“It would be extremely stupid and absurdly utopian to assume that the transition from capitalism to socialism is possible without coercion and without dictatorship…there is absolutely no contradiction in principle between socialist democracy and the exercise of dictatorial powers by individuals.” -Vladimir Lenin during the Russian revolution
In order to achieve Karl Marx’s dream of elimination of the nation-state (Communist Manifesto) it is strangely ironic that to achieve that goal, a tyrannical police state is necessary.
Some on the Left and on the Right in America today are both talking of “Revolution”. Those who speak of this with a whimsical or flippant attitude, or may even be serious about it should study a few revolutions. The American Revolution was a relatively low casualty revolution in comparison to others in world history. One reason for which, I would submit, is the overwhelming presence of Christianity in the hearts of the American Patriot. (Also key is the logistical facet; the King of England lived 3,000 miles away on distant shores.) It even paled in comparison to the American Civil War in casualties.
Studying godless revolutions such as the French or Russian, one understands the influence of Christian beliefs on the actions of warriors, or the lack thereof. The lack of hesitation to “stand against the wall” those who opposed the Bolsheviks or the Jacobins (to the guillotine) testifies to their merciless attempts to “purify” their causes.
Already embroiled in WW1 fighting off German aggression, what began in Russia as a relatively bloodless “February Revolution” very quickly degenerated into a bloodbath lasting for the next 20 years resulting in millions slaughtered or starved because of their political views. Over 3 million were exiled to Siberia, many dying there.
After the initiation of “Red Terror” campaign, one Lenin follower is quoted as saying, “What purpose is served by all these questions of origins and education? One needs only to go into the kitchen and look into his soup pot. If there is meat in it, then he is an enemy of the people. Stand him up against a wall!”
By the end of “The Reign of Terror” in France, 17,000 aristocrats, clergy, bourgeois and peasants were guillotined in France, with undocumented thousands perishing in prisons w/o trial.
This all, not to mention General Mao in China, Castro, Che, and such ilk.
Those who preach their brand of hatred for all things Christian and would cleanse all vestiges of it from our public arena’s, even going so far as to advocate against Christians voting or running for public office, would do well to study some history.
These revolutions begin as a bid for “social justice” but always deteriorate into an unexpected struggle for survival and political power resulting in desperation, unimaginable human suffering, and injustice. History’s lesson to us is that revolution always takes you farther than you intended to go. And godless revolutions always lead straight to Hell.
The real question here is, have we learned anything?
My submission is this: In light of today’s embarrassing level of ignorance of history in America, and the resurgence of Marxist doctrine labeled as “Social Justice”…
No.
Advertisements