Very few Western elites were pro-Mao. And general support for communism definitely had a class bias. (Any populism does, for very sympathetic and not-stupid reasons.)
But to generalize this to say that most of Europe's elite supported Mao, or even that American elites supported Mao, is simply unsupported.
Well, the segment of the intelligentsia that doesn’t support the regime are generally executed or sent to labor camps to die.
So yes, eventually “supported by a lot if not most of of the intelligentsia”.
The real problem driving genocide is a feeling of superiority of one group over another, whether it's a single leader or a particular ethnic group. In that sense it's sad to see Einstein talk down about the character of the masses vs the character of the few who provide value. That's the stuff Elon Musk would love.
Real? Where's the overall evidence for that? The capitalist system is inarguably superior to a command economy in terms of supplying what customers want. Does this therefore drive some urge towards genocide on the part of one or the other side?
'It was very much an American invention (the first supermarket in the world was opened in New York’s Queens borough in 1930 – The King Kullen supermarket, invention of former grocery clerk Michael Cullen). By the late 50s, what the women (and surely, even if unacknowledged by the New York Times, men) of Zagreb saw was a clear signal of capitalist superiority in something that mattered much more to them than the conquering of space or new ways to facilitate human extinction: Cheap and plentiful food.'.
https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/cold-war-supermarket-yugosl...
When it sees them as resources to be exploited or wasted, as competitors holding resources you want, or as unproductive. Colonialism is probably the biggest driver of genocide in history. Look at the millions dead in Congo to urge them to produce more rubber. Look at the Native American genocide in the US to take their land.
Intellectuals were also murdered first / sent to hard labour to die, sent to political prisons, etc. (check out what Mao did or Stalin, khmer rouge, or any other communist regime)
They were replaced by random poeople off the street based on their perceived loyalty to communism.
In occupied countries russia basically put in russians at first to clean up everything / murder anyone they want.
So you are wrong here.
There are dictionaries online, you know? You could even type "define intelligentsia" into the Google search box, and get a decent answer.
> The largest genocides of that period have been orchestrated by communist countries, supported by a lot if not most of of the intelligentsia
First part is that Intelligentsia means intellectuals, which in russia after 1917 it did not. Google has issues with doublethink but you can find on wikiedia what they did to intellectuals and what they redefined the term to. It also does not cove the fact that it is equivalent to intelligence services but not the same.
Second part is that Intelligentsia made genocides, which is ambigous, which intelligentsia? (the KGB?, if so, yes but they were not intellectuals, or the intellectuals?, if so, how?, they were all dead or not in power)
Third part is that Einstein belonged to that which is even bolder illogical statement... He was not russian, not a part of the KGB, had no power or involvement.
Not me, sorry :-)
How did Einstein "support" those genocides?
Define the "Intelligentsia" that supported those genocides?
How did "Intelligentsia" support those genocides?
What happened to them afterwards?
That should be a cautionary tale.