At the debate the other night, Bernie Sanders emphasized again that he is a Socialist. Many of the younger voters in the USA don't really have much experience with Socialism. For that group, I thought it would be worthwhile to list some of history's most famous self proclaimed Socialists:
1. Any list of Socialists has to start with Adolf Hitler. He was the leader and founder of Germany's National Socialist Party (abbreviated in German as the Nazis). He started World War II, promoted racist dogma, caused the deaths of tens of millions and nearly destroyed European civilization.
2. Another famous Socialist from Germany is Walter Ulbricht. He was the leader of the Socialist Unity Party in the German Democratic Republic from 1950 to 1971. He was the leader who divided Berlin with the Berlin Wall. He was also the one who ordered people trying to cross the border to be shot. He imposed Soviet rule on Germany.
3. Moving east from Germany, one gets to Poland where our next Socialist lived. This man was Wadyslaw Gomulka. Gomulka was the head of the Polish Workers' Party for most of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He imposed enormous restrictions on the freedom of individual Poles and caused the deaths of thousands. Perhaps his most heinous move, however, was to advise the Soviet army to stop outside of Warsaw during World War II when the local resistance fighters inside that city rose up against the Nazis. That pause allowed the Germans to kill thousands of the resistance. As a result, those people were no longer able to fight the takeover of Poland by Gomulka's socialists.
4. Who could leave Josef Stalin off any list of important socialists? Stalin, of course, was the leader of the Soviet Union for three decades. He was responsible for the deaths of roughly 40 million people, many of whom were just peasants starved to death during government induced famine in the 1930s. Under Stalin, the Soviets brought big government control of life to a level never before seen.
5. Our final socialist for today is Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China. Mao actually managed to kill more people than even Stalin.
It's quite a group. I know that I will get some angry emails about how I picked people who weren't really Socialists. I get that often. For those of you who think that, I suggest that you include with your email the names of five famous Socialists that you think should be listed.
1. Any list of Socialists has to start with Adolf Hitler. He was the leader and founder of Germany's National Socialist Party (abbreviated in German as the Nazis). He started World War II, promoted racist dogma, caused the deaths of tens of millions and nearly destroyed European civilization.
2. Another famous Socialist from Germany is Walter Ulbricht. He was the leader of the Socialist Unity Party in the German Democratic Republic from 1950 to 1971. He was the leader who divided Berlin with the Berlin Wall. He was also the one who ordered people trying to cross the border to be shot. He imposed Soviet rule on Germany.
3. Moving east from Germany, one gets to Poland where our next Socialist lived. This man was Wadyslaw Gomulka. Gomulka was the head of the Polish Workers' Party for most of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He imposed enormous restrictions on the freedom of individual Poles and caused the deaths of thousands. Perhaps his most heinous move, however, was to advise the Soviet army to stop outside of Warsaw during World War II when the local resistance fighters inside that city rose up against the Nazis. That pause allowed the Germans to kill thousands of the resistance. As a result, those people were no longer able to fight the takeover of Poland by Gomulka's socialists.
4. Who could leave Josef Stalin off any list of important socialists? Stalin, of course, was the leader of the Soviet Union for three decades. He was responsible for the deaths of roughly 40 million people, many of whom were just peasants starved to death during government induced famine in the 1930s. Under Stalin, the Soviets brought big government control of life to a level never before seen.
5. Our final socialist for today is Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China. Mao actually managed to kill more people than even Stalin.
It's quite a group. I know that I will get some angry emails about how I picked people who weren't really Socialists. I get that often. For those of you who think that, I suggest that you include with your email the names of five famous Socialists that you think should be listed.
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