The Dark Origins of Communism – A Must Watch

Someone very kindly pointed me to a series created and published by The Epoch Times on Communism. The episodes are all quite short and easy to digest, but aside from the first episode (which I embedded below), you need to subscribe to the Epoch Times to see them. This is the only unfortunate drawback to the episodes, as they are otherwise very good.

The Dark Origins Of Communism

Of particular import are episodes 2 and 3, which go into how the roots of Communism trace all the way back to the French Revolution. Most of the same motivations that brought about Communism were first broadcast in France before and during the Revolution, as well as its infamous Reign of Terror, a ceremony refined in other countries over the subsequent centuries. The purges of Stalin, for instance, and following Soviet horrors all had their roots in the French Revolution’s calls for “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” and as Dickens put it, “Death.*” The Epoch Times’ series goes into (condensed) descriptions of how Fascism and Nazism were simply different terms under the Communist banner, all of them fighting over the proper interpretation of Marx and Engels’ unholy militant confirmation of the French Revolution’s ideas.

This article goes into a few of the written sources which Marx drew upon for his ideas, and it isn’t hard to see where these things twisted what the Late Scholastics had to say about economics. Alejandro A. Chafuen cites several of these Scholastics in his book Faith and Liberty* and, while I do not have the book to hand now (I believe I shall reread it soon), I recall the Scholastics also lamented the growth of the bureaucracy (or courtiers, as they were known at the time). They likewise preferred that the power those in governments could exercise be limited while maintaining what we would now call a conservative outlook.

I think that it is interesting that the Industrialist movement mentioned in the Mises Institute link above hit on some of these principles from the Late Scholastics, though they took these principles in an erroneous direction. Along with Ralph Raico, author of that article, I have a critique of the Industrialist ideal that he does not explicitly mention: the Industrialist mindset embraced a utopic view that is out of touch with reality. Mind you, I think any utopic society one can propose is impossible. We had a utopic society in the Garden of Eden and lost it through pride; any attempt to recreate Eden now – whether under a Democracy, a Tyranny, a Monarchy, or a Republic – is merely the continuation of that first sin.

Along with the Late Scholastics I hold to the idea that, while “society preceded power,” we are stuck with power of one kind or another. In keeping with J.R.R. Tolkien’s view on power, as elucidated in The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot*, I prefer to keep the power exercised by those in any government you can name as limited as possible. To paraphrase Professor Tolkien, not one man in a thousand or even a million is fit to rule. A saying I heard in my teens was, “If I was in charge, I would do X. But no one put me in charge.”

Over the years, I have come to think an addendum should be added to that: “But no one put me in charge, and isn’t that a good thing?” Because if not one man in a million is fit to lead, what the heck makes me so special? Answer: not a blessed thing, that is what.

As with the Late Scholastics I believe it best to limit, minimize, and just plain cut out as much central authority as possible. There are certain situations and times, attested to by history, where a single authoritative figure can and does change the tide. Whether that is a good or a bad thing depends very much on the person doing the leading: for instance, you could say George Washington was an example of a good authoritative figure “getting things done.” But Stalin was an authoritative leader who helped add to the millions of dead in Communist Russia. He “got things done,” all right.

So. Sometimes, you get lucky and get a George Washington, a man who lays aside power or touches the reins of it but lightly. More often than not, as this Lord of Spirits podcast says on Biblical giants here, you get a tyrant. And yes, the priests discussing this subject are right: Stalin was a piker, a push over, compared to the giants of the past. They would have looked at his record and scoffed.

Pardon my sarcasm, but I’ll stick to the Judeo-Christian call for limited government like my life depends on it, because at the end of the day it does depend upon that call. Or do you think the God Who made and sustains all things coming as a lowly Babe in a manger in Bethlehem isn’t the penultimate symbol of limited government and power, since He could literally erase us all and everything around us by the simple expedient of ceasing to think about us?

Ah, but that’s one reason why Communism, as the Epoch Times series explains, targets religion first. Particularly Christianity. As while it will persecute various Oriental religions, it’s always the Christians they want first. Even Nazi Germany yanked Catholics into the death camps, whether they had Jewish ancestry or not.

Watch the series, readers, then share it around. And wherever you can, do your research. Find the information you need for – anything, really. Poke around at it until you can’t poke it anymore. You never know what you might need later!

*These are Amazon affiliate links. When you purchase something through them, this author receives a commission from Amazon at no extra charge to you, the buyer.

If you liked this article, friend Caroline Furlong on Facebook or follow her here at www.carolinefurlong.wordpress.com. Her stories have been published in Cirsova’s Summer Special and Unbound III: Goodbye, Earth. She has also had stories published in the Planetary Anthology Series. Another story was released in Cirsova Magazine’s Summer Issue in 2020, and she had a story published in Storyhack Magazine’s 7th Issue, Cirsova Magazine’s 2021 Summer Issue, and another may be read over at Ember Journal. Vol. 1* and Vol. 2* of her series – The Guardian Cycle – is available in paperback and ebook as well. So is her first YA novel, Debris, which can be purchased in ebook and paperback here* and here*. Order them today!

Like Caroline’s content? Then consider buying her a coffee on Ko-fi to let her know you appreciate her work. 😉