Why communism didn’t have its own Nuremberg?

The Nazis were trialed during the Nuremberg Trials, while communism, the most criminal system in the history of human kind still remains with impunity. Who is to be blamed? The Soviets? The Americans? Or maybe Western media and universities, dominated by leftist thinking? Prof. Andrzej Nowak replies to these and other questions.

The efforts of realising the communist ideology ended up with annihilation of at least 100 million people

Tony Judt, an American historian and a disappointed intellectual who died short time ago noticed in his last book (which was written as conversations run by Timothy Snyder) that 20^th century was the age of intellectuals.

It was also the age of the biggest mass crimes. The idea of bulding a new, better world behind those crimes was carried out on the greatest scale by communism. And it was the intellectuals who were able – and still are able – to justify those crimes, still dreaming about making the perfect omelette from human abilities. They also justify this laudable idea with every broken egg, every life used. Because it is not their life.

Attempts to make the communist ideology real led to annihilation of at least 100 million people. Let us imagine that suddenly France and England are gone, or even the whole US East Coast – from Boston and New York to Miami. This would be 100 million people. But victims of communism died somewhere else, in such uninteresting places like Katyn, Kolyma, somewhere in China, Vietnam, Cuba. Who would care about them – in the big political and intellectual world of elites Western Europe or American East Coast.

Russia – prisoners from gulag building the White Sea Canal (Byelomorski Canal)

First of all, because it was approved that it did not lose, but it was kind enough to share the responsibility and power with its slaves and made an agreement (a compromise) with the West. This version was suitable with political interests of the status quo defenders – both for those from US Department of State and for those who were invited to various round tables.

The second reason is that the communist ideology has made in the last 90 years a WINNING march through various media and educational institutions of the West. The universities of Western Europe and America as much as editorial offices of the most influential media are dominated by so-called caviar left (gauche caviar) who constantly undust the bust of old good Marx (if not Stalin and Mao).

Since the beginning of the 90’s I regularly visit academic bookstores in the biggest cities of the West. I always look at the shelves with philosophy. After a short break, just after 1990, marxism again reigns on them. Now it has a separate part of bookshelves and it is much better supplied with books than the other parts of philosophy. From Louis Althusser to Slavoj Zizek – marxist inspiration rules.

Right now the emperor of this wisdom is Alain Badiou, a French fan of Mao. Very popular is Eric Howsbawm, an English historian and communist, in his texts easily absolving (forgiving) crimes commited in the name of the “beautiful idea”. Quite a new star is Terry Eagleton, trying to match christianism with hard marxism.

Generally, the dominating issues are the critics of capitalism, especially America, liberalism, religion and the horrible “middle class” (bourgeoisie). A very percipient study, contained in the three-volume study of the totalitarian temptation, written by Leszek Kolakowski, remains covered with dust. Few people refer to it. What really is a market product is the hatred towards the West, the political, economic and ethic system, on which it was based. And who would be better to sell this hatred than good old Marx?

Among these opinion-forming circles the victims of communism are not “fashionable”. When the Latvian minister of culture, Sandra Kalniete, dared to demand for memory of the victims of communism during the opening of the book fair in Leipzig in 2004, she raised a great European scandal. How is it possible? When at the same time in Portugal there’s a world congress of more than 100 communist parties’ representatives, Europe would condemn the heritage of Marx and Lenin? Remember about some “Russian peasants” who died of hunger, about Polish “reactionist” officers shot in the middle of nowhere, about priests crucified in the name of the progress? It’s pure fascism!

Communism still remains the hope of the humand kind… Surprisingly none of these intellectuals, who proclaim this belief wants to notice that communism is still implemented practically in North Corea. I really want to ask you: do you truly want to build the second, improved Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?

Or maybe in the name of these noble ideas you would be ready to take the slaves dying of hunger from Korean communist camps under your roof? Let’s say, ten for each editor of “Krytyka Polityczna” in Warsaw, twenty for each marxist-professor in Paris, Rome or New York, two for every student fascinated with communism, a hundred for every influential editors from the most popular newspaper, magazines and TV – from BBC and CNN up to their poor copies in Poland. And so – hundreds of thousands of communism victims, suffering right now, would be relieved… It would be quite better than “suspended” coffee in Starbucks.

From the question about North Korea we could start a conversation with all defenders of communism heritage – if they were ready to talk. But they are probably not. “Hell is other people” – it’s an aforism of Jean Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, one the gurus of counterculture revolt of the 60’s and a consequent admirer of Mao Zedong. People like him don’t like talking about facts. So let us remind them some facts.

Communism is an old ideology. It was already introduced in Plato’s “State”, 24 centuries ago. But it was Karl Marx who gave it a form of mature ideology in the middle of 19^th century. The prophet of revolution and annihilation of the old world was expressing hope to create a new, better man and to improve the human nature. And he was justifying violence with this great hope.

The first lesson was given by the Paris Commune in 1871, which executed their enemies, until it was damped down. The new man wasn’t created yet, a lot of “old” people were killed, especially priests (among them the bishop of Paris). But not these victims were remembered, but rather big indeed – victims of repressions aimed against the Commune. A nice legend remained.

