European Politics Thread

[Satsuki]

Being communist doesn't mean worshipping Stalin or Mao.

Of course not. But it's because of those two dictators that communism has such a horrible reputation in many countries.

[Nolus]

Of course not. But it's because of those two dictators that communism has such a horrible reputation in many countries.

Don't forget they had spin-offs all over the Soviet Union. With their own worship cults and hymns written about them.

[FolhaS]

How very French of you, or maybe rather how European. I mean in mainland yuuurop theres a communist (or communistish) party in virtually every nation, they usually don't win more than a smattering of votes here or there, but they eke out a living being an everlasting fringe party. Meanwhile in the UK or the US the Communist party is like twelve men in bolshevik beards. Especially the US stamped down hard on any homegrown support, or anyone remotely sympathetic to communism really

I think the issue with communism is that no one ever really tried to build it without totalitarism.
In theory there should be a period of socialism (communism lite, as KageKageKing said) where people realize and acknowledge it's benefits before going fully red. But every time someone got in power with socialist or communist ideals they were also dipshits as persons and became dictators.

Samething for fascism, every single fascist regime so far as also being a dictatorship despite that not being a pre-requisite.
Looking at fictional examples, in Starship Troopers the Earth is a fascist regime that holds real elections while still upholding and enforcing the same ideals of strengh/power and individual merit.


As a european I always found USA's reaction to the very word Communist to be hilarious.
I've seen the Communist Parties respectfully using the political system and was taught that the problem with the regimes of USSR and such were the fault of the men who became dictators not the ideals bythemselves. So we can disagree on it's merits and still inahbit the same space. You say Commie in the US and you get banned from the city, tied to a mule.

[Johnny B. Decent]

Don't forget they had spin-offs all over the Soviet Union. With their own worship cults and hymns written about them.

Kind of ironic, as the SU was an atheist nation.

[Satsuki]

As a european I always found USA's reaction to the very word Communist to be hilarious.
I've seen the Communist Parties respectfully using the political system and was taught that the problem with the regimes of USSR and such were the fault of the men who became dictators not the ideals bythemselves. So we can disagree on it's merits and still inahbit the same space. You say Commie in the US and you get banned from the city, tied to a mule.

The Cold War was a bitch. Also Joseph McCarthy was an asshole.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism

[Nolus]

Kind of ironic, as the SU was an atheist nation.

Why worship God when you can worship this:

Spoiler:

EDIT:
I just read on Wikipedia, that this guy (Mátyás Rákosi) has a hospital named after him... in North Korea.

[wolfwood]

As a european I always found USA's reaction to the very word Communist to be hilarious.
I've seen the Communist Parties respectfully using the political system and was taught that the problem with the regimes of USSR and such were the fault of the men who became dictators not the ideals bythemselves. So we can disagree on it's merits and still inahbit the same space. You say Commie in the US and you get banned from the city, tied to a mule.

The US relationship to communism can best be summarized by subtle ol' Stan Lee.

Hidden:

They are ugly unthinking brutes who also have kooky space age technology that will destroy us all.

[Cyan D. Funk]

Labour's strategy still being "we're totally behind Brexit but it'll be a vague Left Brexit and also we keep willingly outing ourselves as anti-semites" astounds me.

They are ugly unthinking brutes who also have kooky space age technology that will destroy us all.

This is a perfectly fair description of Brezhnev.

[wolfwood]

This is a perfectly fair description of Brezhnev.

True. But it's not like Nixon is a prize either.

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

Why worship God when you can worship this:

Spoiler:

http://mek.oszk.hu/01900/01906/html/...3972nkm344.jpg

EDIT:
I just read on Wikipedia, that this guy (Mátyás Rákosi) has a hospital named after him... in North Korea.

He looks wholesome. The way he gently strokes the grain does not make me question what he gets up to at all. You gotta figure the whole world was a simpler place to do propaganda in before everything could be snarked about online.

[Nolus]

He looks wholesome. The way he gently strokes the grain does not make me question what he gets up to at all. You gotta figure the whole world was a simpler place to do propaganda in before everything could be snarked about online.

Spoiler:

These cults were truly, terrifyingly otherworldy.

[wolfwood]

They do say that in betwenn all the wanton murder, paranoia and cruelty Stalin was a pretty fun guy. Atleast compared to the as murderous but less fun monsters who made up his inner circle.

[Green_vs_Red]

Sounds better than Hitler who supposedly could get carried away when hearing bad news.....as I'm sure Downfall has made infamous.

[Nilitch]

Spoiler:

https://external-content.duckduckgo....jpg&f=1&nofb=1

These cults were truly, terrifyingly otherworldy.

It's not just cults, propaganda and cult of personality. Stalin, among other communist leaders such as Mao or Ho Chi Minh, was in fact naturally highly charismatic

[maxterdexter]

I’m sitting this one out.

[wolfwood]

Sounds better than Hitler who supposedly could get carried away when hearing bad news.....as I'm sure Downfall has made infamous.

If i absolutely had to throw my propaganda baby at WW2 era despot i'd probably chuck it at Mussolini and hope for the best. Out of the lot he seemed like the most stable and least likely to kill people on a whim.

It's not just cults, propaganda and cult of personality. Stalin, among other communist leaders such as Mao or Ho Chi Minh, was in fact naturally highly charismatic

Personally i always thought Stalin was comparatively lacking in personal charisma compared to for instance Hitler or Mussolini. He got by on other merits, and built his mythos over time, but i reckon he came about more as a clever and patient opportunist than as a force of personality