Communism's murderous nature

To conclude this 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall I'd like to offer a thought. While people sometimes say, when discussing communism, that it's "great in theory" it is in fact nothing of the kind. It is odious. The murder and mayhem which has accompanied almost every communist regime in recorded history is not an accidental byproduct, but a logical extension of its ideology.

Communist literature is rife with references to class struggle and revolution. Karl Marx famously remarked that "The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope." Many communists knew full well that to create their collectivist omelet would require the cracking of more than a few eggs.

Communist regimes have all been birthed and maintained in violence. No openly communist regime has ever come to power through freely held elections.

Communist states, like all governments, cannot exist without violence. Because communism oversees virtually every aspect of a person's life, however, the level of violence and repression is multiplied many times over that found in free societies. For it to work everyone has to believe in the system and enthusiastically perform the work that is ordered of them.

Even if one person deviates and decides to live their life as they see fit, rather than according to the wishes of their masters in power, the entire system is placed in jeopardy. If that one dissident is able to persuade others the system is in mortal danger. Communism requires not only the policing of actions, but thought.

Communism is so antithetical to the human spirit, so profoundly at odds with our nature that only massive amounts of power wielded by the state can ensure its survival. Even then, despite the tens of millions killed and the rivers of blood it has generated, few countries have been able to endure more than 50 years of such a barbaric system.

Lastly, while we celebrate the triumph of freedom over repression that occurred 20 years ago, never forget those who still languish in the last outposts of Marxist-Leninism:

North Korean soldier kicking a woman.

North Korean prison camp.

Cuban dissidents beaten by paramilitaries

Update: One German writer foresaw the need for communist states to construct something like the Berlin Wall back in 1891!