PROGRESS THROUGH TERROR, EQUALITY THROUGH SUFFERING!

I am constantly astonished by the almost childlike naivety and monumental self-assurance of those who champion Russia, China, and, in general, the communist regime. With an enthusiasm that is truly touching, these admirers of red dictatorships—many of whom live comfortably in the West, where human rights are not merely a cynical joke—are seduced by the “beautiful” narrative of communism, as though it were a Disney fairy tale with a happy ending. And red! What could be more marvelous, in the view of these leftist intellectuals, than the utopian ideas of the economic system envisioned by Marx and Engels? Of course, the small “historical accidents”—the organized famines, purges, labor camps, and millions of deaths—are nothing more than insignificant details, like a slight imperfection in a Persian rug. After all, nothing should stand in the way of the dream of absolute equality, where everyone shares the same right... to suffer equally. And so what if the USSR collapsed under the weight of its own absurdities? What if in China, the Party watches over you like a turbocharged Big Brother? And North Korea? Ah, that is already the ultimate socialist paradise, where not only do you have no right to an opinion, but you cannot even have a hairstyle not approved by the state. All in the name of the collective good, of course!

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the creators of the famous Communist Manifesto and the authors of Das Kapital.

There is no doubt that none of these apologists for social justice (on paper, of course) have ever experienced even a fraction of the horrors of the totalitarian systems they dream of with an almost poetic grace. For them, the gulag is just an abstract concept, widespread hunger an “economic experiment,” and state terror a “necessary measure” against reactionaries. After all, nothing should stand in the way of progress, especially when it is accompanied by grey uniforms and military parades where the people clap on command, afraid they might disappear overnight. In the extreme left circles of Western universities, the red plague spreads as swiftly as fire, fueled by professors who view communism not as a historical tragedy but as a noble ideal, spoiled only by “a few” misunderstood leaders. The fact that these revolutionary thinkers present their theories from MacBooks while sipping a latte art in a bohemian café is just a trivial detail. True revolutionary 2.0s don’t need to suffer in camps to understand suffering, nor do they have to renounce Western comfort to fight against it. After all, the communist system remains true to its final objective—the conquest of the entire world, in a concentrated effort by the Socialist International. And, if we take a step back and judge fairly, the collectivization of agriculture was “good”—even if it left a few million peasants lifeless, the senseless industrialization was “necessary”—despite transforming cities into polluted, soulless dystopias, and the reduction of personal rights to a minimum is “perfect”—because nothing offers more freedom than the fear of security and the trust that your neighbor will be the first to denounce you. But, of course, these are just historical details. The future sounds promising: we will all have the same clothes, the same opinions, the same thoughts. And if we don’t, we’ll quickly learn to have them.

The sickle and hammer, symbols of communism.

However, let me be clear! I am not speaking from books, I am not indulging in theoretical musings, and I do not derive my ideas from some revolutionary essay written by someone who has never endured a single day of real hardship. I lived through communism. I felt unimaginable horrors on my own skin, and as a history teacher, I know exactly what I am talking about. There is no need for anyone, from the comfort of a university lecture hall in the West, to explain to me how it would have been “if it had been applied correctly” or how “the intentions were good, but the execution was flawed.” I saw, I lived, and I understood. That is why I challenge any of these “communism experts” to a real debate of ideas. Let us duel with arguments, without empty slogans or idealistic theories. Let us see how well their beliefs hold up in the face of historical realities and concrete suffering. It is easy to talk about absolute equality when the only deprivation one feels in life is not having the latest iPhone model. Living in the midst of this tragedy, which has marked and still marks my life, I have learned to truly value the freedoms won in a normal society. And what frightens me the most is how easily they can be lost. It does not take tanks, labor camps, or summary executions to lose freedom—it is enough to believe that it is worth sacrificing "for the good of all." That is how it all begins. Yes, the idea of an equal society, without disproportionate social classes, is an alluring concept. It sounds wonderful, even poetic. The problem is that it is profoundly unreal. We cannot all be the same, just as we cannot all win the same. Some are naturally more talented, more hardworking, more fortunate. Others start with fewer opportunities, for various reasons. But the answer to these inequalities is not a system that levels everything through suffering, that brings everyone down to the same level of misery and fear. So, before we wave red flags and dream of “a new world,” perhaps we should ask ourselves how many millions of lives this utopia is worth. Because, so far, every attempt to build it has come at a horrifying cost. But perhaps the admirers of these regimes are not truly hypocrites. Perhaps they are simply waiting for capitalism to offer them, for free, a one-way ticket to one of these “earthly paradises.” Too bad that, once they get there, they might find that the return ticket no longer exists.