There is much wrong with Marxism. Books have been written elucidating its inherent fallacies, so I cannot expose all of them in a few short articles. For succinct exposes, I recommend Richard Pipes’ “Communism” (from which I drew much information for this series), and the incomparable Thomas Sowell’s book, “Marxism,” which is as brilliant as everything else Dr. Sowell has written.
In summary, the constant, and in terms of human life, incredibly tragic failures of Marxism in the last 100 years are not due to human error in application, but are inherent in the system. I have exposed only three of its delusions. One, Marxism’s doctrine of “historical justification” (history cannot “justify” anything). Two, his argument that private property is only a “passing stage” in history when, in reality, it has always been evident at nearly all times and places. And three, his warped, atheistic view of a “malleable” human nature. All these matters are part of Marx’s theory, they are all wrong, and thus, when any human society attempts to force them, in mass, on their population, as happened all over the world in the 20th century, there will be serious, horrendous consequences to pay.
And there WERE such consequences paid, to the tune of well over a hundred million innocent deaths, not to mention countless more who were imprisoned, tortured, and enslaved, all in the name of a philosophy that was doomed to malfunction by its very nature. The Left has not given up this hideous ideology yet; the Democratic Party is trying to foist it upon the American people. hey may succeed, for as Marx himself said, “Keep people from their history and they are easily controlled.” Mass ignorance is a key element of the Democratic Party’s platform, and the results are very apparent in America today.
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Collective “egalitarianism” sounds so good to many people, and that has been its appeal down through history (Marx wasn’t the first to preach it). Let all men be equal. No more extremes of wealth and poverty, thus envy, oppression, and slavery will be abolished. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” If only it were that simple. But it isn’t, and again, the failure to understand human nature is perhaps the greatest faux pas of all such egalitarian systems.
But because humans are not innately equal, to usher in and maintain such an arrangement—the “dictatorship of the proletariat”—required a huge vanguard, “nomenklatura,” or in simple terms, bureaucracy, to oversee and manage its myriad “planned” activities. As Richard Pipes so accurately noted, this “nomenklatura” becomes, in effect, a state within a state, which the party in power depends upon to stay in power. This bureaucracy grows uncontrollably because the government takes over more and more aspects of society, thus needing the bureaucracy to administer it. Bureaucracy expands virtually endlessly, rises above the people, and has the singular goal of remaining in power and serving its own interests.
There is no question this aspect of Marxism has affected America. We call it the “deep state.” They exist only for themselves, to perpetuate the power, influence, benefits, and glory that comes from being a part of it. In one supreme sense, it is no longer a part of the nation; it is an entity in itself, seeking only to sustain itself. And it certainly has no motivation to change anything.
This is why you and I are so frustrated at the Republican Party’s inability to accomplish anything worthwhile. They are part of this bureaucracy, this “deep state.” Ronna McDaniel, Mitch McConnell, the “Uniparty”, don’t want it to change (the Democrats certainly don’t). They all benefit from it, at our expense. There is obviously nothing “equal” or “egalitarian” about it, either. This is a privileged class, above the people, necessary to run the entire government apparatus. And your only purpose is to pay for it, to keep them in power. They despise you as a human. You are nothing but a fool, a slave to pay for their privileges.
Oh, such people in power always talk about “purging the corrupt”—Stalin’s Great Terror, Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Xi’s current attempt to eliminate “corruption” in the CCP. Donald Trump went to Washington to “drain the swamp.” It never happens because that class has become absolutely essential to the operation of the state. The system cannot live without it because it manages countless aspects of society. And while a worthwhile debate could be held over how much Marxism has influenced American government and society, we certainly see this facet of Marxism deeply embedded in America. Marx’s philosophy is no doubt a major reason why. The Democratic Party certainly believes in it, and the Republican Party has become the “useful idiots” to preserve it. Neither of these two political parties is going to end it. Why should they? It is their raison d’ être, their very reason for existence.
The only thing that will ever destroy this “nomenklatura” in America is the America people themselves. But too many Americans have no clue what is going on, it is the system they have grown up with, and their votes are being bought by this “deep state” in power. A graduated income tax is also a core feature of Marxism (read the “Communist Manifesto.” It’s right there.). Such a system, as we saw repeatedly in the 20th century, cannot survive long without serious reformation.
Power and self-preservation thus become ends in themselves, and political platforms are nothing but camouflage to mask these true motives. Marxists preach high-sounding ideals while engaging in the most repulsive behavior.
Marxism can only succeed by force. Equality is maintained in only that way. But people are not equal, and long for freedom. That is human nature. Thus, Marxism/communism is inherently contradictory to human nature, and will only survive if it can cower, or deceive, the people into obedience.
We will never reform it. It simply must be rejected and destroyed.
Check my substack mklewis929.substack.com for recent articles and podcasts. Read about energy costs in blue states vs. red states. Follow me on Twitter(X): @thailandmkl. Read my western novels, Whitewater , River Bend, Return to River Bend, and Allie’s Dilemma all available on Amazon.
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