[kj] politics

[P]

Jamie,

I think those differences in "isms" are certainly quite important - I agree
that not that important for those killed - but still there are major
differences. As regards "a small number of people at the top, and a large
number of people at the bottom, and a certain amount of ruthlessness to keep
it that way" is what Communism fights against while it the case of Nazism it
is a corner stone of its very ideology - that there is an elite in the
nation destined to rule while the role of masses is to keep quite and do
what fuhrer (chosen by some metaphysical unhuman force) says.

For Stalinists in order to keep power it was necessary not only to
completely negate any ideas and practices of  Communism, but also actually
murder or imprison all the Communists, especially those who actively
remembered Russian Revolution and what it was fighting for (number of
Bolshevik leaders were Jews and due to their higher education than most of
Russians they were often in leading positions and traditional anti-Semitism
of Russian muzhik promoted for centuries by Tsarist regime was simply abused
by Stalin). While Nazis had the clear goal to exterminate all Jews and it
was central to its ideology.

To understand history it is not enough to use sylogisms such as cat has 4
legs, dog has 4 legs, thus the dog is a cat.
By this method one can proove anything. By mere bodycount one would come to
a conclusion than US or UK "democracies" are the most ruthless regimes that
ever existed. I still believe one shall defend (even capitalist) democracy
against Nazism even though these democracies may murdered but certainly
oppressed more people than Nazism.

PAVEL


----- Original Message -----
From: <Jpwhkj at aol.com>
To: <gathering at misera.net>
Sent: Monday, September 06, 2004 10:50 AM
Subject: Re: [kj] politics


> <xps1 at quick.cz> writes:
>
> >Jamie, the difference is however under capitalism the poverty is a
product of overproduction while in previous economic systems it was a result
of lack of it.
>
> Hi Pavel,
>
> Fair point. You could also say that racism was a central plank of Nazism
but not of Soviet communism - however, the Jews killed in pogroms in
Stalinist Russia were just as dead as those killed by the Nazis. In other
words, I can see many differences between the "-isms", but I also see a
strong similarity in the end result: a small number of people at the top,
and a large number of people at the bottom, and a certain amount of
ruthlessness to keep it that way. (Economic circumstances, technology, and
social security payments may make the bottom of the heap a more or less
miserable place to be, however.)
>
> There's enough for all our need, but not enough for all our greed.
>
> Second helpings, anyone? ;-)
>
> Jamie
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