The next attempt to introduce the communist utopia was more spectacular. It was done in Russia. And just like in any other case, communism did not win in democratic elections, but was forced with violence by the minority of determined and organised activists of the ideology.

Let’s remember: communism and democracy, like communism and freedom, refer to one question which was asked in the best way by Lenin, the leader of the revolution in Russia. The question is: who, whom? This is the essence of communism – fight for life and death, and mainly for death. Communism or democracy. Communism or freedom. In order to win the revolution in Russia Lenin needed to create the first totalitarian political police in the world: Cheka (Chrezvychaynaya Kommisiya, Emergency Commission). After overthrow in Pietrogrod in 1917 he made Feliks Dzierzynski the head of this office. Who wishes to see how this organisation worked can find the film by Alexander Rogoshkin “The Chekist” (1992). It is the best shown “factory belt” of killing. Only in the years 1937-1938 the officials of this institution (known from now on as NKVD) shot more than 670 thousand “enemies”.

But shooting was not enough. Communism immediately needed to make the next step: the right hand of Lenin in the work of the revolution, Leon Trotsky in 1918 gave an order to create concentration camps. The first was settled in Sviyazhsk next to Kazan. Trotsky commanded to build a monument of Cain in the middle of the camp – as a symbol of the rebellion against God.

And indeed, GULAG, the system of camps, started by Trotsky is the most shocking monument of man’s revolt against God, and precisely against the fifth commandment: You shall not murder.

The defenders of communism like to remind that concentration camps had been created before – English made them during the war with Boers in south Africa. It is true. But let’s stay close to facts: British camps were to isolate civil people from partisants only during the war time. And right after it they were disbanded. Due to illnesses and hunger 27 thousand people died in them. It was a crime, although it was not planned.

The camps in the Soviet country “worked” for more than 70 years. According to Robert Conquest, at least 42 million people died in gulags. If English camps in south Africa were a crime, what were camps who were created to build communism?

After Soviet Union they were “needed” in China (another tens of millions of victims), in Vietnam, in Cuba, Korea, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland… Every victim had a name and a surname, everyone was someone, like Osip Mandelsztam, the biggest 20^th century Russian poet (martyred in GULAG in 1938), or like Wasyl Stus, the biggest 20^th century Ukrainian poet (died in GULAG in 1985, when Gorbaczov was governing the Soviet Union)…

There were other great “experiments” of creating a new Soviet man in the process of modernising the whole society: elimination of religion, getting rid of “rich peasants” and collectivisation (collective farming), fight with the Ukrainian “nationalistic element” (the operation “Great Famine”) or Polish (NKVD operation from 1937: 111,091 people shot). During each of these operation there were between hundreds of thousands and a few million people dead.

Later on, in the name of strengthening the homeland of the world proletariat, the allience with Hitler was needed. The red star with swastika, the red banner of the Comintern next to the brown symbol of the Third Reich. The Ribbentrop-Molotov pact, the partition of Poland and aggression on Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. And again massive exile, executions and finally the symbol of the series of Soviet success: Katyn genocide.

Then friendship with Hitler ends, and war begins – finalised by conquering half of Europe. In Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Sophia or Bucarest communism gloats. But not because the citizens of these countries wanted it, but because this system was forced: by outside violence coming from Soviets. They did not want this “beautiful idea”. It had to be done, as Milosz wrote, with Soviet stocks and rifles, using them to get rid of “alienation” from these dumb-heads. Alienation meant disbelief in supremacy of communism over freedom and “old” identity.

The outside, imperial, soviet violence supported minor communist organisations in conquested countries and it gave them the power. Using the backup of the red Moscow, the Red Army and NKVD divisions (for example in Poland until 1947 there were present 2 NKVD divisions) these organisations – like “our” PPR, then PZPR – were becoming more stable, they were getting bigger, they were protecting themselves by using structured violence and their own “chekists”, they were building camps for their “enemies” and shooting them, killing on the streets – like in 1956, 1970 or in 1981-82. They were becoming stronger, also in numbers.

These millions of people who were taking crucial positions in the whole power structure were interested in not letting communism be condemned because by doing it their own well-being would be discredited, as much as their bonds with their uncles and mommies from NKVD, UB (Ministry of Public Security), KPZR (Communist Party) and from the nomenklatura. They were too strong in the controlled societies in order to let it happen.

And when it was clear that communist system will lose the global chase with the West, political leaders of western states – such as George Bush senior or Francois Mitterand – all they wanted was to avoid troubles and new responsibility for “hungry mob from Eastern Europe”.

Cambodia: the leader of the Red Kmers, Pol Pot and bones of victims murdered during his dictatorship – during 3.5 years 2.5 million people died (out of a 7.5 million country)

“It’d be better if Soviet Union didn’t end too early” – said Bush during his visit in Kiev in 1991. Moscow, even “red”, is a stable partner for interimperial games. It is a partner for finest economic business. It was known to Helmut Schmidt, chancellor of FRG (West Germany) who developed gas agreement with Moscow’s Brezhnev.

