractive and uncharismatic leader, and Mao's ...

The legacy of communism in Russia and China has evolved significantly since the 20th century, shaping the current political landscapes in these countries in diverse ways.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia struggled to come to terms with its communist past, with Putin promoting a selective historical narrative.

The lack of a comprehensive historical reckoning in Russia has hindered the country's introspection of its Soviet past and contributed to the current authoritarian tendencies.

The lack of a full historical reckoning and accountability for the crimes of communism in Russia has allowed for the perpetuation of authoritarian tendencies.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia did not engage as much as it should have in taking stock and assigning responsibility for past experiences under communism. No Nuremberg-like trials took place to hold individuals accountable for repression. This absence of full accountability has allowed for selective remembrance and the perpetuation of authoritarian tendencies. Vladimir Putin, who replaced Yeltsin, promotes a historical narrative that is diverse and often contradictory. While he recognizes the disastrous nature of Stalin's rule, Putin also views Stalin as an effective representative of Russian statehood, and he is nostalgic for earlier forms of Russian greatness. Putin's aggression on the global stage is connected to his nostalgia for Russia's past strength, suggesting a continuum of authoritarian behavior influenced by the unresolved communist legacy.

China has maintained communist party rule while embracing market-oriented economic reforms, leading to questions about the nature of its political system.

In China, the ruling Communist Party has successfully retained political power while permitting economic development and private enterprise.

The Chinese Communist Party has sought to blend nationalist and communist rhetoric to maintain its legitimacy, while employing sophisticated surveillance and control mechanisms.

After Mao Zedong's death, the Chinese Communist Party opened China to the world economically while ensuring that the party remained supreme. Although the regime ...