In sectors of the left, particularly within the Western left, there’s a trend to deride or outright dismiss socialist experiments, at best these critics debate whether these experiments were “true” socialism. However, the point remains that these experiments attempted to organize society differently from capitalism and succeeded to some extent. They stood as significant threats to global capitalism, which is why the priests of the #deathcult, and its worshippers, demonizes them. Yet, left-wing anti-communists often reject these experiments, dismissing them as perversions of their idealized socialism and claiming there’s nothing to learn from them.
The trend of left-wing anti-communism is supported by “approved” leftist academics and writers like Noam Chomsky and George Orwell. The capitalist establishment supports this with glowing reviews of books that condemn socialism, backed by #mainstreaming institutions. For example, progressive literature on the Bolshevik Revolution tends to glorify its early years but condemns the period afterward, romanticizing the shift and condemning the troubling steps taken to consolidate the revolution in reaction to the very real and strong backlashes.
These left-wing anti-communists lack nuance in their criticisms, they ignore the complexities and harsh “spiky” realities that revolutionary movements faced in the early 20th century. The Bolsheviks, for example, had to build a strong army and internal security apparatus in reaction to our invasions, ration due to our sanctions. Criticizing these actions, while valid, is not helpful without understanding the context, doing this shows a lack of appreciation for the recurring challenges we will face.
The “fluffy” left lionize revolutions that failed because these revolutions never had to contend with the practical challenges of building a stable alternative. This glorification ignores the hardships that successful socialist experiments had to endure and the real, tangible benefits they provided to their societies.
It’s essential to criticize socialist experiments with evidence, good faith, and an understanding of the circumstances. Honest progressives engage in nuanced criticism, unlike those who blankly condemn these movements. It’s worth defending some of the heritage of socialism, while acknowledging its flaws and learning from its lessons. At best, Marxist spaces provide the most scathing and honest criticisms of socialist experiments, aiming for constructive dialogue and improvement rather than wholesale rejection. This balanced approach is infinitely better than denouncing these experiments under superficial pressure from capitalist propaganda.
Left-wing anti-communism is a trend to dislike and disregard almost every socialist experiment. Over the last 40 years the neoliberal world-view replaces trust with fear, when discussing solutions, it’s essential to challenge common sense neoliberal views and advocate for nuanced, evidence-based perspectives. Let’s learn from this history, please.
This post was inspired by this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEC2ajsvr0I worth a watch.