The most cynical Realpolitik and hope for business profits close the eyes for communist crimes. The attachment of intellectual elites of Western Europe and America to their own ideological hatred keeps alive their hopes that communism is the only beautiful alternative for the world, which these elites would love to destroy.

The fact that this alternative was already built and implemented makes them even more proud. Communism is wonderful – repeated Hobsbawm – because it was no longer a theory but became a practice. This practice killed millions, so much the worse for the victims of this “great experiment”.

Professor Andrzej Nowak is a historian, publicist, lecturer at the JagiellonianUniversity. He works at the Institute of History of PolishAcademy of Science.

And that unknown translator has done a great service.

I think, though, an important piece left out of the professor’s work is the fact that the USSR had such an effective PR campaign and numerous State Department infiltrators even before WWII.

National Socialism could serve a similar purpose if it weren’t based on racial theories and fear of Jews and a type of nationalism that’s foreign if not repulsive to most westerners and especially Americans. It’s too polluted with that stuff at the theoretical level to be kept around. Communism, on the other hand, looks great in theory. It’s all about the universal brotherhood of man, liberation of the individual, equality, peace, justice, etc. Its moral aspirations come straight out of the Judeo-Christian tradition (while distilling out inconveniences like God and the Bible) and so it has access to lots of familiar receptor sites in the western mind. For the West, communism is like clinically pure heroin whereas National Socialism is street junk tainted with battery acid.

Did you read the quote? The "dissolution" of Eastern Europe and the "fall" of the Soviet Union are the unprecedented overtures of peace the guy spoke of. It's all a ruse, it's all part of the plan to lull us to sleep, and asleep we are. The greatest Communist threat is no longer from the Russians, or even the Chicoms -- it's within our very own borders. The Commies are in charge, because we went to sleep.

The clenched fist is coming.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

Indeed it leaks through. It is just less a determinant of professional success, since school teachers mostly teach the basics, if anything.

I know a school principal back in the day, now retired, who kept his Republican affiliation secret all his professional life.

that unknown translator has done a great service.

Indeed. I wrote to him, but haven't heard back.

I think more often than not it wasn't such a skill at PR that influenced opinions in the West, but that people at all levels just wanted to believe the Soviets. A misunderstanding of the proper role of monarchy played a part as well.

Yes, but these are post-WWII when the US fought against Germany. Prior to that, Hitler was looked upon favorably by everyone precisely because people instinctively respect nationalism and reject Communism. It was an incredible turn of the tables that America, itself a nationalistic nation like no other (remember “Truth, Justice and the American Way”?) was conditioned to treat nationalism like a dirty word. Of course, the brutality of the SS is repulsive, but it needn’t have transferred to abandonment of nationalism. In fact, in 1950’s it didn’t. The decline of American nationalism dates to the Vietnam war, I think. Moreover, socialism — the other component of nazism, — should have been rejected just as strongly by that logic but it hasn’t been.

The "dissolution" of Eastern Europe and the "fall" of the Soviet Union are the unprecedented overtures of peace the guy spoke of

I understand that point but I do not fully agree with it. The dissolution of the USSR was, perhaps partly reversible (as concerns Belarus, Kazakhstan and a handful of other limitrophes); there are now some courageous souls in Kiev risking their lives to make it wholly irreversible. The break-off of Eastern Europe is clearly irreversible already. It would be no easier for a new Stalin to occupy Riga or Warsaw than to occupy Holland, -- and probably harder still.

While all you say might be true, it's absolutely irrelevant. The Russians can take back Eastern Europe without breaking a sweat. It's us that are the targets of their "overtures of peace". It's us, not Belarus, Kazakhstan or the Ukraine, that they were and are worried about. We're the ones who have been lulled to sleep. What's going on in Eastern Europe has nothing to do with how we've dropped our guard in the West.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

Their ultimate objective is global Communism, just as it was during the Cold War. They couldn't beat us militarily, so they're doing it by subterfuge. When the Wall came down, we went to sleep, and subsequently have been infiltrated by Commies, Muzzies, illegal scumbag aliens and New Age Lefties. The eco-nuts? Commies. The increased minimum wage lobby? Commies. The "gay rights" lobby? Useful idiots for the Commies. The Muzzies? Temporary allies of the Commies. Big Education? Commies and homos. Hollyweird? Commies (Joe McCarthy was right). Our NATO allies? Overrun by Commies, homos and Muzzies.

I believe this was their plan all along, it just took a little longer to unfold than they thought back in 1925. I even believe the Cold War was just a ruse, to build up fears and tension, so that when the "overtures of peace" did happen, we happily went to sleep and let down our guard. Whether the clenched fist comes from Moscow, Beijing or DC, I don't know. But the fist is coming, and as a nation, we're sound asleep.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

Funny... Joan of Arc did stand trial and got burned at the stake, and that was DESPITE her key role in ensuring France won its war.

And quite frankly, had I been the president at the time, I would have made dang sure to try the Communists as well.

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